Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I really do think the role of our injuries is being under played in the assessments of our performance on Sunday against the Dogs. I was just reflecting this morning how rotten our luck with injuries has been this year. Hardly a week goes by where we have not had to have made forced changes due to players going out with injuries. No sooner do we get players back than we get lumped with another handful of players we loose with realitively unavoidable injuries. Just take the last fortnight for example Hore (collar bone), T Mac (new knee injury), Weid (something or another) - I'm not sure that any of these injuries could have been avoided in the standard rough and tumble of the AFL, yet we just seem to keep copping more than our fair share them. I'd imagine that if T Mac had been in our forward line in the sort of form he had finally got him self back into, Hore had have played in place of an under done Jetta and Weid had played in place of either a raw Dunckley or scratchy Hannan, it probably would have been enough for us to have beaten the dogs and we would all have a somewhat/slightly different outlook on where the team is presently at. That all said, adding those aforementioned players back into the side would have unlikely changed the way we moved the ball through the middle of the ground, which for the most part I found to be pretty uninspiring and lacking in confidence and dominance. It also needs to be taken into consideration that the Dogs were a rotation out for most of the game after loosing McLean early on. All in all, I'm not completely dispondant about what our present performances mean for our potential in 2020, because our year has and continues to be wrecked by injury, but I am finding it hard to find many positives from the procession of mediocre performances that is all we seem destined to produce for the rest of the season. I guess now I'm just hoping to see some more games and development in the likes of Petty, Press, Weid, Hore, Dunkley, the settling of our back six and that we can have one hell of a reset in the offseason. It's not exactly that I don't think we shouldn't be playing to win, but more of an acceptance for now that many more wins not might be that practically achievable between now and the end of the season with the injury and form backlog we have built for ourselves and the likelihood of being able to peg much of that back between now and the end of the season.

Lucifer, think your assessment of ANB's potential contribution to the team is a bit narrow really. When he was in form over 2017 & 2018, ANB did provide some good connection through the middle of the ground and his ability to gut run and get out the back into our forward line was often a good additional avenue to goal for us. Out of all the players effected by the 6-6-6 rule change I think ANB has been effected probably most as he was often used very effectively as one of those 'spitters' running through off the back of the centre square at centre clearances. I don't see any present indications that the 6-6-6 rule will removed any time soon, so he simply must adjust and it's fair to say that he hasn't thus far, but neither has most of the team. On his present form, I don't think ANB would have as much currency as Tyson or Kent had at the time they were traded and I don't sense that he is the sort of player to go seeking greener pastures, particularly since he has always been given a pretty reasonable opportunities at the MFC. I'd reluctantly be looking to move on the likes of Stretch, probably Maynard and possibly JKH long before I started looking at ANB. With a pick in the 60s, all we are most likely to get is another 18yo that might or might not be a decient player in 3 or 4 years time, when our priority should be about mature players that can deliver and/or provide depth for the club now.

Agree. Last year when he (and the rest of the team) were in form, he was better than just depth though. These calls to trade him are grossly wrong though IMHO: 1. Trading him now would be like trading him out at the bottom of the market value; 2. What would we get for him? A pick in the 60s? Best case scenario would be that he could be a sweetener to go along with us trading out a decient draft pick for a player like Langdon. 3. In a season where we have been exposed for depth, doesn't that highlight the need to actually have it.

I can't defend either Hannan or ABN's games yesterday, although I would say over the past 4 weeks I have thought Hannan has been OK and I thought his 2 goal effort against the Lions was pretty good. At times over the past 4 weeks, I have thought Hannan was running himself into some form, but yesterday's game goes against that. To be totally honest, I'm not sure that Kyle Dunckley is exactly getting games on merit at the moment either. Sure I have seen him doing a few smart things that show he could be a decient prospect in seasons to come, but too little output overall from his games thus far for me. Guys like Spargo have been criticized on this forum and dropped from the side after showing a lot more than Dunkley has to date in my assessment. That said I'm not totally against us getting a few senior games into some of these guys in our present position, but it is hardly ideal.

I really don't understand the Gawn ruck free kick, but we received a pretty soft on at the other end that Petty goaled from, so I'm not going to sook on forever about that one free kick. I actually thought the umpiring in the last quarter against Carlton last week was way worse.

Been way too long since this thread was updated and I'm sure there are a few that have been missed in between, yesterday's effort deserves to be recorded. The quote it's self wasn't so hilarious, but the context of the contemptuous way it was delivered to the offending umpire makes it worthy: "That’s ruck craft, big boy"

I'd love us to recruit him, just so I can sing that song to myself with betraying the MFC, singing about some Essendon player. Anthony MacDonald-Tipungwuti Anthony MacDonald-Tipungwuti And he run and he runs and he tackles and he runs He's coming to get ya (boom boom boom) he's coming to get ya ( boom boom boom)... We could definitely do with a player like that.

Frosty has more than enough agreression and mongrel in the way he plays. Best thing he stands to learn off Maysy is some more footy smarts. But otherwise I agree Picket. Frosty has been a favorite of mine for a few years now. Say what you will about his haphazardness, but the guys always has a red hot crack at it.

MFC site said 3/4s ge time and then given extra running as well. But I hear you, I'm a little confused by the contrast in Demonland and MFC messaging. We will just have to wait and see I guess. Either way, eill be great to see him out there again - We love you Nev.

I tend to agree. What I would like to see though is Frost given a bit more license to be a bit more attacking and break lines with his run some more. With Lever, Jetta and May down back to steady the ship a but more it might just allow him to do just that. Having said that, I think with May in the side, it has freed up Frost to use his pace to run off his man and intercept the ball more, which is pehaps a more conservative, safer and predictable way to exploit his pace. 10 marks last week was a great demonstration, but not an isolated example by any means. ...but I do love it when he cuts loose and takes players on and it can create great scoring opportunities for us when it comes off. Would really like to see some more of those 60m barrel goals he can kick as well!!

Looking forward to some fresh Prawn on Sunday.

Detouring a little, I really do think we could have used Bernie Vince on occations this year. I know he lost some pace last year, but I think he really could have been used to very good effect in our forward line this season with his strength, footy smarts and good goal kicking. It really does irritate me that the never really tried moving Bernie forward last season to se if it could have worked. Perhaps we would have won a few more games by now and would still be chasing a remote chance of finals if he was still on our list this season. To me that highlights what a mistake it would be for Jones not to play next year. Our list is pretty sparce of mature experienced players and if managed right, I think guys in this age bracket still have some significant things to conttibute. Asides from half back, I think Jones could be used up forward (he's a pretty decient kick for goal) and would still be handy to use in bursts to keep another strong, big bodied midfeilder around the ball when necessary (saw how handy Lewis was in that capacity). Even Luke Hodge still seems to be able to keep a spot in a Brisbane side which is traveling pretty well this year and I think Hodge has a few years on Jones.

As I posted on the post match thread - Appart from the odd game, Trac's form has been very solid all year. A few of Trac's stats give an indication of that: 3rd leading goal kicker; 1st in score involvements; 2nd in goal assists (interestingly, Melksham still leads this stat, despite missing a big chuck of the season now - shows how good he is in that department and how much we are missing him). By my assessment, Trac will easily finish top 10 in our B&F, if not top 5 or better. I do think Trac will go Bang and become reconised as an elite player when the fortunes of the team swing back to being more compeditive. Whilst his influential performances might have been flying a little under the radar of even our supporters this season, I hardly think his value to our side would have been unnoticed by our opposition's analysts and coaches, who would be targeting him with their best mid sized defender most weeks, particularly with Melksham out of the side. That he has performed consistently well in an underperforming side is a mark of some mental toughness and maturity. I am looking forward to him really busting things up once the side is back in full flight, I think he will ride that wave of confidence and his natural (Italian genetically inherited) exuberance will get right up the noses of our opposition.

Max and Hunt suffer from the same issue, in fact I don't think it's an uncommon problem among AFL listed players. One of the key off season coaching emphasis should be players getting their goal kicking right.

I can't fathom giving St Kilda a priority pick. Next they will be want to give them to Essendon and probably Hawthorn because they have an aging list and will miss finals this year. They have got to get fair dinkum. If St Kilda get a FA pick, they really must help Hawthorn.

And us as well. That whole second rebuild period we got second go at the talent pool after GWS and GC had their go at it. Not to mention our previous No.1 pick being lured by the big wads of $$$$ being thrown at him by GWS with money and salery cap to burn.

Preuss will do well if he can just find the spot in our forward line where most number of the opposition backs are standing and run there, because that is where we appear to kick it 90% of the time.

Big Boy turns 30 in a few days, so is getting pretty close to becoming an old boy.

6. T Mac 5. Oliver 4. Trac 3. Preuss 2. Jones 1. Hunt

Correction - in his 2 games playing predominantly forward for the MFC, he has kicked 4 goals, an average of 2 per game which is pretty decient by AFL standards. Mind you it's also a pretty small sample size and he was also the 3rd KPP forward behind T Mac and Weid.

Preuss has probably averaged around 2 goals per game as a forwad/ruck at AFL level, so I'd say he's quite a capable forward. I agree that playing Preuss 70/30 ruck and the inverse for Gawn would be a great developmental move over the rest of the season so they both get what they need with what remains of a dead rubber of a back end of our season. Surely it has to be more valuable for Pruess to be rucking against AFL standard players and adjusting to the associated pressure at senior level than running around in the twos. Gawn should just permanently sit himself in that 15m - 25m range out form goal, take grabs galore and have real set shot practice from that position to the point where it no longer represents a mental hoodo for him. The big fella is actually a pretty dam good kick of the footy and a decient set shot for goal from the 40m to 50m range - just needs to get his head and technique right for kicking them from giveme range.

Appart from the odd game, Trac's form has been very solid all year. A few of Trac's stats give an indication of that: 3rd leading goal kicker; 1st in score involvements; 2nd in goal assists (interestingly, Melksham still leads this stat, despite missing a bug chuck of the season now - shows how good he is in that department and how much we are missing him). By my assessment, Trac will easily finish top 10 in our B&F, if not top 5 or better.

No, it wasn't funny. It would have been funny if it happened to another team, not us. Would have been a serious great goal if it had just rolled one balls length further across the line though.

I think most opposition teams would be pretty worried about the prospect of a Gawn/Preuss ruck combo - The Prawn. Seriously though, we normally drop our output when Gawn is resting on the bench and if Preuss can effectively maintain that dominant ruck presence for us for the whole game, it will go a long way to us being a much more dangerous side. The impact should be amplified when either Gawn or Preuss inevitably goes up against the oppositions second string/part time ruckman. I've been very frustrated by the lack of AFL games big Preuss has played, but I can also see the sense in it when he would likely get in the order of 80-100 ruck contests in the VFL as opposed to the 20 - 50 he might get at AFL level with Gawn in the side. Really hoping this seperate development strategy for Pruess is close to complete and starts to deliver a combined Prawn beast for us on AFL game day soon.

Agree Re Cripps, but we were down Gawn. Whilst Cripps is a different sort of player that I don't quite think I'd refer to Gawn as a beast in the same sense as Cripps, I think the absence of both players pretty much canceled out the star player factor for both teams. Gawn has been an absolute freak with his ability to both win us the ruck, rove and win clearances out of stoppages, run all over the place pulling down big grabs with huge value to the team. Missing Gawn the past week and a half has been a massive loss to the team. He has consistently been our most dominant player all year. I don't think it's any coincidence that we couldn't win any clearances and died in the a against Brisbane last week when Gawn was hobbling around the ground on one leg.