Fellow Demonlanders

Do you think Melbourne are missing some star "mongrel" types just at the minute?

Do you think the effectiveness of the "mongrel" is no longer prominent given video technology and rule changes designed to make AFL football a safer game?

How effective would Leigh Mathews be in this age and do you think he could adjust his style and be just as good?

Since 66 from what you've read or seen who would you rate to be Melbourne's 6 most effective "mongrel" players in order.

For me without consulting any memorabilia and straight off the top of my head as follows

Ditterich

Biffen

Molloy

Fowler

Grinter

Viney

I couldn't think of one player in the current Melbourne list that would go close.

Current terminology "hardnud"...

Tapscott

Jones

Moloney

Clark

Bartram

Frawley

Jetta

Trengove

Grimes

Viney

These blokes arnt [censored]. Hardnuts actually.

who are you and what have you done with TPM ?

thats actually an interesting question.

Im not sure though that the AFL will allow that type of "mongrel' these days. More the pity

Tapscott

Jones

Moloney

Clark

Bartram

Frawley

Jetta

Trengove

Grimes

Viney

These blokes arnt [censored]. Hardnuts actually.

Hei Tona!

No I mean real MONGREL!

Tapscott, Clark agree though! Cut me some slack. It's late!

Mongrels go hunting...they arent hunted...or dont aloow themselves to be hunted.

Tapscott has this, he's being tempered though, shame really.Mitch wont take sh!t.

Mongrel isnt just hard..or tough, or no nonsense. Mongrel is quite frankly."dont f#ck with me!!"

before I go to sleep have had a re-think about our current list.

Tapscott, Sylvia and Clark

Mongrels go hunting...they arent hunted...or dont aloow themselves to be hunted.

Tapscott has this, he's being tempered though, shame really.Mitch wont take sh!t.

Mongrel isnt just hard..or tough, or no nonsense. Mongrel is quite frankly."dont f#ck with me!!"

before I go to sleep have had a re-think about our current list.

Tapscott, Sylvia and Clark

They may be hunted a bit belz! For example Dermie had heaps of Mongrel and skill. He was hunted big time!

My name sack? id say he has a bit of it

The best of all mongrels were able to shrug off severe physical punishment as well as dish it out. Brereton had this quality, so did Rod Grinter and Joel Selwood can too. Our current crop of tougher players certainly go in hard but would not be as resiliant if they took a big hit. Jones would be the best in this respect IMO. Tapscott dishes it out but cops a lot too. Trouble with him is he spends too much game time picking up his marbles after a big hit. Players like Grinter who was a marked man every game nearly always bounced straight up after a big hit. I had never seen him down for the count after a brutal hit unlike many opponents who crossed him.

Tapscott

Jones

Moloney

Clark

Bartram

Frawley

Jetta

Trengove

Grimes

Viney

These blokes arnt [censored]. Hardnuts actually.

Add Tom McDonald as a work in progress as far as mongrel goes.

Mongrel has been coached out of the game. It has been replaced with players that are fitter and better skilled than players of old.

I'm not saying players of old are soft or current players are better...IT IS-WHAT IT IS. to some respect. Especially with the MRP.

Mongrel has not been coached out of the game. The laws of the game and the interpretation of the rules by the authorities have outlawed the allegedly tough guys and the so called mongrel. And all for the better too.

Some of the so called tough guys hailed on this site from time to time were the instigator of some of the most gutless and nasty on field assaults all in the name of being tough. It wasn't. Hits behind the play or even cleaning up a player whose eyes were on the ball arent tough. They're cheap and shallow acts that were no better than common assault. For the good of the game, its been weeded out.

Todays football is much tougher than the old days because the skill, fitness and body size of the players means that they run to exhaustion, make far more contests, are involved in far legitimate body contact in pursuit of the ball. If you want mongrel you want it for the contested ball. The days of targetting the player rather than the ball are dead and gone.

No mention of Pickett? Tingay had a bit, Tapscott has it, Jones has it but in a very controlled way, Clark has it and Spencer is starting to show a bit as well.

My name sack? id say he has a bit of it

yes Jordie. Thought long and hard about McK. In the end don't think he is feared . Would have to put Dunny up before him.

Add Tom McDonald as a work in progress as far as mongrel goes.

Perhaps "the silent mongrel"

Would certainly put him in the hard nut category

No mention of Pickett? Tingay had a bit, Tapscott has it, Jones has it but in a very controlled way, Clark has it and Spencer is starting to show a bit as well.

Pickett certainly good one and Tingay was up there. Possible= Brad Miller before he curbed his Natural Mongrel tendencies ?Couldn't get them into my original top 6 though. What's your top 6 since 66??

No mention of Pickett? Tingay had a bit, Tapscott has it, Jones has it but in a very controlled way, Clark has it and Spencer is starting to show a bit as well.

Intersting call on Spencer. Would put Jamar ahead of him still by a long way. Lets review Spence in two years.

Mongrel has been coached out of the game. It has been replaced with players that are fitter and better skilled than players of old.

I'm not saying players of old are soft or current players are better...IT IS-WHAT IT IS. to some respect. Especially with the MRP.

Yes agree to some extent? Which leads to the topic question to whether a Leigh Mathews type would fit and and adapt to the current style of play.

yes Jordie. Thought long and hard about McK. In the end don't think he is feared . Would have to put Dunny up before him.

I did not know jumper punching involved real mongrel.

Players such as Selwood, Bolton, Thompson, Dangerfield, Lewis, Mitchell, Kelly, Jack, Hodge, Hayes, Cross, Greene*, Ward, Jones are worth their weight in gold. The pill is their main concern and if anyone is in their way or pill is in dispute the ball is their first option. They don't mind hurting opposition, but they do it legally which sets them apart. And they take a beating doing it ie risking injury themselves. There are more, these are the ones who come to mind first.

*really rate

I reckon Spencer already has more mongrel than Jamar. As has been said before, he chose Aussie Rules above basketball because he liked hurting people.

Spencer

Viney

Tappy

Clark

are our true mongrels going into 2013.

Oh, and of course, Cale Morton........