Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I'm struggling to see a better oppertunity. I'd rather ensure that we do get T Mac to the 250 games. Having him stranded on 249 at the end of last season for a guy at his point of his career wasn't ideal. In alot of ways, I know milestones are just another game, but they also do have cultural significance to clubs/teams and I think it's important they be recognised and celebrated as such and that the club does actually put a priority on giving it's veterans thr opportunity to achieve these milestones. Like I suggest, T Mac really should have played his last season rather than being dropped for Jake Lever who in retrospect wasn't quite right. Asides from all that, I think T Mac's preseson form and track record of standing up when it counts is such that his place in the team would be well justified. Comming off from a week off should also see him hit the game physically fresh. I'm guessing the only thing that might influence the decision on his selection is the mix of talls and smalls in the backline we think we need for Carlton and/or if Heath comes in, our overall tall and small ballance. Again personally, I'd like to see T Mac in, because I think he's a rock in defence arialy and we could do with that after last week. I also think he helps us play a fast open game style, because he has a booming kick, that he often uses to put players into space with 50m passes out of defense. ... I'm not a selector, but I'll be fascinated to see what the outcome is.

Not sure if it's been mentioned already in the thread, but with Disco out injured, does that get T Mac a game on Sunday? Would be somewhat fitting for both him and Gawn to play game 250 together, given they are our two longest serving players at the club and journey at the club over this time.

As others have pointed out the Dog look kinda like a potential premiership winning team at the moment and he's in that team, so I wouldn't be writing him off. Some players mature late and he's clearly found his fit and an enviroment where he's thriving so good on him. Not every player in a premiership is an absolute star and every premiership team needs players that do the team thing and sacrifice their game for the benifit of the team.

Excited for this game. I think it's a tough ask beating the WA teams over there when they are in form and they probably deserve to be favourites, but I'm not writing us off. If we do loose, so long as we're compeditive and show something, then that will be OK enough with me. Mostly I'm looking forward to us playing some good opposition to get a better feel for where we are at right now.

For what it's worth, I thought Ryan had spilled the mark at the time, but in retrospect he did clearly control the mark until the point he hit the ground. Was a great mark, which in a sence showed great courage, but I actually think it also shows a level of contempt for you own well-being when you repeatedly jump for marks without caring hoe you land like that. He had a sore shoulder after that effort, but could just have easily concussed himself or done serious neck injury. Shaun Smith use to do it all the time and I got my sister a great photo form the age, which I got developed into an A1 poster size of him landing pretty much on his head following a similar mark.

The thing that really hurt about Jordon though is that 5 months after he left for Sydney, we lost Brayshaw through concussion and he would have had more opportunities that would have kept him on our list. I know Jordon probably isn't ever going to be an absolute A Grade / dominant player, but he the kind of solid player that great teams all need. That he's been best 23 up at Sydney ever since and played in a grand final for them shows that he's defiantly an AFL standard player.

Just like Kingy did with the players. Whatever is is it's been a great change. Our content has been so much more professional, contemporary and watchable.

This is a bloody brilliant watch: Our new media team would have to be rating up there as one of the recruits of the year.

What about 11? Would suit him.

Agreed. He did get shown up on a few occasions when playing as a deep defender, but: a) Alot of more seasoned players might also have been exposed in a similar way playing against someone with the skills and athletic profile of NAS b) He can take it on as a learning experience. Overall, he did a pretty decent job and we won the game, so happy days. If he kicked that set shot on goal he had, it would have been the icing on the cake. Hope he can continue these kind of performances and build his own game at the same time.

Who called it better? Was woundering why the kid in the stands was 'going off' even more than I was, then after watching it for tge 3rd or 4th time realised he was probably one of Lattrelle's family members and that's why the cameras were on him. How good is that and absolutely gold in the current circumstances for Kozzie to have a special family moment like that with Latrelle on the field.

Agreed, but stop giving away tips to the opposition please Jeff 😂

Agreed, I could see Latrelle in the open, an open paddock to run into and was just cheering and hoping that he'd pull off what we'd seen him do in preseason on the big stage.

I think opponents are probably well aware that he does this thing, but knowing that's what he's going to do and stopping him from doing it are two very different things. Agility like him and Kozzie have got is a rare thing and I don't think there are many that could match them in that department well enough to lay their hands on them.

I'm not a CJ hater, but didn't think kicking out to him short in the pocket from kick-ins was a winning strategy. Most times, he just bombed down the line to the back flank/boundary and/or turned it over.

Yeah, I'm with you there on Sharpie as well. Loved how he worked his way into the game, stood up in some big moments in the last quarter. Hope he can keep it going over the next few weeks and really make a spot for himself in the side.

Latrelle's running goal was the highlight of the game for me. The build-up and the roar from the crowd when he kicked it was incredible and I thought really got the crowd into the game and got us going. There are some players that have a real connection with the crowd, just doing their own thing and he's definitely one of them. Excitement machine and hard worker in one.

HELL YEAH!!

There's no point in rocking up early anyway. All the decent seats in the ground are reserved anyway. Little point being a member unless you pay for reserve seats as well - it's BS.

Just got to some seats in the Southern Stand. Feeling good about this game. Can see us winning comfortably by 35points and St Kilda fans walking home disappointed and questioning another mediocre rebuild. GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!

In one of the worst kept secrets, it has been officially announced that Maysie will be pulling on the boots for the Roos this season: https://www.instagram.com/p/DV20GCRkYcQ/?igsh=cWgwbXZlMmViNTBr Pencil them in for the premiership, that backline will be impenetrable.

Isn't hindsight a great thing. Not sure you would have found much of that sentiment at the time. Also keep in mind that around the time of his departure, he was fighting for a spot in the team amongst a group of similar players to which he was viewed as the least likely to make it. He might be better than several on our list, but he's also older than many and it's good that we've been able to maintain a relatively ballanced list profile age wise. If he were still at the club, he'd be fighting with the likes of Havey Langford, Xavier Lindsay and Jai Culley for game/ground time and I don't think that would be constructive. Great personal story and I'm really happy for him that he's found a fit and made something of his career at the Bulldogs.

Congratulations Salo. Particularly with the departure of Clarry and The Brand, this makes Salem one of the few along with T Mac, Max, Viney and perhaps Petty, that started their careers at the club in the dark days when we were truly putrid. It's a great testament to Salo's character that he was able to weather those early days, rise above and help lift the team out of our dark times and to then be a major part of delivering us premership glory. Particularly given the struggles he's had at times with his own health and injuries. Hopefully the team can pull us over the line for a victory, but either way Salo will walk off the field a winner.

That and all the blaring pre and half time entertainment noise is bloody horrible. It's so bloody loud that you literally have problems having a conversion with the person next to you alot of the time - do the AFL and the stadium management people not realise this? Or maybe that's just how they do it in Merica, so we must follow?

Yeah, I get that's your new favourite excuse, but the fundamental proposition that you need to admit is that Chandler IS currently a best 23 player and Jeffo is NOT. That all said, I see definite potential for Jeffo to soon become a best 23 player and hope he delivers on that. He's also a good few years younger than Kade, so it's also not a fair match in that regard either. But reality is that one player has jumped over that hurdle and the other is yet to. Guess we'll see at the end of their careers what relative contributions they make to the mighty Demons. If either or both of them play in another flag for us, I'll be more than happy with that.