Tarrant's appearance in the Pies' 31-point win against Geelong marked the first time this season he's managed back-to-back games, having appeared in the VFL last Sunday.
Foot, calf and shoulder soreness have marred Tarrant's year, restricting him to just three senior games - one of which lasted less than a quarter.
The four goals he kicked last week saw him slot into the Pies' forward line against the Cats, and he delivered. Two goals, two behinds and one goal assist was a solid return alongside Collingwood's regular twin towers Travis Cloke and Chris Dawes.
"I thought he was excellent. It's been awhile since he's been on the MCG, putting on 60, 70m searching leads up the wing," coach Nathan Buckley said after the match.
"I thought more so than that, his ability to get into real dangerous spots ... they're a very good defensive unit, Geelong, and making them defend is more of a challenge than it seems.
"I thought some of the positions Taz put himself in were very hard to defend so in that way he played his role, kicked a couple of goals and played his part very well."
Vice-captain Scott Pendlebury said there was no reason why Tarrant couldn't remain a part of the Magpie attack, particularly given the way he helped bring Dawes into the game.
"If he keeps playing like that, I think it will be [a permanent move]," Pendlebury said.
"Browny (Nathan Brown) and Reidy (Ben Reid) hold up well and the backs hold up well ... it gives us good versatility because he can go back and forward
"I guess it takes the pressure off Trav [Cloke] and Dawesy because they've got that guy who can get up to the wings and do the work for them so they can stay closer to goal.
"He's so quick and he covers the ground really well and he's a bit different to Dawesy and Trav in that he leads up at the football so well."
Tarrant, 31, missed the start of the season and all of the NAB Cup because of a foot injury.
He played in round two against Richmond but lasted less than a quarter before he strained a calf, which kept him out until round 11's clash with Melbourne.
Shoulder soreness then developed, and he didn't play until last week's VFL game against Williamstown.
Buckley said the Pies were buoyed by his night out against the Cats but weren't prepared to lock him down as a full-time forward just yet.
"We were just happy for him to get through that four quarters of footy," he said.
"The role and what the future looks like ... we'll worry about then.
"He just needed to get out on the park and get a chance. His body is in good enough shape to give him a crack at it.
"We saw tonight what he's capable of. On one side of the ball we know what he's capable of, on the other side of the ball ... it's another string to our bow that we hoped we were going to see towards the end of the year, and clearly it's something we want to explore."
Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.
