Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Gawn is really a pretty good kick for goal (particularly for a ruckman). There was that absolute numpty of a kick after the siren in Rd 1 and one or two more similar to it in the next few weeks, but after that he tidied up his goal kicking nicely. He kicked a number of great goals in pressure times of the game from 40 - 50m out a number of times during the season and those two checkside/bananas from right out on the boundary against Essendon are ones that not even some forwards and mids kick reliability. Not only did Gawn nail that first on from the boundary against Essendon, but ten minutes later he went back and did it all again to prove it wasn't a fluke. The sledge he gave the Essendon supporter afterwards was pure gold and another 'Max Gawn Classic Moment'!

You mean we have escaped from 'The Twilight Zone!'.

If we are playing the sort of footy that puts us in premership contention, I really don't think it matters who we double up on as we should be better than 50/50 against the best sides. It's also a double edge sword in a good way. Every time we play a good side, it's also a chance for us to deny them 4 points as well. In the context of playing Adelaide twice last year, our two victores against them essentially kept them from playing finals.

...because watching the side get smashed in an empty stand was more fun? Hmmm

Rd 2 - BAM

Agree. Will be over half a decade since we have played West Coast at the G.

Just hurry up and release the whole bloody draw, I want to start making some travel plans for 2019. Does anyone know when the AFL are releasing it?

This is the biggest downside to me. The MFC needs to capitalise financialy during any period of sucess and gate takings are one good revenue stream. A game against practically any Victorian team would draw a much better crowd than Port. Yes we get to play other Victorian teams over the course of the season, but generally Rd 1 draws a bigger crowd in it's own right. MFC supporters need to get to this game on mass and create a cauldron like atmosphere, to make sure we get half a dozen cheap free kicks like Port did at their dung heap this season , just to make well and truly sure we get over the line. Get the win and hopefully we build the crowds throughout the season.

Thought he came across pretty genuine and provided sensible answers without too many stock standard modern footballer clechés. Did seem a bit nervous though and not as polished as some, which is kind of refreshing in a way.

Too right. Lynch is a pretender.

Frost tidied up his disposal and decision making in the second half of the season considerably. Agree that he does sometimes mis-judge marks (normally by running way under them), but also takes some rippers. Would like to see how his % of winning marks stacks up against some of the key forwards he plays on, I recon it would be pretty fair. Similarly some of the forwards he plays on grossly misjudge marks and he takes an easy one. Either way it's a turn over, just looks worse for a backman at that moment, but equally how many plays did Frost initiate, where he broke lines and we went practically coast to coast and goaled as a result? It was a fair few. I don't see why people don't think Frost won't continue getting better. I recon there is more possibility of teaching an older dog new tricks, than turning a boxer into a greyhound. At the end of the day, I also just love watching this guy play - seeing guys take the game on and go on big runs, taking big grabs and kicking big torpes is what makes the game exciting to watch and Frosty does all three pretty well.

@stevethemanjordan regards your opening line, let's face it - our whole team has gone from a shambles to strength in the last four years. ... and Fing god (actually Roosy, Viney, Taylor and Co) for that!!

Hey Man, I'll agree that May is a good addition to our side, but I think your looking through some pretty rosey coloured glasses of him in a few respects. You make out like he is some kind of messiah and to borrow a well worn quote from Monty Python: "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy" Admittedly I didn't pay super close attention to May this season, but the impression I got was that he was somewhat ordanary on the whole and was somewhat playing on his reputation from seasons gone by. I watched his game against us at the Gabba on replay again the other week and he really didn't do anything special that game (except for a 55m goal from the boundary). Sure he took a few cheap marks as a loose man on the last line of defense, but didn't really impact in his main role as the No.1 key defender on the ground - Tommy Mac and Jesse ran a mock that game. I can give May a bit of a break for that game in the sense that he was playing after coming back injured to an extent, but I'm not sure that our own supporters sometimes cut O Mac or Frost that kind of slack for their poorer games (everyone points to Oscar's last Qtr Vs Geelong, but with delivery to Hawkins that good, who really would have stopped him?). I'm also happy to accept that the team environment and performance at the Suns has been some kind of influence on May. I think a true leader may have shone above it, but also that all people are human. I am encouraged that in his interview presently up on the MFC website May acknowledges that he became complacent and needs to lift his game (how refreshing that a player comming to the MFC knows they need to be at peak performance to fit in!). I think you are stretching it though to suggest that May is as quick as Frost. I have no doubts that May is a better all rounded footballer, but I will be mightily impressed if he has the pace and acceleration of Frost. I actually find the assumptions and notions that either of Oscar and Frost being relegated to obscurity pretty uninsightful. Both these players had games in season 2018 that they would rather forget and both also had bloody rippers of games and streaks of form. Oscar started well and somewhat tapped off and Frost was ordanary early and finished like a house on fire. Going forward Oscar will get only stronger and capable of running out the whole season and unlike many, I'm not putting a ceiling on Frost or his capability to learn new tricks. Reality is that even with May, I think we still need one other key back and having competition between Oscar and Frost can't be a bad thing. However the key position spots play out though, I think Lever, Hibbard, Salem, Jetta, Lewis and perhaps Lewis, J Smith and or possibly even Hunt will have a ball playing around them. Like I think we all are, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing our quality back six hit the park together in 2019. GO DEMONS!!

Where there is smoke there is fire. AFL trade whispers: Young Fremantle players could be circuit-breakers for Jesse Hogan deal https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-trade-whispers-young-fremantle-players-could-be-circuitbreakers-for-jesse-hogan-deal/news-story/6d5dbe87393d2fb06af54e56b7e89861 Top sports journalists like Tom Morris don't write this sort of article if there isn't any truth behind the story.

Regards the May be a forward thing, my take is that whilst he has been recruited to play primarily back and that's where he will most likely spend most game time, it certainly doesn't hurt to have some flexibility either in game or within a season to shuffle guys around if things are not going to plan.

The thing where I recon Pruess will be happy to play second fiddle is that he wasn't even that at North last season. I recon he's been told by Goodwin and Co that provided his form is up to it, there will be games where we will: 1. Play two rucks; 2. Rest Max and give him a whole crack; and 3. Possibly see how he goes as a forward option if the Weid is either injured or out of form. Like I say, any of is more that he was getting at North, where I'm guessing that Daw and perhaps others were in front of him for similar roles. Plus he gets to learn from Max and Greg.

Of our current playing group, Frost is the one which most reminds me of Sean. Brilliant athletisim, which he often uses to close in on an opponent and spoil the ball away with a late dive.

Well, until he is a Demon anyway 100% we should do this. Personally I am filthy for Freo about the way they acted with Jessy. I understand there will always be some pull for players to return to their home state and family, but to me Freo were so focused and persistent in white anting out Jessy from the start. I also understand that with the compeditive nature of the league, clubs will always have an interest in getting good players from other teams, but to me, there is a line between trying to attract outside tallent and underhanded poaching. Time to bring Andrew Brayshaw home - I want revenge.

Andrew certainly didn't mind a bit of rough and tumble with big brother when we played them. Made a tackle stick pretty good on Gus, which is a decient effort. Had a bit of a tussle with that bloke from West Coast, Andrew Gaff too I seem to recall.

Sick him Rex ... I mean Josh. Make brother Drew a Demon.

Too true.

The AFL has a long term expansion agenda with GC and GWS to tap into markets which have growing population and a huge established population respectively. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd say that both these clubs are still loss makers, being subsidised and propped up based on that long term vision. Doesn't work that way for the MFC. Our sponsors will still get something out of game day and further exposure through out the week if we are sucessful. Just think of all those mid week press conferences with our players standing in front of a wall of their logo. Sponsors also like to be associated with sucess, so that will increase our marketability and the premium we can put on our sponsorship as well. The other intangible factor that could play into our hands nicely is popularity/likeability. Durning finals, it seemed like every non supporter of our club was adopting the MFC as their second team and that will also generate interest and exposure. That good will probably only have a limited life span, but it could last for a few years too. I think Geelong and the Brisbane Lyons experienced something similar for a good number of years, before people thought ok, you have had your fair share of success now.

Yeah, but we don't get a direct take from ratings and we do the gate for home games. If it could be structured to maximize TV ratings for away games and the gate for home ones, I think that is the ideal for the MFC. i.e. play WC and the Swans away in prime time TV and the big Collingwood, Geelong, Essendon games when it maximizes attendance. Just thinking about it, I realize why Collingwood would claim Rd 1 as a home game for them, due to the somewhat of a gentleman's agreement we have that Queen's Birthday is our home game. Still prefer a day game Vs Collingwood Rd as it would be good to get some momentum going with getting huge crowds and lots of MFC supporters going to games - winning will be most of it, but we also need to embed a mindset for our supporters to consistently turn up to games and create atmosphere and good commercial returns for the club. If we can lift the average game day attendance for the lesser clubs, that will have just as much if not more benifit to us than getting one or two block busters. Big crowds probably also helps gain the attention of TV audiences, broadcasters and sponsors as well, so it becomes a feedback loop.

Yep, the AFL and broadcasters just love to play these things up, don't they. I can just imagine the tacky over dramatized pre game narated video now: "He was the child prodigy that Melbourne thought they would build their forwardline around for a generation. But family tragedy and a personal near death experience have brought him back home to the WESST. Now as Fremantle stuggle to win their first game of the season, Melbourne sits undefeated on top of the ladder, Jessy must be considering what might have been as tonight he faces his former DEEMONS and meet the man that was his replacement head on. Buckle up, folks, this is going to get ugly".

It certainly had been, but I have an inkling that last year we played no home games at Docklands. I could look it up, but I'm in a lazy mood. Since Docklands no longer represents the hoodoo to us that it once did, it would almost be worth us playing the eagles there just to deny them exposure to playing on the G, even if we no longer need to sacrifice home games to Docklands. We have played the eagles only once a season and on their home deck on every occation for the past two years if I recall correctly. About bloody time that we play them on the eastern side of the Nullabour. Alternate to denying them the experience of the G (which they probably have covered by the GF anyway to be honest), I recon it would be great to play them at the G in about Rd 4 or 5, when hopefully we are really hitting our straps and pulverize them in front of a home crowd of 75,000 - 68,000 of them being Melbourne supporters. The umpires can give us free kicks for tripping over our own feet then, just like they do the eagles in WA.