STALWART Collingwood defender Simon Prestigiacomo says that the Magpies did not devotemore of their pre-match planning to ex-teammate Chris Tarrant than they wouldto any other opponent.

“A coupleof us talked about how him and Pavlich played . It was like getting used to anygame when you look at your opponents. We just knew a bit more about how Tazplayed . It wasn’t over-emphasised.”

Prestigiacomolined up on Tarrant and had the job on the hard-running Fremantle forward allnight.

While itwas new experience to play on someone who had been a teammate for eight season,Prestigiacomo has never had an on-going, regular opponent when the Magpies havefronted the Dockers.

“I playedon McPharlin a few times before he went back. Last year I didn’t play against them.I’ve been on Pavlich a couple of times in the past.”

Prestigiacomocarried out his usual honest performance on Tarrant tracking the Freofull-forward on his expansive runs up the ground. While Tarrant racked up asolid number of touches, he won his kicks a long way out and was wayward in hisshooting for goal to the delight of those Magpie fans who had cheered him formost of the past decade.

ForPrestigiacomo the worst moment of the night did not come at the hands ofTarrant, but from Ryan Crowley whose high bump when Prestigiacomo had his headover the ball was immediately reported.

Prestigiacomowas predictably non-commital on the effects of the crude tackle.

“It was allright it, it wasn’t too bad . I was fine.”

Hepreferred to talk up the team’s efforts and the fact that at no stage this yearhave they been “blown away” in a quarter.

“We justkeep going and we’ve got a belief in ourselves. We have been down at half-timea few times, but we’ve managed to come over the top of teams and we have gotthat belief that we can outrun sides.”

He saidthat the maturity and consistency of the younger players was a major factor.

“We’ve gotyoung guys like Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury who’ve stepped in for theirsecond year and others in their third or fourth years. You need that extragame time to settle yourself and know what it’s about.”

H said thesurprising thing was the fact that there had been no second-year blues forThomas and Pendlebury.

“Some canhave a down second year but Pendles has really stepped up and has been terrific.”