Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Might have played it smart to wait until after the trade and draft period and perhaps we've front loaded and thrown in a few extra dollars next season with what was freed up from Trac sooking off to the GC.

Awsome news. Keep that Disco dancing indeed. Recon we'll see some great moves from him and XT over the next few years.

Stepped it up a notch by staying fit and on the park throughout 2025, but I feel he still has plenty of new levels to go, particularly if we can build a tight defensive unit around him and fix up the rest of our game so the backs aren't consistiantly under so much pressure to defend the scoreboard.

Think he has genuine smarts and wepons as a swing man forward when needed and I hope Kingy is more open to throwing around the magnets to sneak a goal here or there and break the game up a bit.

3 hours ago, BKKBooga said:

Scarlett and King are co owners of a pub. Scarlett brings beer pouring skills.

Excellent. Just what Steve (Frothies) May needs to keep at peak performance!

2 hours ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

WA teaming shaping up into a bit of a Dees player reunion

Kinda.

I don't think Kossie and Jacko would have been at the club at the same time as Jesse would they?

My gosh, just think of the future forward line we'd have if they were all still in the red and blue.

Does make me a bit sad. I didn't really want to see Jesse go and while it ultimately allowed us to get Maysie whom was such an integral part of out premiership team, Jesse would be a real asset to hold together our forward line in the transition to the new guard. That said, we now have Brody to assist, bit it's nor quite the same. Such a wasted opportunity for the MFC, I wished we could have got Jesse back when he left Freo as maybe he'd have been the difference in 2023.

While on the topic of the new assistants, can someone who's somewhat 'in the know' please give their views on what distinct qualities they see Matthew Scarlett bringing to our coaching group and the team?

I know a little of the champion player he was and my own superficial understanding is that he was also regarded as a great leader at Geelong during their period as one of the greatest teams of the modern era, but would be interested in some more specifics.

I thought it was interesting that he had that time in the ammos. Thought that he'd been in the AFL coaching system all this time.

On 17/10/2025 at 08:31, poita said:

On Woewodin, I think he's a little unlucky and I would have loved to see him get a run in McVee's lockdown defender role.

Agreed that it would have been good to see him get a greater run, although I also thought his positioning and ball use as a half forward was quite good.

On 17/10/2025 at 07:29, Salems Lot said:

Taj played 21 more games in the Red and Blue than any of us did. Well done young man!

It's just a pity that a whole bunch of those 21 games would have been as a sub, where he got very limited or possibly no game time.

Thought he showed a lot more in his breif game time at AFL level than Laurie who has been given significantly more time on the list for somewhat lack luster performances at the top level to date.

2 hours ago, Demonland said:

Honestly I'll be stoked to see big Max represent the Big V and yet again follow in the footsteps of his early mentor Jimmy. It baffles me that he wasn't in the first batch announced, like how would the current All Australian ruck and all time most capped All Australian ruck not be an automatic selection for the Big V.

While I wouldn't begrudge The Bont being named as captain, I really think it should go to Max this year. Bont will get future opportunities and I think Max would have the better presence on and off the feild for this rebirth of Sate of Origin. They'd just better not name Jerremy Cameron captain.

Seeing Kossie and Jessy line up with other greats and favourites like Charlie Cameron will be something of a treat.

I'm actually really looking forward to them bringing back State of Origin footy, but must say I'm disappointed that the AFL have gone about it somewhat half assed in a several respects:

1. It should have been mixed in closer to or in the middle of the season proper

2. They should have played the first one back for a while at the MCG. A packed house of 100,000 screaming Vic's would be a much better spectical than 60,000 in Perth

On 28/11/2025 at 17:52, kurtneverdied said:

I'm 41 now and would of been about 7 when I wore the 45 for a few years.

Was it like a match worn jumper?

Just now, Ted Lasso said:

He might be considering retirement? Probably keen to see what his family has been up to

Was also my thoughts. Hopefully we've got a good succession plan in place as it's bound to occur at some stage sooner or later.

2 hours ago, hillie said:

Laurie was a good option at that part of the draft. If Geelong hadn’t traded in ahead of us those picks would have been Holmes and Bowie

Perhaps time may yet tell a different story, but I think the big failure wasn't so much the recruitment of Laurie that JT was responsible for, its that we have continued to give him contract extensions well beyond what is justified by his AFL level performances.

It's like we're giving him all the time of a key position player to develop, when small-mid sized players like him are a dime a dozen and we've had plenty at the club in his time that have actually shown more, that have come and gone.

Either way it pans out, I hope his list clogging days at the club are soon coming to an end.

20 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Xavier Taylor - Reg, Reggie

Lol. Would like to know the story behind that one!

5 minutes ago, Ghostwriter said:

Just like Demonland! 🥳

Lol Ghosty, now I know you're really delusional 😜

1 hour ago, Wodja said:

I just want us to beat effing Collingwood

I don't want us to just beat Collingwood though. I want us to absolutely smash the fkers.

On 28/11/2025 at 16:19, whatwhat say what said:

also, worth mentioning in here that afl media are set to make significant cuts to their broadcast backend set-up...

AFL cuts media jobs and closes main studio in pivot to outsourcing

Major job cuts have hit the AFL’s media department as the league abandons some in-house production in favour of content creators and outsourcing.

he AFL has cut a number of jobs from its media arm and closed its main studio as it pivots to outsourcing to content creators.

An email sent to staff in the AFL’s media team on Wednesday made clear the league would decommission ‘Studio A’ at AFL House in Docklands, leading to redundancies among the production team.

Multiple sources told this masthead the most recent redundancies numbered at least 10 and several other staffers had left the media and commercial team since the men’s grand final in September, but the AFL would not confirm a number.

Link for more: https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/afl-cuts-media-jobs-and-closes-main-studio-in-pivot-to-outsourcing/news-story/1ec37d302a92c41ab6c7f580ef912a27

I don't think I see any issues with this. If it's not making them money and has no tangible benefit to clubs, then it's just another overhead we could all do without, along with the AFLs bloated corporate / executive management payroll.

Really actually wounder if the whole league management could do with a massive overhaul.

On 12/12/2024 at 10:55, DistrACTION Jackson said:

White marks, hands off to Davey, onto Davey, handballs to the running Johnstone, he finds White 60m out who pinpoints a kick to Davey.

Who taps it over the top to Picket who dances gives off the hands to Picket who slots through a miracle goal from hard up against the boundary!

These DEMONS ARE ON FIRE!! 🔥🔥🔥💙❤️💙❤️

On 29/11/2025 at 21:55, monoccular said:

I a not quite old enough to have seen Norm Smith or Fred Fanning play, but Ox pre knee was absolutely the most exciting tall forward I have ever seen at Melbourne.

So sad for all concerned that he had multiple knee injuries.

I'd have to say very closely followed by Allan Jackovic.

201 goals in 47 games would be unheard-of these days and certainly not by a MFC player.

Came as close as any MFC player in the modern era to matching Fred's record of most goals in a game.

To think that in this same period in the 90s, we also had Garry Lyon and Darren Bennett, Martin Pike as key forwards and later David Neitz and Shaun Smith, Jeff Farmer and Russell Robertson as talls smalls and mid sized forwards. Was such an exciting era. If only we could boast that sort of forward line over the past few years.

32 minutes ago, jnrmac said:

Never forget the prelim in 2018. They were beyond obnoxious

They we pretty obnoxious throughout most of the 90s when they were a force as well.

17 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

The optimal result long term for Australian football is that West Coast win a majority of their home games to keep the fans entertained,

Imagine all those booing fests. I think it's tonned down since their expectation is they will loose any week anyways.

5 minutes ago, GawnOfTheDead said:

Crazy to think they have so many fans and still pull better crowds than we do sometimes.

Give them another decade or so of irrelevance and hopefully that changes. Maybe even more so if Freo can actually be half decent in that time.

38 minutes ago, FrothiesLiam said:

I found this article quite funny to read.

This Eagles member/supporter wanted 7 & 8 from Gold Coast for West Coast’s word that they wouldn't bid on Uwland and Patterson.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/11/28/the-eagles-botched-the-2025-national-draft-heres-how/

And so what if one of these clubs that did a trade for better picks on the premis of not bidding on the club they were dealing withs player then double crosses them and bids on them anyways? I know it's unlikely and that club would never receive that same sort of trust in a deal again, but it it could set your club up better and seriously push back a close rivals recruitment, then surely you'd actually have to consider it right?

Similarly, I think the AFL should be holding players that nominate for the draft and then nominate a club or their terms to account. I'd also love to see a rival club draft someone like a Luke Ball or Jack Martin, then just offer them a contract of whatever they could afford and say, don't like it, don't play for us and get nothing for a season.

33 minutes ago, FrothiesLiam said:

I found this article quite funny to read.

This Eagles member/supporter wanted 7 & 8 from Gold Coast for West Coast’s word that they wouldn't bid on Uwland and Patterson.

https://www.theroar.com.au/2025/11/28/the-eagles-botched-the-2025-national-draft-heres-how/

"...man it sucks to be an Egales fan right now".

I think it just sucks to be an Eagles fan full stop.

We were red hot going into that finals series. If only we'd won a few more games earlier in the season and got ourselves a top 4 spot. Travelling to Perth to play a rested, well drilled West Coast in the prelim killed us, just like it did in 2018.

2 hours ago, Go Ds said:

Yep, Schwarz barely played for the next two and a half years. Sean Charles and Pike kicked bags in the Carlton win and I'm sure we expected the rampaging Jakovich to be back early 95. So 3 rising stars and a missing star and the future looked so bright. But as well as Schwarz Charles played few games for the next two years plus Jako never played for us again, and Pike didn't either (but won flags at two other clubs.) So much bad luck.

Yep, those guys were great, Pike and Jacko were definitely also personal favourites of mine, but to also have stars like Lyon, Stynes, Wight, Tingay, Viney, Neitz and also some really serviceable depth and quality role players beneath them. Just check out the team list from that season. I had to search it up as my memory was somewhat letting be down beyond Lyon, Schwatz:

5 hours ago, Go Ds said:

I have such great memories of late '94. Apart from our winning GF that final against Carlton might be my favourite ever Melbourne game ( live or on TV). Weeks earlier Melbourne had managed maybe 0.7 in the third quarter in their Carlton game only to see Carlton kick two late opportune goals and win running away in the last. We went into the final as 7th vs 2nd placed Carlton. They were maybe 4 goals up early in the second quarter. Then something clicked and some of our younger players stepped up and in a jiffy we scrubbed their lead and (almost like a mini version of the 21 GF) took over in the second half. Schwarz, especially, was amazing that days. The highlights of him at the time had our fans suddenly dreaming that with this Carey-like up and comer a flag might finally not be far off. There is overlap in these clips but my, at the time every time Schwarz went near the ball you'd get excited. Just look at the midair blind turn Ox did agsinst the Bulldogs about 11.25 in the long "before knee"...video! What might have been.

(BTW it sounds like Schwarz was so deep in gambling debt on the day of the Carlton game he had to confront the coaches and confess all... maybe even ask for a loan. Maybe he could've barely touched the ball that day and have been forgiven.)

(FWIW Gary Lyon broke records in the Dogs game with 9 goals in a final)

Two of my favourite games of footy. That team was good enough to win a grand final, if only we could have kept them all on the park.