Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I've always thought his set shots goal kicking was ok, but your points might be quite valid. Certainly what I would say is that compared to what we have had so far this season from many of his MFC peers, his goal kicking reliability makes him look like Locket or Dunstal by comparison.

Really looking forward to seeing what difference Hannan can make. Many here have sighted a lack of demonstrated from from Hannan, but I bet many would be happy to see Steven May back in next week simply on the proviso he gets through the game. Watching us this year I think we are missing many of the qualities that Hannan brings as a footballer: 1. Cumbing ability; 2. Good goal nous and the ability to pull out a goal from nowhere; 3. Marking ability, both on the lead and in a pack; 4. The ability to finds space and turn his opponent inside out on the flanks and then deliver quality inside 50 passes as you suggest. Put al this together and Hannan makes a 5, maybe 6 - 7 goal difference to our side and we win the last two games. Salem and Hibbard back to our defense brings it back from being a C grade to a C+ or perhaps B grade as well, so very happy with those inclusions. Carn the Might Demons - we can doo this!

I like the positivity and never say die Goofy. I'm just about at the point of thinking what can we salvage from this season. If we win tonight, then perhaps I'll keep a small glimmer of hope alive as well, but we would need to not only win, but win in a convincing manner that not only got us the four points, but gave us something to work with going forward as well. Just clumsily falling over the line in an error riddled game like most of our previous wins this year wouldn't do it for me. Even though we lost the game against the eagles, I thought our form had turned the corner, but then last week showed that just to be a mirage. Really hoping for any sort of win tonight as it sure beats loosing, but right now my expectations are not high.

On a related note, how badly did big Cam Pedersen time his career with us? We were absolute rubish when he first joined us, but then spent years on the fringe when we picked up our game. It's a pitty we don't have Pedo this year as I feel he could have played a role to bridge the gap while Weid matures a bit more. I feel that Pedo was more mobile than Preuss, but had a bigger presence than Tim Smith. This whole discussion begs two questions to me: 1.Is Weid going to become the player we had hoped when we picked him at pick 9; and 2. Are we actually going to play Preuss? The past several weeks seemed to be the ideal time to play him and at the moment he looks like becoming the next Pedo, the fridge player who gets half a dozen games a year and work almost be questioning why he made the move from North. If either of the above two can play that second key forward role for us sufficiently well, then I see Cameron or Finlayson as being fairly redundant to our needs and we would be better spending the money and trade capital elsewhere, unless he just fell into our lap.

A big problem I believe that Jessie faced taking big pack marks in our forward line was our habbit of blindly bombing the ball in, with blatant disregard to kick it to the advantage of our own players. That and combined with the high forward press that we played meaning our forward line was usually super congested and Jessie often double or tripple manned in marking contrsts. That all said, by definition, a pack mark also infers a highly contested situation fought over by a big group of players and I do feel that Jessie did drop off and never completely delivered on his potential for us in this regard.

And Jack seems to have inherited Todd's horrible goal kicking, which I recall being a particular deficiency. I don't think I was ever particularly confident when Todd was lining up a goal from anything outside about 35m out. Perhaps Todd's poor kicking was also worse at the start of his career and improved towards the end? It's going back a while and all starting to get a bit hazy. Earl Spalding was possibly another who's early goal kicking was very ordanary, but I think became quite a reliable shot for goal after he left us and joined Carlscum.

That's my reccolection. Surely we have a better kicking coach than Todd. Probably explains our rubbish team disposal. Christian Salem should be leading the kicking drills.

One thing I would say, is that I think it somewhat makes more sense to pick up a player in this mid season draft where I think you get a better opportunity to track development post U18 level, than it does taking a pick in the 80s in the national draft or last pick of the normal rookie draft. Those late picks, you could be taking more of a prospective stab at who might be any good out of what's left. Regards how good Dunkely may turn out to be, would we have used this same opportunity to pickup Freitch, Hannan, Vandenberg or Hore in past years? I think we probably would have and so, I believe there is every likelihood that Dunkley could end up best 22. It seems to me that recruitment works something like this: 1. The top end tallent both football wise and athletic stand outs go in the national draft; 2. Those with average athleticism, but good work ethic, commitment and good football brains and/or combined with a bad draft year go in the rookie drafts. Good footballers might not shine through at U18s level, because it's 'all about me' with the guns trying to show off their wears to recruiters and the good footballers team players are less valued, because the recruiters are by nature of the marketplace looking for the stand outs. Time at senior level post U18s gives those second teir players the time and opportunity to differentiate themselves from one another. From what I understand, the success rate of rookies once drafted in terms of senior AFL games played is pretty high and there have been a number of premiership teams with a high makeup of once rookie listed players, so no way am I writing off what Dunckley could be for us.

You might have started this thread, but you don't own it and other posters can take it in whatever direction they choose.

Sorry, I agree with @poita on this one. Steve May has been very ordanary in ever appearance he has made for us so far. Understand that he was comming off some injuries, but he still didn't put in the sort of classy, confident performances that many champion players often do off the back of an injury. So in that respects I think he has to stand up to the plate, show some form and start performing to his past record and capabilities before I'd say he's actually a better bet than Frost 'right now'. Totally reconise May has the proven past record and capability to be considered better than Frost, but right now, I don't think he is a walk up starter against Frost on current form. Of course that assessment could change very quickly if May steps right in and blitzes and I'm happy to be proven wrong.

Can't have too many quality mids. As Bernie, Jordan and now Jones have pulled out of our midfeild, I think we have actually looked a little lean there at times, when an Oliver, Viney or Harmes is rotated out of the midfield. Doesn't hurt to have the extra depth in case of injury or form slump either. Vanders made a huge difference to our game late last year as a powerful forward and impact midfielder. Who know if Vanders will be back or if Dunckley can be as good, but if he gives it a crack, then you never know. Chasing that classy outside mid, we could just have easily ended up with another Sam Blease or Jimmy Toumpas outcome if the right player wasn't available.

The other clubs mentioned as having speed bump years were Geelong 2006 and Hawthorn 2009. I could well handle us following that part of the model. I can excuse us having this one bad year, so long as we achieve a premiership(s) in the years ahead. What would set me off is to have another few decades of mediocrity like 1987 - 2006 where we were almost good enough on several occasions, but lacked the ruthlessness, intensity and professionalism to take it all the way to a flag.

SWYL, if you listen to PJs last Demonland podcast, he actually made the point that our virtually uninterrupted/steady rise up the ladder over the past 4 years unDer Roos/Goodwin doesn’t happen very often in AFL footy and that the club needed to be resilient enough to deal with speed bumps thar would likely happen along the way. Why did he have to be so prophetic?

Agree with the above to an extent, but FFS, can no a week go by when we actually get more players back than loose them to injury? I know finals are pretty much a goner now, but it would be great to see us be in a position to put a team of reasonable strength out on the park to start building some good form, cohesion and systems for next season. As much as I'd love to see one or two of the lesser names we have in the side right now take their game to the next level, I feel like the team as a whole is being held back by not being able to get a critical mass of quality players out on the ground at the same time to tip us over the edge from just hanging in games, compared to being truely compeditive. I guess some setbacks are to be expected for players comming back from long term injuries, but this one seems to be somewhat unrelated to the original injury and just a further demonstration that we just can't handle a trick this season.

6.Gawn 5.Viney 4. Hore 3. Harmes 2. Baker 1. Hunt

A third (/turd) WA team to weaken the Eagles dominance would be a good thing for the comp. The Sand Groapers would love the idea, until they realize the implications and then it would be too late and they would have fractured the Eagles support base, recruiting edge and finacial clout. Everything else about your proposal makes too much sense for the AFL to ever adopt though, although I'd personally still keep a top 8 with 20 teams. Making finals should still be an elite accomplishment.

Unless they have deep pockets and splash the cash at him (which I don't think anyone thinks they do), I wouldn't have thought that moving to North to become their football manager would be very attractive to Josh, compared to what he is working with at the MFC. After spending so much time rebuilding a club I would have thought he would be keen to stick around for some success, rather than jump back in with another basket case. Unless he is offered big cash the CEOs position or a lesser role with a pathway to becoming the next CEO somewhere (cross-code perhaps even), I would think Josh's best move would be to stay with the MFC. Whatever the case may be, I hope we keep him for a while, because he seems like a pretty bloody good operator.

Every heart beats true For the red sand and blue sky And as we sing this song to you We are remembering the old people Keep you eye on the red sand and blue sky Love this indigenous reinterpretation of our theme song. GO DEMONS!!!

I do wounder if Eddie gets his way and Weid wants to follow in the family tradition at the Pies, if something like Collingwoods first round pick and Melbourne's second round one would get Sideshow Bob to the Demons?

Regards Brad coaching at AFL level again, I think he probably could and very well might one day. When you look at North's failures it's more about list management than coaching derived and there is only so much responsibility that can be leveled at the coach for list management, probably also aided by the fact that North were not handed any freebies recruiting wise by the AFL and without the ability to land big name players like the power clubs and the interstate teams. I'd fully expect that Brad sits it out from senior coaching of any form for 12-18 months though due to the personal toll that being a senior coach must have on their life.

Would love the boys to sing it in Woiwurrung in the rooms after a win against GWS as well !!

So long as Maxy doesn't have a Jimmy moment and run over/though the mark. My old man recons we would have beaten Carlton in the GF. I'm in favor of '87 with at twist' !!

I think you are taking my comments way too far. As I stated in my post, far from hang it on a pepetual whipping boy I have significantly defended Oscar over the years and if you were to go back over my posts, I think you would see that. I do believe Oscar has shown some good footballing traits and potential over the journey thus far. I honestly didn't notice Oscar do all the brave things you mentioned against West Coast (neither denying or agreeing), but my observation was based more on the way he has played over the course of this year and that feeble push off was emblematic. The game he was dropped after, he looked totally bereif of confidence and yes he has been slightly better since he was dropped. But physicality and intimidation does count for somewhat of a physiological edge or weakness against opponents and I recon that it's an area that Oscar is significantly lacking right now. That "line in the sand" match for Hawthorn represented a turning point in their self beleif as a team and were respected by their opposition. Oscar isn't the fresh 19 yo any more and thus I have higher expections and I'm really wanting him to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and become a solid dependable part of our defense.

The push back from Oscar McDonald was as many here have expressed it - meek and is typical of how he is playing. Struth, he didn't need to knock him out, but push him with a bit more vigor or put a shoulder into him. I've defended Oscar McDonald in his performances pre this season, but this kind of physical softness has got to stop. He is 23 years old and 100kg now, so should be more than capable of making his physical presence felt. You might say how does a bit of push and shove prove to everyone what a big man he is, but as others have said, it's a symptom of a broader issue, because this shying away from being as fully physical in a remonstrative way infects the whole way he plays during game time. He is unprepared to hold his ground physically and gets brushed out of the contest all the time. Sam Frost is 5kg lighter than Omac, but plays with twice the physical presence and some actual aggression in his game. Tommy doesn't cop the rubbish that Oscar does. When AVB came back late last year, the physical presence he bought really lifted our game and was a big part of the reason the whole team had a swagger in their step in the lead up and during our finals campaign. Someone needs to get the boxing gloves on at training and lay right into Oscar (and probably a few others) until he gets angry, actually starts fighting back, repeat the exercise before every game until he starts playing with some moungral in his game, because his present meekness just won't hack it anymore and particularly not in finals.

You and I are the same sort of classy Greg - I like it. ...and I hope Mumford likes soup.