Chris Tarrant (born 18 September 1980) is a former

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for the

Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed the Magpies or colloquially the Pies, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The club w ...

and the

Fremantle Football Club The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed the Dockers, is a professional Australian rules football club competing in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. The team was founded in 1994 to represent the port city of ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He announced at the end of the 2010 AFL season that he would return to Melbourne for personal reasons and would not extend his contract with Fremantle for the 2011 season. He returned to the Collingwood Football Club via a trade. He made his name as a key forward, but upon his move to Fremantle in 2007, Tarrant found a new position in the backline. Tarrant was noted for his spectacular high marking, athleticism and pace on a lead.

Early life

Born in

Derrimut Derrimut is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Brimbank Local government area. Derrimut recorded a population of 8,651 at the 2021 census. Located on the l ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, Tarrant originally played for South Mildura in the

Sunraysia Football League The Sunraysia Football and Netball League, also known simply as the SFNL is an Australian rules league in the Sunraysia district of north-west Victoria and south-west New South Wales. Nine clubs – Mildura, South Mildura, Imperials, Irymple, Re ...

and moved to

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

in 1996 on an

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

scholarship. In his younger days he was a top

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

er, making the Victorian State under-15 squad before concentrating on football. His younger brother

Robbie Tarrant Robbie Tarrant (born 25 April 1989) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), having previously played for the North Melbourne Football Club. He is the younger ...

plays for the

Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed the Tigers, is an Australian rules football team playing in the Australian Football League (AFL). Between its inception in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 1885 and 1907, the club competed in the Victo ...

AFL career

Collingwood

His

2003 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

was his best for Collingwood as he was an

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

forward, playing all 22 games plus three finals. He kicked 54 goals and topped Collingwood's goalkicking, and won the 2003

Mark of the Year The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchin ...

for his high-flying mark against

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

. Despite being hampered by knee problems in 2005, Tarrant kicked 36 goals in 17 games to be Collingwood's lead goalkicker for a fifth straight season. In November 2005, Collingwood coach

Mick Malthouse Michael Raymond Malthouse (born 17 August 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for the St Kilda Football Club and Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). After finishing his playing career, Malthou ...

stated that Tarrant had gained strength in his legs after a successful recovery from post-season knee surgery. A big 2006 season was predicted from the enigmatic Tarrant, however this did not eventuate. Honours bestowed upon Tarrant during his AFL career include All Australian selection in 2003, Second place in the Collingwood Best & Fairest award (

Copeland Trophy The E.W. Copeland Trophy is an Australian rules football award given by the Collingwood Football Club to the player adjudged best and fairest for Collingwood during the year. The Copeland Shield, as it was formerly known, was donated by Ern Cope ...

) in 2003, Club Leading Goalkicker in 2001, 2002 (equal), 2003, 2004, 2005, and

Mark Of The Year The annual Australian Football League Mark of the Year competition (currently also known as the Four'N Twenty AFL Mark of the Year) is a sporting award that celebrates each season's best mark. A mark is the action of a player cleanly catchin ...

in 2003.

Fremantle

On 13 October 2006, the final day of trade week and after being linked with several clubs – primarily the two

Western Australian Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

clubs

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

and

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Tarrant was traded to the

in a deal that saw

Paul Medhurst Paul Medhurst (born 11 December 1981) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Collingwood Football Club and the Fremantle Football Club. In his 2008 season, he was selected in the All-Australian team and h ...

and Draft Selection #8 head to Collingwood. On being traded to the Dockers, Tarrant said that

Subiaco Oval Subiaco Oval (; nicknamed Subi) was a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia, located in the suburb of Subiaco. It was opened in 1908 and closed in 2017 after the completion of the new Perth Stadium in Burswood. Subiaco Oval was the high ...

, both Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles' home ground, would suit his style of play. He also thought that playing alongside

Matthew Pavlich Matthew Pavlich (born 31 December 1981) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A versatile player, Pavlich is widely regarded as one of the premi ...

, a similar styled player, would be difficult for opposition defences. He also looked forward to a chance to play in the same team as his former schoolmate

Dean Solomon Dean Solomon (born 9 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Solomon served as caretaker senior coach ...

, who was also traded to Fremantle. Tarrant was given the number 17 guernsey to wear. He was initially used to work up on the ground and had racked up multiple possessions playing in that role. He has also played as a second string forward in a forward line that depended much on Pavlich. In 2009, coach Harvey moved Tarrant into defence following some poor form up forward. The move was successful, with Tarrant putting together a string of noteworthy defensive performances on opposition forwards as well as providing some penetrating rebound attack.

Return to Collingwood

On 11 October 2010, the final day of the trade period, Tarrant returned to Collingwood in a trade that saw him and pick 44 traded to Collingwood for picks 43 and 55. He was given the Number 2 guernsey and continued to play as a back and full-back as he had at Fremantle. Tarrant announced his retirement on 21 August 2012, effective from the end of the 2012 season.

Statistics

: , - , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1998 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 11 , , 3 , , 6 , , 39 , , 22 , , 61 , , 19 , , 11 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 1999 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 13 , , 15 , , 8 , , 107 , , 80 , , 187 , , 60 , , 16 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 8.2 , , 6.2 , , 14.4 , , 4.6 , , 1.2 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 19 , , 28 , , 13 , , 172 , , 82 , , 254 , , 121 , , 20 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 9.1 , , 4.3 , , 13.4 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2001 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 22 , , 53 , , 29 , , 214 , , 44 , , 258 , , 139 , , 24 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , 9.7 , , 2.0 , , 11.7 , , 6.3 , , 1.1 , , 6 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 20 , , 38 , , 31 , , 159 , , 68 , , 227 , , 98 , , 29 , , 1.9 , , 1.6 , , 8.0 , , 3.4 , , 11.4 , , 4.9 , , 1.5 , , 4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2003 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 25 , , 54 , , 44 , , 301 , , 74 , , 375 , , 219 , , 38 , , 2.2 , , 1.8 , , 12.0 , , 3.0 , , 15.0 , , 8.8 , , 1.5 , , 12 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2004 , style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 14 , , 36 , , 30 , , 144 , , 37 , , 181 , , 109 , , 17 , , 2.6 , , 2.1 , , 10.3 , , 2.6 , , 12.9 , , 7.8 , , 1.2 , , 3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 17 , , 36 , , 27 , , 133 , , 49 , , 182 , , 93 , , 28 , , 2.1 , , 1.6 , , 7.8 , , 2.9 , , 10.7 , , 5.5 , , 1.6 , , 1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 20 , , 36 , , 31 , , 195 , , 84 , , 279 , , 151 , , 39 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 9.8 , , 4.2 , , 14.0 , , 7.6 , , 2.9 , , 2 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" , 2007 , style="text-align:center;", , 17 , , 21 , , 33 , , 27 , , 203 , , 88 , , 291 , , 134 , , 34 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , 9.7 , , 4.2 , , 13.9 , , 6.4 , , 1.6 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 16 , , 23 , , 14 , , 146 , , 68 , , 214 , , 97 , , 33 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 9.1 , , 4.3 , , 13.4 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 22 , , 3 , , 2 , , 142 , , 137 , , 279 , , 87 , , 44 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 6.5 , , 6.2 , , 12.7 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , 0 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 13 , , 1 , , 1 , , 77 , , 62 , , 139 , , 39 , , 31 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 5.9 , , 4.8 , , 10.7 , , 3.0 , , 2.4 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 23 , , 2 , , 1 , , 103 , , 120 , , 223 , , 71 , , 26 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 4.5 , , 5.2 , , 9.7 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , 1 , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 2 , , 12 , , 6 , , 5 , , 80 , , 40 , , 120 , , 54 , , 24 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 6.7 , , 3.3 , , 10.0 , , 4.5 , , 2.0 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 268 ! 367 ! 269 ! 2215 ! 1055 ! 3270 ! 1491 ! 414 ! 1.4 ! 1.0 ! 8.3 ! 3.9 ! 12.2 ! 5.6 ! 1.5 ! 29

Post-AFL career

Since his retirement, Tarrant has become a "fly-in" footballer, signing to play games with clubs around Australia to boost popularity for the clubs. Tarrant signed on to play one game for the North Launceston Bombers in 2013, kicking seven goals against eventual premiers

South Launceston South Launceston is a residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Launceston in the Launceston LGA region of Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , ...

. Tarrant also made one appearance for the

Glenorchy Football Club The Glenorchy District Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently playing in the Tasmanian State League and the Southern Football League in Tasmania, Australia. History The club is nicknamed the Magpies after its black and ...

in 2013 in the TSL. Tarrant returned to the Bombers in 2014, signing a minimum five game contract, with the option of continuing for finals. He appeared in the qualifying final, kicking five goals to help the Bombers advance to the second semi. During the second semi final, he was reported for striking a Clarence player, but received a reprimand due to his good record. With the Bombers causing an upset, Tarrant lined up in the Tasmanian State League Grand Final.

Off-field incidents

In August 2006, Tarrant and Collingwood teammate

Ben Johnson Ben, Benjamin or Benny Johnson may refer to: In sports Association football * Ben Johnson (footballer, born 2000), English footballer * Ben Johnson (soccer) (born 1977), American soccer player Other codes of football *Ben Johnson (Australian foot ...

were involved in a fight at a

Port Melbourne Port Melbourne is an inner-city List of Melbourne suburbs, suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of ...

nightclub. Johnson was charged with recklessly causing injury and unlawful

assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

and accepted responsibility for the incident. Tarrant was not charged, but was fined $5,000 by Collingwood for breaking the players

code of conduct A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization. Companies' codes of conduct A company code of conduct is a set of rules which is commonly writt ...

. In June 2007, Tarrant was accused of showing his backside to a female patron of a Darwin nightclub and punching the Federal ALP candidate for

Division of Solomon The Division of Solomon is an Australian Electoral Division in the Northern Territory. It is largely coextensive with the Darwin/Palmerston metropolitan area. The only other division in the territory, the Division of Lingiari, covers the rema ...

Damian Hale Damian Francis Hale (born 28 December 1969) is a former Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the Division of Solomon from 2007 to 2010. He moved to the Northern Territory in 1974 and grew up in M ...

, after he confronted Tarrant about his behaviour. After the Fremantle Football Club took the unusual step of referring the matter to the AFL to investigate, they fined Tarrant $5,000 and suspended him for three matches, with two matches suspended until the end of 2008.AA
Tarrant banned, fined by Dockers
22 June 2007; Retrieved on 29 June 2007

Career highlights

*2nd Collingwood

best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...

2003 * Collingwood leading goalkicker 2001, 2002 (equal), 2003, 2004, 2005 *

Anzac Day Medal The Anzac Day match is an annual Australian rules football match between Collingwood and Essendon, two clubs in the Australian Football League, held on Anzac Day (25 April) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). History of Australian rul ...

2001 *

2003 * AFL Mark of the Year 2003 * Jason McCartney Medal 2006

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tarrant, Chris 1980 births All-Australians (AFL) Collingwood Football Club players East Perth Football Club players Fremantle Football Club players North Launceston Football Club players Living people People from Mildura Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia) Bendigo Pioneers players Glenorchy Football Club players