Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I was glad to see him get another opportunity at AFL level, but I think he would have quickly turned into a player I strongly disliked as soon as he played a few games in that rubbish navy blue jumper.

P.S. After 10 years of misery in AFL terms and never having witnessed a MFC flag in my lifetime, I similarly have a no sympathy, take no prisoners policy with respects to our opponents.

That's not very sporting of you, but I agree. I guess the other thing is that if Wines is injured and doesn't play, it could save us the irritation of watching him play and thinking how much better it would have been for him to be playing alongside his best mate for the red and blue.

Echuca apparently. https://www.sen.com.au/news/2019/01/27/terrible-mistake-from-port-adelaide's-next-captain/ Looks like a dislocated shoulder if Cornes is on the money. It is a pitty, I was looking forward to Wines going head to head with Viney.

I wasn't so sure I liked the co-captains thing, but watching the way Jones and Viney lead the team back down the race after our finals victories, neither of them looked out of place as joint captains, thus I'm quite happy for it to continue. I really think there is a role in the leadership team for all of T Mac, Nev, May and probably Lever as well. When you look at our side these days, I think it is really packed full of guys with leadership qualities. Even when you look at guys like Melksham and Hibberd, Vanders, our young mids/onballers , Billy Stretch/ANB are pretty solid citizens, I think there is plenty there to work with. It should all bode well for our ability to manage ourselves out on the ground with the lack of the team runner role during play from this comming season and beyond.

I have little doubt that Harmes will be in the leadership group in the future, the same could also be said of Gus, Trac and Clarry. But for now I think we should just let these guys play footy and let them just keep developing their leadership skills and status quietly in the background.

I don't think Spargo has quite got the hoof to slot them through from much further than 45 out, but otherwise generally agree with your assessment. Will be interesting to see if he can go on with it, improve and hold his spot in the side this year, otherwise the compeditiveness for spots he could easily be squeezed out. Not a slight on him, I just think that's where we are at. I actually think he was probably borderline best 22 at times last year (still a fair feat in your first year), but he just kept holding on and the others that could have taken his spot were not quite up to it at the time.

BTW, I think this is a great thread and full credit to @WERRIDEE for going so early on his team makeup. In the current MFC environment he has more balls than I do to be making such predictions so far out. Again what a contrast to last seasons corresponding thread when all the talk was about how we would curtail all of Dangerfield, Selwood, Ablett - elimination final. I know coaches always play down Rd 1, but how good would it be to put the runs on the board early next season and set up or year, instead of playing catch up and on the edge for most of the year.

I think best 22 is more equivalent to dream side. This thread is Rd 1 team 2019, it's highly unlikely (just per any Rd really) that we wI'll have our best 22 to pick in Rd.1.

If Vanders is fit he plays. Guy is a bull and an absolute asset for breaking sides apart. The more I stew over this, I'm also l'm also thinking how much it will come down to how our forwards/forward line functions in the JLT. If Weid struggles to make much of an impact, Preuss could find a spot in the side to help cover our forward line arial presence or perhaps even someone like Tim Smith, Joel Smith or Keilty might get a gig. Will make for a very interesting JLT series for Demons supporters, which on another note is such a refreshing change for Demons supporters from years gone by. Where previously, we were looking to the preseason comp for signs we would be compeditive for the season comming, at the moment it's more about who has the inside running to make round 1 and what subtle structural changes we might be making to our game style and team setup.

Interesting that unlike many others you have also left Preuss out of the 22 for round 1. A bit like you, I don't think Preuss is nessasrily a walk up start for Rd 1 either. I do wounder if all of Fritsch, Hannan, Garlett, Vanders and Nibbler fit into the same forward line though, which could create the room for big Preuss. Nibbler and Vanders will rotate on-ball, so I'm guessing that it's one of Hannan, Freitch or Garlett doesn't play if we go tall. I'm guessing that it could come down to whether Port look like playing both of Lycett and Ryder. If they do, I think we will match their dual ruck setup.

The big question to talk about is who matches up on Jack Watts? Ooops, I forgot Casey doesn't play in the SANFL!

Harmes on Wines would be a great match-up, but agree it's or only a matter of time until the hunter becomes the huunted with Harmes. Possibly even having good mates Viney and Wines going head to head. The prospect of unleashing a fully fit raring to go Viney Rd 1 is mouth watering.

Have I missed the purpose of this discussion, getting the wrong mail or something, but I keep hearing that Lever won't be ready for selection until around Rd 9 - 12, so I'm having problems understanding why so many here (and in the 'proffesional' media) have got him in their Rd 1 sides for us.

Need to get brother Andrew into a Demons kit sooner rather than later, their poor mum looks confused with all those scarfs on and none of them a MFC one ? All is forgiven: ‘Very fit’ Brayshaw pumped for 2019 https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2019-preseason-no-animosity-towards-andrew-gaff-says-mark-brayshaw/news-story/29f8904833d17e9ca00dc78aa1005ca5

I know of the daily plannet, but not as far as knowing what street it is on! A mate of mine did use to live in a street in the Croydon area which is "The Nook" - there is a brothel on that street too.

It would be a bit of a marketing fail to open a brothel in the area wouldn't it. ...or conversely is that how the area got it's name originally. Along similar lines, there is the locally based business 'Cockburn Cement' - an early version of viagra for when you've had a big night on the nest, but just need to keep powering on! ...perhaps?

As much as I don't hold anything like the same sort of grudge agains Hoges as I do against that little [censored] $cully, I really do hope we smash Freo this game and send a strong message to Hoges for the sake of any others that might want to jump ship. I'd prefer no uncalled for boooing (though I'm sure there will be some), but just for the MFC to turn up and put on a display of force that Jesse will remember and make him think about what he has walked away from over on the East Coast. ...and at the end of the game when Steve May shakes Jesse's hand, he won't just be saying thanks for the game, he will be saying thanks for this opportunity.

Still on ADSL. For the most part it serves our needs ...on a $40 per month plan if I recall correctly. I'm not really that keen on paying any more for Internet if we don't really need the extra bandwidth/speed.

I honestly can't understand why with all the competition from Internet TV streaming services Foxtel prices haven't come down to better compete with them. I hate the infated Foxtel prices, but our internet service isn't that great, thus I like my footy viewing to be independent of something which sometimes either gets choked up with bandwidth or goes on the blink randomly or when it rains or something. We are only on a pretty cheap internet service and could probably get better by paying a few more bucks, but that becomes a bit self defeating. How/why haven't Foxtel dropped their prices a bit more? Is it the price of satellite access or something? Just curious.

Last year, due to our Rd 23 capitulation and the ensuing dejection, I mostly lost interest until trade week and even then my hunger for footy was pretty subdued. This year, I was over the West Coast game before it was over, because we had already well and truly met and then somewhat surpassed my expectations for the season, so the antisipation of what we could do next season is like an adrenaline rush that is stopping me from getting to sleep, but there is still soo many sleeps until Rd 1 and it's taking forEVER!!

83 till Rd 1 81 till selection 63 till JLT

I guess it goes to show how in AFL these days players are only a dozen or so games from being a superstar to an ordanary player - at least in the eyes of the media and some supporters (myself included). When he was at his peak, KK was a player that I really thought, gee there's a player I'd like to have at Melbourne, but those few seasons or so of concussion and average form have just put that question mark over him that can he get back to his best. Really looking forward to see what he can do for the MFC.

A [censored] one. I'm just glad that phone cameras and social media were not a thing back in my youth and I recon alot of players back in the 70s, 80s, 90s era that are pretty glad of that too.

I can't say I'd ever watched a full game of reserves footy, but always appreciated getting there from around half time of the ressies onwards for the reasons raised above. It was much easier to casually watch and observe the individual performance of players, in a relaxed way, without getting too worked up about the scores/result. Good to see the young kids developing, how players comming back from injury/poor form were looking for the next week, or to hang it on an out of form nemesis from the opposition who'd been dropped.