Geez take a cold shower fellers. He is a journeyman aka a good ordinary player. Plays well when we win & ordinary when we lose.

Fearless & tough but skills let him down under pressure - really just another run of the mill flanker.

Probably would have got the same value by putting games into Cheney.

I for one would have used the pick to try & get a smokey or picked Dylan Grimes.

Would be an automatic selection at Brisbane

Agree with most things said here. I was always impressed with Joel at Brisbane, and very happy to see the Dees pick him up when Bne strangely showed him the door.

Here's hoping he has a great 2011...!

Geez take a cold shower fellers. He is a journeyman aka a good ordinary player. Plays well when we win & ordinary when we lose.

Fearless & tough but skills let him down under pressure - really just another run of the mill flanker.

Probably would have got the same value by putting games into Cheney.

I for one would have used the pick to try & get a smokey or picked Dylan Grimes.

Have to disagree with you.

I love to win and losses just arent acceptable.

I am never satisfied with losses but there are losses and then there are LOSSES.

Against the bulldogs I hated that loss - so close - they worked so hard. As much as it hurt there was still that voice in my head said - geez we really gave it a red hot go though.

Against the eagles - we didnt give a yelp - looked disinterested and half hearted..

When I take this down to a player level - MacDonald will make some poor decisions but in the main they are ok. He will turn the odd ball over - so do a few others - but he plays every game at the Bulldogs game commitment level not the Eagles game. Players have quiet days - MacDonald never has a game where he is quiet commitment wise.

If every player on our list played at his commitment level I doubt we would lose a game as their are so many others on our list who I can say are infinitely more talented but who I can also say dont show the same intensity..

With Joel 1-on-1 with anyone in the goal square, ball on it's way in, Melbourne up by 1 point and a second to go on the clock, my money is on Joel.

For that alone, he's in my best 22.

I wrote this after last Friday night:

Also, how did Brisbane let Macdonald go? I just love the way he breaks through packs. Eve if there is no one near him he goes and finds someone to run through!

Love his work.

Would be an automatic selection at Brisbane

Automatic choice in my best 22 also

I love the man - absolutely inspired pick up.

With Bruce gone he now becomes a very valuable player. Had a reasonable season last year but expecting alot more this year as he now becomes one of our most experienced. IMO he is far from a gun, just a genuine honest player. Let's see if he can hold down his spot!

Bruce's departure + a strong 2011 season = contract extension for Joel.

I would not have thought 6 months ago that he would become such a required player, but until the likes of Morton, Blease and co can pin down a regular spot, Joel stays a required player at the club.

Would be an automatic selection at Brisbane

Undoubtedly, but I reckon BrisBan would be the last club Joel would want to play for right now.

Insightful recruitment by our Club!

Edited February 19, 201114 yr by Deeoldfart

As someone else a good ordinary player who plays without fear. A mature body in a young team. Serviceable to date and a great pick up from the PSD. Consider some PSD players and higher draft picks never get a run. IMO competing for a spot in the 22. Always will, But not best 22 IMO atm. Bruce's departure would have done him favours and he needs to make the most of spot opened up in the team.

Joel MacDonald is delivering exactly what he was recruited for and doing so at great value in picks or dollars spent.

One of the '1000 little wins' that make up an era, as far as I see it.

But I'm not gonna declare him the king of the castle or anything. But he has been a part of a win-win story for everyone but Brisbane, so good on him!

MacDonald is a great, rare breed of player. He has the build and muscle to compete against key forwards and outmark them, but he is also quick and has a fantastic knack for picking up possessions. He is really a crucial part of our line up I reckon

OK, hypothetical time. For arguments sake, lets return to the 2009 draft/2010 Preseason draft. If Luke Ball had decided not to nominate for the National Draft and had instead ended up in the Preseason draft where we had the first pick, J.Mac or L.Ball?

Again, I know there are a lot of if's involved in this, and you would have to concede that Ball is obviously regarded as the better player, but seeing as what happened with Bruce, and given our midfield stocks now, I feel we are quite lucky that Ball ended up going into the Draft.

Seen him put his body on the line to get crunched from ground level on several occasions .

When its his turn , he go's . At this moment in our developement , he's a walk up start .

As someone else a good ordinary player who plays without fear. A mature body in a young team. Serviceable to date and a great pick up from the PSD. Consider some PSD players and higher draft picks never get a run. IMO competing for a spot in the 22. Always will, But not best 22 IMO atm. Bruce's departure would have done him favours and he needs to make the most of spot opened up in the team.

Who is ahead of him at the moment?

He only plays off a HBF in my book.

Grimes, Morton, Garland, Rivers, Frawley, Bartram, Bennell would all get a game in the backline before MacDonald, for mine.

I'd even go with Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease over him, as they need game time.

We are still young & developing.

He only plays off a HBF in my book.

Grimes, Morton, Garland, Rivers, Frawley, Bartram, Bennell would all get a game in the backline before MacDonald, for mine.

I'd even go with Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease over him, as they need game time.

We are still young & developing.

There is more than one spot in the backline. I see the backline looking something like this for much of the season:

FB: Garland Frawley Bartram/Jetta

HB: Grimes Rivers/Warnock Macdonald

Macdonald is tough, hard and breaks tackles just about better than anyone else on the list. Morton and Bennell are more suited to a wing or a HFF, both are nowhere near as tough as Macdonald and not as effective in defence.

Those kids will get a game when they deserve it, this year is about making the finals, development will still be there but not at the expense of winning games.

He only plays off a HBF in my book.

Grimes, Morton, Garland, Rivers, Frawley, Bartram, Bennell would all get a game in the backline before MacDonald, for mine.

I'd even go with Tapscott, Gysberts and Blease over him, as they need game time.

We are still young & developing.

I find this idea extraordinary. This club is desparate for players to have to perform to get spots. Macdonald does, but you'd ignore that to play kids for 'experience'. He earns his spot with just his physical approach. Not Bennell, Morton, Batrum, Tapscott or Blease come close to him yet on that measure. He regularly beats smaller and taller opponents. His decision making and skills are solid - no more but no less. He is a walk-up start. If he is displaced by kids performing, well and good. To drop him on the basis of potential is nonsensical.

I find this idea extraordinary. This club is desparate for players to have to perform to get spots. Macdonald does, but you'd ignore that to play kids for 'experience'. He earns his spot with just his physical approach. Not Bennell, Morton, Batrum, Tapscott or Blease come close to him yet on that measure. He regularly beats smaller and taller opponents. His decision making and skills are solid - no more but no less. He is a walk-up start. If he is displaced by kids performing, well and good. To drop him on the basis of potential is nonsensical.

exactly what I was going to say

best man gets the job and he is only 26 anyway FFS

26 - he's past it.

Only got a year or 2 left in him.

I'm confident the kids I talked about needing experience, will do just as much to earn a spot as Joel, and they'll get the nod over him.

26 - he's past it.

Only got a year or 2 left in him.

I'm confident the kids I talked about needing experience, will do just as much to earn a spot as Joel, and they'll get the nod over him.

so will you also be retiring Davey, Jamar, Moloney, Rivers and Green?

No, they're not fringe players.

Moloney doesn't have too long left though.

Is he really only 26?

I thought he'd be a year or 2 older.

Doesn't matter, Voss was right in a way.

I doubt he's a premiership player.

And I'm not so sure he'd walk into Brisbane's side, like many claim.

He'd have to contend with Adcock, Drummond, Rockliff and a host of others who can play HBF.

And they are in a rebuilding stage, so need to play the kids.

JoelMac is no world beater but FFS the Lions could have done with him on Friday night.

And given the unmitigated disaster with Fevola and the fallout with their playing list, I douby whether Voss is a cutting judge of players.

Brisbane's favorite son has burnt up some pretty big credits in his short stint as coach.