But in the past decade, Collingwood has generally sought to roll the dice against the opposition’s best and back its own onballers to win the day.
Paul Licuria, Carl Steinfort and Brodie Holland are the club’s most recent taggers in the true sense of the word.
But since Licuria and Holland graduated into ball winning midfielders (circa 2003-2004) and Steinfort retired (at the end of 2002), the Pies have only occasionally used a player such as Ben Johnson or Sharrod Wellingham in something of an attacking lock-down role on a player like Chris Judd or Gary Ablett Junior (something that was done with great effect during 2010).
A prime example of this was Mick Malthouse’s use of Dane Swan on St Kilda’s Brendon Goddard during the second half of the 2010 Grand Final Replay.
After a quiet first half, Swan was switched onto the St Kilda champion and managed to make Goddard accountable for his eventual 26 possessions while having an impact defensively with 11 tackles.
In 2013, it appears as if the tagger has finally returned to the Westpac Centre in the guise of Brent Macaffer.
The 2010 premiership forward has reinvented himself as a defensive midfielder after his 2012 campaign was wiped out by a knee reconstruction.
He began the year playing at half forward before a stint at half back against Richmond and Essendon where his sure ball-handling stood out.
Nathan Buckley put a different spin on Macaffer’s career when he assigned him the role of tagging St Kilda star Nick Dal Santo at Etihad Stadium in round six (a ground at which Dal Santo averages 22.85 possessions).
The challenge was daunting, but Macaffer relished the opportunity to spend more time in the centre square and he quickly set about curtailing Dal Santo’s influence.
Macaffer restricted Dal Santo to only 16 possessions and collected 16 of his own (as well as sending Collingwood inside 50 on an equal team-high six occasions). His impact was recognised by one of the two senior coaches when he received a vote in the AFLCA Champion Player of the Year Award, and it wouldn’t be unfair to guess that it was Buckley who took note of Macaffer’s ability to play his role to a tee.
After the match, the Herald Sun’s Glenn McFarlane wrote: “Macaffer might have booked himself into becoming the club's midfield stopper this year. He outmuscled, out-pysched, outworked and at times out-thought Dal Santo, restricting not only his possession rate, but also the territory that he had to work in. At times it even looked as if he got into his opponents' head.”
The Age’s Michael Gleeson also acknowledged the 25-year-old’s ability to put the clamps on Dal Santo: “Collingwood also played with a tagger - Brent Macaffer closed Nick Dal Santo down - which is something it has typically avoided.”
The following week, Macaffer began on Fremantle’s slippery Michael Walters but was posted to David Mundy after quarter time after the midfielder began the game with 10 possessions. Unsurprisingly, Macaffer held Mundy to only 10 touches in the remaining three quarters and again helped himself to 16 possessions of his own.
‘The Caff’ wasn’t satisfied and set about quelling the impact of Geelong’s Joel Selwood (keeping him to 20 possessions and only six kicks) and Sydney’s Josh Kennedy (a season-low 18 possessions).
Last week’s effort against Brisbane runner Pearce Hanley was perhaps Macaffer’s best yet.
Hanley, who ranks in Brisbane’s top three for possessions, kicks, uncontested disposals, inside 50s and marks, was restricted to only 10 touches for the night (his lowest return since round 12 last year).
Macaffer still ended up with 19 disposals of his own and laid eight tackles (on top of his nine against Sydney the week prior).
The coaches acknowledged Macaffer’s work with three votes in the AFLCA Award.
With games against Melbourne, the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide to come in the next few weeks, players such as Nathan Jones, Matthew Boyd and Travis Boak shouldn’t be surprised if Collingwood’s new No. 3 sidles up alongside them in the centre square.
Macaffer’s Tagging Victims
Round Six v St Kilda
Macaffer: 10 kicks, 7 marks, 6 handballs, 16 possessions, 1 tackle, 6 inside 50s
Dal Santo: 11 kicks, 3 marks, 5 handballs, 16 possessions, 3 tackles, 4 inside 50s
*Dal Santo averages 22.60 possessions per game in 2013.
Round Seven v Fremantle
Macaffer: 11 kicks, 5 marks, 2 handballs, 13 possessions, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50 (after quarter time)
Mundy: 6 kicks, 2 marks, 4 handballs, 10 possessions, 4 tackles, 0 inside 50s (after quarter time)
*Mundy averages 22.60 possessions per game in 2013.
Round Eight v Geelong
Macaffer: 11 kicks, 6 marks, 3 handballs, 14 possessions, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s
Selwood: 6 kicks, 2 marks, 14 handballs, 20 possessions, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s
*Selwood averages 22.40 possessions per game in 2013.
Round Nine v Sydney
Macaffer: 9 kicks, 2 marks, 6 handballs, 15 possessions, 9 tackles, 2 inside 50s
Kennedy: 6 kicks, 0 marks, 12 handballs, 18 possessions, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50
*Kennedy averages 27.10 possessions per game in 2013.
Round 10 v Brisbane
Macaffer: 13 kicks, 7 marks, 6 handballs, 19 possessions, 8 tackles, 3 inside 50s
Hanley: 6 kicks, 1 mark, 4 handballs, 10 possessions, 2 tackles, 2 inside 50s
*Hanley averages 22.11 possessions per game in 2013.
Possession averages since round six
Macaffer: 15.40
Direct Opponent: 14.8
