Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I think it just make sense to trade up the draft order whenever you can. Not every high draft pick is a smash hit (Weid and Schache and Tompas a few obvious examples), but on ballance of probability, I they turn out OK. To me we often seem to keep perennially trading future picks for current hight picks which also make infinite sense to me if you can pull it off - next year's draft never comes and if you can be putting that development into the player you have actually recruited that year earlier, then I think it helps keep more talent on the list now, rather than later. i.e. if we could trade our first rounder in 2050 for a first rounder in 2024, then next year, we will just trade our first rounder in 2051 for a first rounder in 2025. I guess sometimes it catches up, but I think those are the year's when we have a pretty well performing stable team that doesn't need replenishing and we don't really want to go to the draft anyway.

This has pretty much become the recruiter's clichè equivalent of "we're just taking it one week at a time"

Don't know if it was Cameron Schwab's finger prints or not, but the branding / logo designers who did this probably got huge bickies for putting together this rubbish. Are the Suns financially viable on their own yet? If not, that's the rest of the league teams paying for this waste, both in terms of the branding outlay, plus I can't see it helping their popularity and gaining members with such an uninspiring jumper design.

Max made the comment the other day that we aren't the same Demons of 2021 any more, which is true, but just off the cuff, I think we'd actually have as good if not better side on paper. Big outs: Hibbo (and admittedly I think this is a big out) ANB Dogga Brayshaw Harmes Jordan BBB Ins: Mc Vee Winsor Van Rooyan Chandler Disco AMW Honestly just think we need some guys like Salo and Spargo to have injury free seasons, Trac, Clary and Bowser to be there normal selves again a few of the mature guys like Sparrow and Rivers to take that next step and regularly impact games. I'd contest that Kossie is a better more mature player than in 2021. That 3 - 4 year group of Roo, Disco and Chandler are already coming on nicely and I'd expect them to continue on their curve. I'd also expect several the 2 - 3 year players like Woewy, Brown and the Kolts have real potential to be solid regulars in the side. I still remember all the experts writing us off at the end of 2020, questioning if we'd even make finals the next season.

That's not quite true by my reckoning. Last year we played the Crows in gather round, meaning more effectively an additional away game for us and an additional home game for them. Means the Crows and Power get an additional home game so long as they play gather round in Adelaide. I actually hate the Gather Round concept for this reason and that it's another example of the AFL putting TV revenue and excessively priced reserved tickets ahead of the average punters ability to pay for and attend games. I would occasionally travel interstate to see our team play, but bundling it all up in the one small state at the same time sends airline tickets and accommodation at premium prices as well, so small chance I'll ever attend a Gather Round.

That goal was a real high point in our season all up.

He did captain the MFC and lead a group of players - think that counts for something leadership wise and not many of the business/organisational type expert leaders that might stand for president could bring that to the table. While realising that it's still obviously pretty important he is able to lead the business/administration side, I would think that having a player/captains perspective is something that is pretty darn important to have when leading a footy club and probably exactly what we need right now to provide the sort of space to let the players get on with things and get us back on track on feild next year. We start winning games consistently and convincingly next year and just watch all these off field issues evaporate in the eyes of the media.

Think it was pretty hard and frustrating for Clarry to be playing at below his normal capacity. He's a pretty laid back character Clayton and doesn't give away alot, but I think some of his own disappointment with his fitness level and I think at the hand injury in particular came out in that great podcast interview he did after the season For all the criticism of his apparent underperformance on the field this season, I don't think he's been given enough credit for continuing to push through the injuries he had week in week out for the team and still put in mostly credible performances, even if those performances were well below the lofty super high standards he's set in his time at the MFC.

Just to throw in the other point of reference I mentioned, in his second season Jesse Hogan played 21 games, kicked 41 goals and took 149 marks in a side that was still rebuilding - what a beast. Still spewing we didn't get him back after his stint at Freo.

So very high level, in their respective second seasons: Roo Ox AFL Games Played 21 22 Goals 30 20 Marks 81 112 Loved Schwartz as a player and distinctly remember some of those early break-out games he played, including that massive final against Carlton. Unfortunately, the below courtesy of Demonwiki pretty well summarises the fate of the Ox from his third season onwards (http://demonwiki.org/David+Schwarz): Schwarz's first injury trouble came in 1993, when persistent groin issues and a hernia restricted him to nine games. He bounced back to kick 60 goals in 1994, including a career-best nine in the last home and away game. That year he and took more marks than Wayne Carey in a season where he stamped himself as a future star of the competition. At the end of that year, he ended speculation of a switch to the new Fremantle side by signing a contract extension to the end of 1998. The AFL Media Guide for 1995 described Schwarz as "a genuine AFL star centre half-forward. High-leaping, aggressive and mobile", but he was soon struck down with a serious knee injury during an intra-club match. He returned just 16 weeks after surgery, in Round 9, 1995, but the knee collapsed under him in the first quarter of the next game, requiring another reconstruction. Returning in the 1996 pre-season he broke down again in a Reserves practice match and missed the entire year. Yes he certainly went on to play some solid footy after that, but I think those couple of seasons would be regarded as the most spectacular highs and lows of his career and my most vivid recollection of his playing days. If only players like him, Gary Lyon, Alan Jackovic and Sean Charles stayed uninjured and Martin Pike had kept his act together, I have little doubt we would have won multiple premierships in that era.

Thought Disco had a great season and was one of our shining lights up forward. Still can't fathom why he was the starting substitute against GWS in Rd 21 and again the following week against the Bulldogs as I thought he'd been pretty good in the weeks prior and plays both tall and mobile. His accuracy in front of goal from a variety of positions, situations and distances was very good and he was actually a much more effective goal kicker over the season than Petty. We only lost that GWS game by a smidge in the end and his goal kicking ability could have been the difference and kept our season alive.

Don't count me as one of the doubters, but I think impatience goes at least part of the way to explaining my own feelings on the Roo. We got absolutely spoilt by Jessy Hogan being a contested marking beast and better than your average mature KPP from pretty much day dot and Jackson was similar. We have also had a significant No. of somewhat overhyped false dawns with key position forwards like Watts and Weid. Can definitely see the potential in Jacob to dominate games and give us a great focal point up forward. His set shot goal kicking is already elite. Personally I just want him to deliver on that potential right now, while realising that's a somewhat unrealistic expectation and that statistically he's already actually maturing at a rate that is up there with the best of some of the recent elites of the league. Can't wait to hear more and even louder cries of ROOOOOOOO echo throughout the G in coming seasons.

Now currently the AFLW all time top goal scorer. Doesn't surprise me in the least. From the get go, Kate was a super and reliable shot on goal and knew how to get it in dangerous spots. One of the few players at the time that I felt comfortable would nail most of her kicks for goal if she went back and lined up. Has been great seeing her keep taking her game to new levels in recent years and starting to get some credit for it. Agree you @spirit of norm smith what a star and how blessed our AFLW team have been to have such great leaders and great people over the years.

Interesting. Work rate seems to be there, but impact less so, or less obvious. He's got a great kick on him and a tough/strong body and mindset, so I see heaps of potential upside to Tommy, just needs something to click for him to go to that next level. Maybe Chunk can help him? As an asides how impressive is it for a player of Tommy Mac's size and age to be still right up there for distance covered. He was always the top distance athlete, but to keep kicking on at his age and with some of the injuries he's had is amazing. Nothing but respect for T Mac.

From what I can recall, that respect and good rapport with the players was something Paul Roos had going for him in his first stint at the Swans. I really don't know if Jones has the same football genius as Roos or not, but I'd also contest that part of the Paul Roos brilliance was to simplify things down, communicate and get the buy-in of his playing group. I'd further add that I really do wounder if all this tactical genius stuff is overrated. My coaches always had the view that footy was a simple game played by simple blokes. I actually think the key to the tactical side of it is having a game plan that is both simple enough, but different to the one that's been in vogue for the past few seasons that everyone else has worked out how to play against. Surely the senior coach and other coaching staff are more responsible for overall game plans. I'd also contest (pardon the pun) the in the midfield alot of the tactics are about the close in tough stuff, body positioning, understanding your opponent and how to get under their skin and/or how to defeat their strengths that guys like Jonesy would have an innate understanding of. Glad to have Jonesy back in the fold and really keen to see the influence he can have on the team again.