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I work at Southport Sharks and I was absolutely thrilled on Sunday night when my manager told me the Dees are coming up for our practice match against The Suns. For those who don't know The ground itself is AFL Quality. The bloke who looks after the Gabba also takes care of our ground.There is an under cover grandstand on the main side of the venue. Facility is by far the Best facility in Queensland. Massive event centre, 2nd largest Pokies venue in Queensland besides the casino, A café, 300 seat food court, 80 seater fine dining restaurant and a balcony bar That overlooks the whole football ground. It's closer to surfers than what Metricon Stadium is and has loads of parking. So I hope I pump into a few of you die hard Dees supporter up here on Saturday.I will be floating around the venue as I am the events supervisor so if your coming up don't be shy to say hi. Cant miss me. Im the only Asian bloke that works there. Hope to see a few of you up here and hope to see a big win. Go Dees Phuong

Trengove will be an A grader, too much talent and works too hard not to be. Being marked to hard on last season.

Still a major problem with comprehension by many on this site. There is a major difference between "assessing" a player in a frank and honest manner and "bagging". Some great contributions by some good footy observers on Grimes. Glenn Archer was a fairly effective straight line player along with countless other great backmen. Grimes is a natural backman, the sooner we can afford to get him back there the better.

Why not pump up Dunn? Carlton supporters are pumping up Brock and he has only played half a decent season (last year). What is wrong with pumping up one of our own players who has similarly improved after many years of mediocrity? Maybe even Slyvia will emulate Brock this year?

Dunney is a fine example of a player who was on the edge of being delisted and made the effort to buy into Neeld's plans. I would not have been surprised if he had been given his marching orders at the end of 2011 but obviously Neeld saw something in him apart from his excellent kicking skills and he has been proven right with Dunney's great NAB performances. I am really pleased for him because it shows the younger brigade what rewards hard work brings.

God this constant bickering is boring guys. Can we all leave our problems in the bottom draw and discuss Grimes. I don't care how much you dislike each other. Forlorn hope I suppose

Yeah, that would be just our luck... we finally start to look good and our players all go and spontaneously combust on us!

How about: Gysberts Morton Bennell Bate Moloney Let's remember that these players made way for: Toumpas Viney Barry M. Jones Kent For crying out loud, is this not an improvement that you're prepared to invest in? It is for me.

Morton looked okay when he first arrived

It's all about the midfield starting to play as a midfield unit, rather than a collection of assorted midfielders. The top 4 or 5 simply need to get used to playing together as a unit. They need a string of games where all of them are available, at least 3 of them should be together on the ball at any time, and they should work out and practice a few simple set plays. At the moment it seems like all our mids in whatever combination play as individuals, with everybody going for the ball, nobody blocking and nobody running into space so the in-and-unders know where to find them from a clearance. It concerns me that we still haven't settled on our starting midfield A-team. Instead we've used our praccie matches to try out different midfield combinations and as an audition for the newbies. We won't challenge the top sides until our midfielders do start to work together as a midfield team.

I'm hoping he can get through at least one game this year without kicking it out on the full.

So I take it from the last few pages of drivel we're still looking for a sponsor? I can't believe I read through that I felt like I was stuck in a daytime TV commercial.

Don't worry, I was at training and Blease ran a few laps at a decent pace and then did some straight line sprinting so can't be that bad. According to Misson he has been keeping up his fitness on the bike and in the pool. Has hardly missed any of the preseason so I would be very suprised if he is not ready come round one.

Bit of a touchy one for me after I lost it at a Collingwood supporter sitting a couple of rows in front of me in the reserved seating a few years back. I don't mind at all if other club's fans sit in the Melbourne seats, however I do feel it is up to the them to recognise where they are sitting and be good natured* about their support of their team. * By good natured I mean if they are winning just clapping goals and good play, not jumping around and rubbing Melbourne supporters faces in it, and if they are losing then to accept some ribbing. Double standards I know but is the price of sitting in a Melbourne area. Tickets do say "Not Transferable".

Very gracious of you oh great one . Your subjects are forever indebted.

Boy does this thread need to be cleaned up. This thread is called 'Jack Grimes'... And I don't know how many times I have to say this of 'a 10 year member' in BH - but mods can you please tell him to keep his politics off the Footy board? I don't care what people who think rationally say about politics so I certainly don't care about what BH says.

Because you are bound to be wrong! McLean played a lot of good footy before the game got too fast for him and then struggled to break into Carlton because the rest of his side didn't understand his limitations and he was in an unfamiliar team. All he needed was a free run at it and now he finds the ball because his team mates trust him and they understand he can't kick over a jam jar or out run a turtle. That's why he's transformed. Dunn has never proved to be a smart footballer or strong in the air. All we know is he moves ok and can kick the ball but theres a lot more to defending than that. I'm as excited about Dean Terlich as I am Dunn and I think people should stop pumping him up as a high finisher in a B+F until they've seen him perform consistently and display a good attitude consistently.

My views were hardly formed by one practice match. They've been formed by watching him last year, training, etc. And yes, I know his rating from Champion Data. It just shows how stats don't tell the whole story. Btw, I did say he'd be a "serviceable" mid. Or did you miss that part ? Are you one of those people that only read what you want to see ? And don't take it personally pal, it's just an opinion. It's not pessimism, it's an opinion. I love Dean Kent, Jack Viney, Hogan and some others. It's not optimism, just an opinion. Funny how those opinions are OK, just not some others. Are you from the left ? That's how they think too. I'd hate to watch footy like you. I'd feel cheated by the sport. How could one watch so much footy over the years, but not be in a position to form a considered opinion ? You poor bastard.

I think everything hinges on Grimes and Trengove stepping up if we are to improve as a team, they have been good but now have to make the footy world sit up and take notice, ala Dustin Martin and Trent cotchin.

Someone - maybe AoB - described the best mids as "360 degree" - that their grip of the game and ability to pursue options and work space happens all around them. You can see that with Pendlebury and Mitchell. Grimes not so much I guess.

His 2012 in the middle was good in an awful side. He is now a midfielder for the foreseeable future because we have a dearth of options in there and HBF is the easiest place to play and we would be better served letting Dunn save his career, and Watts start his career, there. If he has a better 2013 than 2012 he will be pushing Jones and that won't be great - it will be a fantasti-gasm. I could name 15 players that need to lift before I get to Grimes.

What's always got me about that photo is that both Maric's arms are in front of him.

Whatever you take to make you stupid really does work.

Struggling to believe that a sober Demonlander would post drivel like this

You are the only one who has been taking this off topic... most posters have discussed the sad fact that LJ's life has fallen apart for whatever reasons... you however, come in as judge, jury and executioner, without so much as a modicum of consideration for the most basic tenet in our legal system, "innocent until proven guilty"; you simply laid into him, boots and all. You tried to take this further off topic with accusations of racism supposedly being directed at you, you take this off topic by referring to anyone who has anything nice to say about Jurrah as a "Jurrah defender" in a belittling way, you take this off topic by posting over the fact that posters are abusing you, while you close your comments by doing precisely the same thing. So how about you stop feigning offence at what others might say about you and try to make a meaningful contribution to the discussion.

Very wait and see on Grimes. Was one of our best last year but was very workmanlike in his endeavour, not showing the class that he had as a rebounding defender. I would expect him to improve as the game plan improves because he will be that dedicated to implementing it. I don't think it's necessary to speculate on him too much at this stage, and I think he's the best possible captain the MFC could've wished for.

What about Kent, he looks alright

And some are just ordinary people.

I don't understand the preoccupation with Sheedy - he is not the only person with input at that club and they did a deal with us because they could get something out of it - and they did. We paid 3 and 13 for Hogan and Barry and GC paid only 2 for the first pick. Your idea to bluff our way through is not original, it was mentioned before this all happened. But a deal was struck and the rest is history. Todd has already admitted that they would have taken Jack anywhere - the AFL world knew he was coming and this MD deal was fortuitous and allowed us to get Viney in the second round. We overpaid for Hogan to get a steal in Viney and you can believe in a scenario that could never have been if you want to but I am certain that it was a coup for the club and I will stand by that.

He's 21.

seriously ? going with lame New Zealand sheep humour ? Ewe should know better....

Being new to the group, I assume he is a little sheepish?

Good thing it's not 2007.

You have to earn respect.

What's going on with Morton's hair? That alone makes me wonder why we ever picked him.

Did they all walk out of that wall? What a weird shot.

After watching David Misson's injury report it sounds like the VFL practice match at Casey the weekend before the start of the season could have an all-star line up. Clark, Trengove, and Dawes should play with possibly Gawn and Blease adding to the MFC numbers. Also Misson's comment about Viney's neck and him feeling a bit 'hazy' makes me wonder if he'll skip the Qld trip for Casey instead. A perfect centre square Gawn tap to the roving Viney could hopefully signal the beginning of a beautiful AFL partnership.

Frawleys problem is that when he does get the ball he has nothing to kick to because the positioning of our midfielders/half backs havent been able to spread to the correct areas. Simple

As long as he hands it in.

So seriously not one of them managed to hit him from 30 metres? That's almost sad. He'd be well within his rights to use that as material. Maybe it can take the place of his bit about "Snakes Alive".

Gawn outmarking Jamar in one on ones and also looks fit.

baaad call nutbean....

Agree, but the punishment would fit the crime. If I didn't supply feedback to a conference I attended or have a file finalised in time I'd hear about it no doubt and read the riot act and told to lift my game. But I wouldn't have my pay garnished or sent home for a few days without pay. Clarke says there's more to it and that standards have dropped, but is that this 4 specifically, or is it an overall thing and these 4 are the sacraficial lambs? Punishment should fit the crime. What would they have done if 9 players on tour hadn't of done it? And what happenens now when there's a serious breach, like a player gets in a scuffle in a nightclub or turns up to a game/training in a hung over state? As I said, I'm all for punishment and setting standards. but they've gone over the top, you'd expect it in a highschool team, not in the Australian team.

I hate posts like this. You can't be bothered - or just can't - pinpoint the real issue, so you just assassinate his character instead, when you have no idea if he has a big head or not. Classic keyboard hero behaviour.

There is nothing worse than someone who starts a thread in order to be derogatory about a player, but gives absolutely nothing in their critique. It's almost like you hope others will provide the analysis that you can't. Frawley did well defensively, but does make poor decisions - sometimes. He's very quick, tough, and athletic, but can infringe and will never be a Matty Scarlett, who was a genius in that he always made the right choice. Frawley is a very valuable player.

I'm bewildered. How can you say that after he pulled a couple of rabbits out of the hat last year?

Addam Maric has *terrible* posture.

Interesting observation that all four players that have now departed are stepping forward on their right foot, out of line with our current captain who is leading with the left. Conspiracy theorists.... GO!!!