Tim time? Dockers weighing up Taranto play in Tigers clash
Fremantle are weighing up giving Richmond’s Tim Taranto extra attention on Sunday in a bid to stop him spearheading their young midfield group.
Taranto — the most experienced member of the Tigers’ on-ball brigade — has had matchups with Brisbane’s Josh Dunkley and St Kilda’s Marcus Windhager across the past two weeks.
Windhager — one of the league’s very few genuine taggers — kept him to 20 disposals.
Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir recognised the importance the 27-year-old has on the Tiger’s midfield ahead of their clash at Barossa Park on Sunday.
“It’s something we will definitely weigh up,” he said.
“We have spoken about that aspect of it already. Him and (Jacob) Hopper do a lot of the heavy lifting in there.
“If we don’t go to (him) we will have some plans around his impact because it has been pretty significant.”
Taranto leads the Tigers for clearances and is their second-highest rated player behind in-form ruckman and skipper Toby Nankervis.
He is also used at a team-high 82 per cent of Richmond’s centre-bounces in a pack that most-often includes Hopper and a mix of young talent including Thomson Dow and Sam Lalor.
Fremantle last week used Jaeger O’Meara to mind Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore around stoppages.
Longmuir said he had been impressed by the Tigers sticking in games. Adem Yze’s side stunned Carlton in round one, but have since lost to Port Adelaide, St Kilda and Brisbane.
“They have been in a lot of games and I think sometimes the scoreboard isn’t a reflection of how competitive they’ve been,” Longmuir said.
“I think they set the ground up really well, I think their contest work — off the back of Nank and some of their mature mids — is really solid and some of their young talent looks really impressive.
“They haven’t taken long to adapt to AFL level. They beat Carlton, they played a really good first half against St Kilda, they never gave up last week against Brisbane, so we are going to have to be at their best.”
The Tigers have ruled out first-year players Sam Lalor and Harry Armstrong for the clash.