Fremantle Utility Corey Wagner says he’s keen to play the team game and take on tagging duties after shutting down a star Roo on Saturday night.
Wagner has started to shift away from his halfback role and be utilised as a tagger by coach Justin Longmuir, with his latest stint on North Melbourne star Luke Davies-Uniacke following a threatening first quarter.
The North Melbourne gun looked poised to have a significant influence on the game, finishing on 14 disposals and four clearances in the first quarter, but Wagner successfully thwarted his output over the next three quarters.
Speaking on Sports Breakfast, Wagner says he’s willing to give players the extra attention if they threaten to wreak havoc.
“Uniake had 15 touches and had many clearances in the first quarter, so I had to do something about that,” he said.
“They just chucked me in for a couple of quarters, which hopefully did the job, and kept him quiet for a little bit as he was getting off the chain there.
“If someone starts to get off the chain a bit, they’ll throw me there, and I think I’ve proven that I can take care of a couple of blokes in those situations.
“I’m always up for what the guys need, so if that happens again, I’ll definitely put my hand up.”
Wagner, in his 50th game, also held up well in the 6-point win, kicking his eighth career goal against his former side.
At three-quarter time, North Melbourne sat 22 points behind, but staged a desperate comeback in the final quarter, booting four goals in quick succession to open the final quarter.
It was a tight battle until the very end when star ruck Luke Jackson kicked the match-winning goal for Fremantle in the dying stages of the game.
Wagner says a disorganisation was to blame for the brief North comeback, despite holding on for the win in a match situation that has previously troubled the Dockers.
“That’s the first win we’ve had off the bye in three years, so it was a tick there,” he said.
“Early in the fourth, we just got unorganised at stoppages… when they got a clearance, we’re all in the wrong position…
“That allowed them to come back. But again, in that last 10 minutes where we held on, we’ve probably lost that in the last couple of years.
“We haven’t executed the roles, just to hang on, play it safe, get it out of bounds, get more stoppages, and take time off the clock.
“That’s why we haven’t been able to do that in the last couple of years and lost those close ones. We just need to get more organised, and that’s the key for this weekend.”
Heading into Thursday’s clash against the Bombers, organisation in the stoppage is a key focus, says Wagner.
“They’re still, I think, a top two clearances in a stoppage team in the last four weeks,” he said.
“Their midfield’s very strong and what’s probably going to get them going. They’re very unpredictable and a chaos team.
“I think if we’re structured and organised, that’ll put our best foot forward for this weekend.”