Watch Tarrant discuss his decision to retire on this week's episode of The Club.
The beginning
Chris Tarrant was drafted to Collingwood with selection No. 8 in the 1997 National Draft.
“Nomination 3533, Chris Tarrant, Bendigo Pioneers” - Collingwood Recruiting Manager Noel Judkins, November 1997.
And so began a 15-year AFL career that has produced over 260 games, three Grand Finals, two clubs, All-Australian selection, a pre-season premiership, a Mark of the Year and five consecutive Gordon Coventry Trophies as Collingwood’s leading goal kicker.
The first assessment
“A centre half forward from the Bendigo Pioneers. Chris relocated down from Mildura earlier this year. Won the AFL life members scholarship last year as the most outstanding 16-year-old in Australia. Chris (is) a left footer, great mark. He’s probably even capable of playing on the wing with his mobility” - AFL Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan on Draft Day 1997.
Walking in the doors at Victoria Park
“The first day I was there I was pretty nervous. I had to train that night, and the ball sprayed off the side of my boot a fair bit. All the players made me feel really welcome though” - Chris Tarrant, 1998.
The initiation
Despite an early setback in the form of a fractured wrist after slipping on the Optus Oval cricket pitch in a practice match against Carlton, it wasn’t long before Tarrant staked his claims for a senior opportunity. After kicking two goals in his first reserves match against Hawthorn in round one, 1998, and bagging five in the reserves’ loss to Sydney the following week, Tarrant was summoned into the seniors at the age of 17 as Collingwood took on the white hot Western Bulldogs at Optus Oval. Weighing only 78kg, Tarrant had seven disposals and kicked one goal in the club’s 34-point loss. Playing at centre half forward, the teenager came up against players the calibre of Danny Southern, Craig Ellis, Steven Kretiuk and Todd Curley - a challenging initiation for any youngster.
Early challenges
The well ran dry for Tarrant in his early days in the senior line-up. In his first eight games he went statless twice and contributed only one disposal in Collingwood’s 20-point win on ANZAC Day.
“He’s been given his chance, and knows he hasn’t set the world on fire. But he’ll only get better for the experience.” - Tony Shaw, Collingwood coach 1996-1999.
Tarrant began to find his feet late in the season, gathering 16 possessions and kicking three behinds in the round 22 loss to the Swans at the SCG.
As Shaw told the In Black and White magazine:
“Tarrant? Up and down. You can see the potential there, but at times he wasn’t getting involved. Then his last game against Sydney was sensational”.
Starting to click
Tarrant slowly found his feet in the first half of 1999, winning 26 touches against the Kangaroos in round six and helping Collingwood to only its second win of the season with four goals and 15 possessions in round 13 against St Kilda out at Waverley Park.
Last man standing
It’s a little known fact that Tarrant is the only player on the Collingwood list to have played a senior game at Victoria Park. His only match at the venue was its last hurrah in round 22, 1999, against the Brisbane Lions when he kicked one of the side’s eight goals. Heath Scotland, who has since moved to Carlton, is the only other player currently on an AFL list to have played a senior game at the home of the Pies. Of the current list, Alan Didak, Nick Maxwell, Ben Johnson, Dane Swan and Heath Shaw are the only other players to have trained at the venue prior to the move to the Westpac Centre.
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The final Collingwood team to play at Victoria Park - Round 22, August 28 1999
Back: M.Michael, C.Tarrant, M.Richardson, A.Schauble, A.Rocca, S.Prestigiacomo, G.Crosisca, T.Lane, H.Scotland, G.Freeborn.
Middle: N.Davis, G.Brown, N.Buckley (captain), D.Wheadon (assistant coach), T.Shaw (coach), D.Frawley (assistant coach), S.Burns, P.Williams.
Front: P.Licuria, M.Orchard, R.Betheras, S.Patterson, T.Lockyer, S.Crow, R.Olarenshaw.
The breakout season
After a solid, if not outstanding 2000 season which saw him kick 28 goals in 19 games while spending some time at centre half back, Tarrant took his game to the next level at the age of 20 in 2001.
Now afforded the support of Anthony Rocca and Jarrod Molloy in attack, Tarrant kicked 53 goals in all 22 matches as the Magpies came within a whisker of their first finals appearance since 1995. His season was highlighted by five separate five goal hauls, four of which came between rounds three and eight. Tarrant’s best performance was on ANZAC Day against the all conquering Bombers, kicking five goals from nine marks against the likes of Dustin Fletcher and Sean Wellman. It was enough to make him the first ANZAC Medallist to have played in a losing team.
A love affair with Melbourne and Geelong
Tarrant quickly became known for his uncanny knack of producing individual highlights against the Demons and the Cats in the early 2000s. It all began on a cold winter’s afternoon on the Queen’s Birthday in 2001 when he came down the front of a pack as if it were a waterfall, as Dennis Cometti described it on Channel Seven. Plainly speaking, Tarrant took one of the greatest marks of all time over a huge pack of players after Tarkyn Lockyer had skied a kick deep inside 50. Unfortunately it was denied Mark of the Year status by Essendon pocket rocket Gary Moorcroft who took an unparalleled screamer only four weeks later against the Western Bulldogs.
Twelve months later, Tarrant kicked seven opposed to Alistair Nicholson and the late Troy Broadbridge in the cruisy 51-point demolition of the Dees on the Queen’s Birthday. It remains his career-high to this day.
He also developed a penchant for taking screamers against Geelong, giving champion full back Matthew Scarlett a real run for his money each year. Tarrant’s most famous grab was plucked in round 18, 2003, when he soared over Scarlett and Jared Rooke in the forward pocket in front of the Collingwood Cheer Squad at Telstra Dome during the Magpies’ second half comeback. It was later decreed Mark of the Year.
Then, in 2005, Tarrant took a running jump at Scarlett and kicked backwards to take another screamer during an upset win over the finals bound Cats. President and commentator Eddie McGuire called the mark a good five seconds, early much to the amusement of his co-commentators.
One magical year
Tarrant was one of the hottest players in the competition in season 2003. After a somewhat subdued 2002, the centre half forward caught fire with three goals, 22 disposals and three Brownlow votes against Carlton in round two and never looked back. He kicked 54 goals for the season and quickly became known for his marking prowess. In fact, he took 17 marks leading up to the wings against St Kilda in round nine. When added to his six goals, 22 possessions and three Brownlow votes, it must surely rank as one of his very finest outings.
Tarrant also stole the limelight with the sealing goal in the gripping 16-point win over Essendon in round 22. The win locked Collingwood into second spot on the AFL ladder and subsequently a home final against the Brisbane Lions. In the aforementioned Qualifying Final, Tarrant was one of Collingwood’s best in an unbearably tense clash with the Brisbane that saw him kick three of Collingwood’s six goals in the first three quarters. It was vital in dragging the Magpies over the line and into a home Preliminary Final.
A moment to savour
Collingwood’s clash with Adelaide in round seven, 2003, appeared destined to become an unremarkable chapter in the season’s story as the Pies trailed by 25-points at quarter time. But a stirring turnaround saw the Woods within a kick from victory in the dying stages. Captain Nathan Buckley emerged from a stoppage on centre wing with only seconds remaining and floated a kick forward where Tarrant judged the ball a little better than opponent Ben Hart (who is now Tarrant's defensive coach) in flight and marked 50m out on a 45 degree angle.
A point would salvage a draw. To miss everything would consign Collingwood to its fourth loss in as many weeks.
But with a parochial Adelaide crowd roaring in his ears, Tarrant displayed amazing conviction to slot the match-winning goal after the final siren. It prompted scenes of black and white jubilation as his teammates charged from all corners of the field to swamp their hero. The goal was Tarrant’s fourth for the night, and just another highlight in his glittering season.
So near, yet so far
The Magpie Army will never forget the years 2002 and 2003 as their side stormed from also-rans to genuine contenders with Mick Malthouse at the helm. Tarrant’s role in the 2002 Grand Final was vital. Although he went goalless in all three finals, he was denied a crucial free kick when Brisbane’s Darryl White appeared to impede him in the forward pocket midway through the final quarter. As luck would have it, the Lions raced the ball the length of the field where Alistair Lynch was paid a touch-and-go free kick 25m from goal. Tarrant managed two behinds for the day, one of which sailed through for a goal in the third quarter but had been touched off the boot by Chris Scott.
He also played in the 2003 and 2011 Grand Finals and was far from disgraced in both defeats. Without Anthony Rocca and Jarrod Molloy by his side, Tarrant played a lone hand in attack in 2003, kicking one goal from six marks and limited supply. Eight years later, Tarrant was burning early in the match and looked set to do a number on Geelong’s James Podsiadly before the Pod went off with a shoulder injury during the second quarter. He remained one of Collingwood’s best afield and could leave the ground with his head held high.
Change for the best
Following his halcyon years in attack, Tarrant endured a topsy-turvy 2004-2006 that mirrored his side’s performances. With injuries and suspensions arising when they were needed least, Tarrant struggled to find momentum in 2004 and 2005 but still managed to lead the club’s goal kicking with 36 goals in each season. After kicking six on Easter Monday against the Kangaroos in ’06, it seemed that he might have been poised for a reprise of his 2003 form. But alas, a barren run mid-season put the heat on him in the run to the finals and while he managed to kick three in the Elimination Final loss to the Western Bulldogs, his cards, for the time being, were marked.
As it turned out, it was all for the best.
Tarrant was traded to Fremantle a month later in a deal that saw him cross the Nullarbor in exchange for Paul Medhurst and the eighth selection at the 2006 National Draft (Ben Reid). All three players prospered from the deal. Medhurst became an All-Australian, Reid a premiership player and Tarrant one of the best key defenders in the league.
At both ends
Tarrant’s first two years at Fremantle were a mixed bag, and as the 2009 season got underway, then-Dockers coach Mark Harvey decided to shift him into defence. The move paid immediate dividends as Tarrant took on some of the game’s best forwards of all shapes and sizes. One minute he was hot on the heels of a Matthew Lloyd or a Cameron Mooney. The next, he was blanketing Stephen Milne.
It’s time to come home
Magpie fans couldn’t believe their luck. Their club had won its first premiership in two decades and now a favourite son was returning to the fold after four years in the wilderness at Fremantle. After missing the back end of 2010 with injury, Tarrant requested a trade back to Victoria. Or, more specifically, a trade back to Collingwood. The deal was done in early October that saw the 2003 All-Australian forward pocket return to the Magpies as an esteemed key defender.
"I really owe this club. I've got something to offer this club and I just can't wait to get that opportunity to have another crack at it.
"Towards the latter part of my time at the club there were a few mistakes that I made.?? I probably would have regretted them if I didn't get the opportunity to come back to the club and do everything possible to help this club try to win another premiership" - Chris Tarrant, October 2010.
A Magpie again and forever
Pre-season matches don’t historically draw large crowds, and certainly not ones that make much noise. But an extra special cheer was reserved for Tarrant when he stepped out in the black and white in the round-robin fixture against Carlton in February 2011. He went on to enjoy an excellent season, playing in 23 of the side’s 25 games, featuring in the best in several. Playing at full back, Tarrant made a rare venture into attack in the final quarter against Adelaide and brought a tear to the eye of several fans as he wound back the clock with two goals (and memorable celebrations) in Collingwood’s come-from-behind-victory.
And now?
After 263 games, 366 goals and 29 Brownlow Medal votes, Tarrant only has two home and away games remaining in his 15-year career. From there, who knows? Fans can only hope that Tarrant’s longevity, persistence and freakish skill will be rewarded with that elusive premiership.
