Rodney (Balls) Grinter

When I looked we were sitting around 1.5% clear of West Coast, who were in 9th. Almost totally meaningless, but ironic I thought.

Though he didn't set the world on fire, I thought Pederson still did some good stuff. A few of his passes into the forward line to Jessy Hogan were spot on. Though I don't really recall him clunking many yesterday, he provided a pretty good aerial contest. Hogan and Jeffy were on fire and were very enjoyable to watch. Couldn't care less how that other bloke played for Port, any more than any other player in the league. It's done move on. Go DEMONS.

Yes, Jetta is probably struggling the most, not sure why. The way Charlie Cameron was playing on Saturday night, I think Jetta was constantly on the back foot and Charlie seemed to be much quicker than Cyril and Betts are these days that Jetta usually does so well on, so it makes a pretty tough assignment to judge Jetta on. He wasn't his usual self against Geelong either though. However, whilst he is possibly down on form and beaten on the night, I was still impressed that his effort and commitment to the contest was their. The way he put his body on the line in that marking contest in the second quarter was outstanding. Bodes well for the weeks and months ahead, when I'm hoping that him and others find their mojo back again.

I'm on the same page as you on this. My great hope in this regard is that Goodwin steels the club with the work ethos and never say die attitude that he had as a player. Though I thought it was a bit bloody minded at the time, I think the way Jack Watts was dealt with last year was part if that culture change. I think Roos also set these sort of higher expectations and desire to build hardened team and game style capable of competing in finals in motion too. Alot of it all seems a bit like hot air when we have some of the inconsistentcy and loose games we think we shouldn't along the way, to some degree I have a fair bit of faith in current coaching/club administration group for the turn around they have acheved to date and what Roos achieved and put in place at Sydney which has been an enduring winning culture.

Agreed. They were also thrown a handful of pretty dodgy free kicks, including a few key ones in front of goal which helped them to some extent - still can't work out why the one against Hunt given to Charlie Cameron on the boundary line was really a free kick, mind you it was a good kick from him to convert it. That all said, they got on top of us in the middle and around the ground for a period and that's what really did the damage. Also to add that, it's all good saying flood numbers back (which we did do) and slow the game down, but when a team starts to get on top of you like that, the only real solution is to start winning the ball back at the source, get back on top and kick goals, otherwise it's just like holding back the tide.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a real struggle. Be a bit like rum and raisins chocolate wouldn't it?

Don't like admiring the opposition, but gee Charlie Cameron was good. ... Brisbane supporters probably said the same about Garlett. When great players play at their best and get on a role, they can be pretty darn hard to stop, no matter how good the defender is.

You might be right and I'm quite happy if you are. I think most would struggle to match it with Frost athletically, but that's not all there is to playing footy. At the moment Oscar is getting the job done. Hipwood for Brissy is pretty quick/mobile, yet we held him pretty well. Granted Hipwood is not at the same level as Brown yet. Big fan of what Frosty can do as well, so like I said more than happy to have him back in the side. My comment was to some extent as much a vote of confidence in Oscar and that we shouldn't underrate the job he's doing. Has been pretty solid down back this year so far and if that continues, it can only be a good thing. Lever is a big boy and just needs to find his grove in the team and the way it plays around him. All this bring back Frost for the sake of Lever talk is making me sick.

Personally I think with his performances so far this year, I'd back in Oscar to get the job done on Brown, though I'm certainlty not averse to having Frost back in the side if his form and hunger for the contest are there. If nothing else Frost would be a good insurance policy in the instance Oscar has a bad day. I do know Brown is a super mobile and smart footballer and that we haven't done so week to contain him an times gone by. Regardless, the real key, as always will be starving him of opertunities. Agree Re Bugg, though I'd say that his best is good enough, but his consistency isn't there and he probably isn't good enough to survive too many bad games as others perhaps are.

Happened right in front of where we were sitting. I couldn't believe it wasn't 50m and reported on the spot. Completely unnecessary, just a cheap follow through after Bailey already had full contolers of the ball and had dangerous written all over it. Gardner was the Brisbane player I think, cold have so easily avoided doing what he did as it was a very intentional act to pummel into Fritsch. As it turned out, I think it was the knees to the guts/ribs that did the actual damage, but could have so easily done serious damage to the neck/head. If the AFL had half a brain, they would suspend this tool based on neglecting his duty of care and as a warning to other players... sorry, I forgot, this is the AFL we are talking about. Also couldn't believe how blasé the Fox Footy comentators were about it all as soon as they could see it was the knees that contacted on the replay, they completely ignored how close his head came to being pile driven into the ground.

Yup. That's really throwing the magnets around.

Somewhat random thought, but how good is this Bayley Fritsch kid? Gee he did both some classy and gutsy stuff yesterday. I recon he is the most worthy wearer of the 31 jumper we have had in a while.

Got to love some of the collective hypocrisy going around on this forum Re Frost and Lever. A few weeks back the story was Frost is a liability and not best 22, Lever a total gun, going to be soo great for us. Now it's - gee, we need Frost because Lever isn't up to it one on one and needs Frost so that he can play his natural game. Pretty easy for players to look like superstars when others are doing all the heavy lifting and they don't have to be accountable for a man. Personally I think somewhere in between is where the truth of all this sits. When he's on his game, Frosty can be a real asset in his own right, but I do think it has been shown up how much people underate his contribution to team ballance, because he give us a third genuine tall, without sacrificing run and mobility. Ironically, as much as it could help Lever, having Frost, I think it could also help Hunt, because I suspect he is also attracting the oppositions best/quickest defensive forward at the moment. For the record, I also think Hibbard and Jetta have got form issues and have been solid without being at their normal output levels and that also won't be helping the Lever situation. I don't think Wagner isn't as bad as some people make out either.

Agree with most of what you are saying here fowler. What's apparent to me is that our midfield has been almost entirely handed over to the new gaurd of Clarry, Salem, Trac, Tyson, ANB etc, from the old gaurd of Jones and Vince. The drive that Jones previously gave us out of the guts in years gone by was phenominal. Being down Viney as well is really hurting at the moment in that context. They were up against some pretty decient mature midfielders in Beams (though perhaps under done, he has still revived that A grade level at Brisbane) and Zorco (though being sat on by Vince). But that those young guys are now capable of driving our midfeild is a great sign in their development. I certainly hope Salem grows into the role and gets better as time goes on. Think they really also do need someone like Brayshaw or Harmes to go the next step and become a grunt ball winning machine. I think once this new midfield setup settles into its role and develops further as the season goes on, we will become a much more formidable team this year and moving forward. Will certainly be aided by Viney's return, but I'm so glad they are not rushing him back and his absence presents an opertunity for others to step up into that role that might not exist in the same way if he was playing.

I was sitting around at the Gabba in my scarf doing no physical activty, thinking it's stupidly hot and uncomfortable to be wearing this bloody thing like this ... and I'm acclimatised to being up here.

Spot on Re Vince. One of the things that really helped stem the flow was kicking a few goals the other way and getting some scoreboard pressure back on them. Had we nailed a few of those shots on goal we had in the third and put a bigger break on them, I feel they would have folded and shut up shop much earlier. Like you, I am disappointed we let them back in it, but really impressed with the way we withstood the onslaught, fought it out and came away winners. Garlett was great for us yesterday.

Lol

$cully's old man was on the take at GWS before the season was even out. To crap on with all that "I really want to be a one club player" rubish, when all he really wanted was to be a $ one million dollar player, I'm sorry, but the whole episode from $cully absolutely reeked and I can't believe that anyone would go in and make lame excuses for him, least of all a MFC supporter. I take no great pleasure in seeing other human beings in physical pain and agony, but I certainly won't be crying if the karma bus has run over $cully.

Will be more than happy if this is what transpires. I've actually got my 2013 MFC membership scarf with me tonight. Not because I still really carry baggage from that time, but more as a demonstration to any want a be that calls me a band wagon jumper that I was there and nailed my support to the wall when we were truly pittiful.

Absolutely. Time to turn the corner from just being compeditive, to actually being a good/finals side.

Likewise. Nearly into Roma St now and getting nervous. Can't wait till the first bounce. If we pull off a good win tonight, I'll be absolutely pumped. Go DEMONS!!

Spot on. Really looking for the side to take the next step and become ruthless and clinical in the way we play these lower ranked sides. Don't give them a sniff early and then don't take the foot off the throat at any stage. Didn't think he was screaming out to be picked round 1, but I really think Thomas Bugg will be an important inclusion today for his hardness and nasty niggle factor...just needs to get his kicking boots on and head right for his set shots.

Agree all of the above. I personally had some very mixed feelings about our chances of winning yesterday. Leading up to the game, I thought it was a game we should win, but one that we also stood a fair chance of stuffing up and loosing. Even at half time I thought that we had a pretty good chance of getting back into the game and getting into a match winning position, but I still wasn't overly confident that we would actually pull it off. My rationale being that for us to play so poorly and below our ability for a quarter like that, but still only be 27 points down, it was very doable to peg that back over a half of footy. Personally I don't put much weight on Geelong finishing top 4 last year. We had them on toast with a very depleated side minus Max/ruck pressence for most of the game, until we ran out of tank in the last quarter, similarly us against Richmond (who I likewise don't really rate that high). We win both those winnable games and the two North ones and we would have been the ones finishing top four - North would have finished on the bottom. The comp is so tight at the moment that mental application over 4 quarters is crucial. I take some positive from the fact that Richmond were perennial chokers for the first half of last season, but were able to turn that around and win a flag. I really think our team has the ability and is on the cusp of something special, but for some small further improvements in the maturity og the playing group. Per one of the other threads, it's just those odd bad quarters now which are hurting our ability to win consistently, which I see as something very fixable that should come from players better reading and responding to those slides within quarters and from further beleif within the group (i.e. improved mental maturity). Much of our playing list is at or coming into their physical prime, whilst I see the likes of Geelong and Hawthorn dropping away in this regards. It is very frustrating to watch the team faulter though. P.S. sorry for this post, not succinct, not all positive, but a bit like our game yesterday, still some positives within it.

Gawn - kick bloody straight!

Nope, anyone but Max. That is inexcusable Love Max, but if we reward players that give up wins for losses, then why bothe. FFS.