Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Liked the way he is moving and bullying the opposition out of it when he wins those ground balls and then turning and delivering the ball to team mates with confidence. He has had some down games of late and didn't make a huge impact for most of the game against Adelaide last week, but I have liked the way he has kept persevering. Might not have stared against Adelaide, but still contributed with that goal from a free late in the third and I thought his effort to bring the ball to ground in the final major play that ended with a gather by Trac and goal to ANB was crucial. The other who has found their mojo in recient weeks is Trac. That powerful mark he took deep forward yesterday is certainly something we could do with more of over the next few weeks.

Harmes just keeps steadily building his game year on year. One thing I have liked about his tagging role is that once he gets on top, he still gets involved offensively as well - was particularly evident against Adelaide. One other aspect to his game which was particularly on show yesterday is his ability to kick goals. A key plank of the great sides of the modern era (Brisbane, Geelong, Hawthorn) was to have a plethora of goal kicking mids, which is something the likes that we are now building with Clarry, Gus, Harmes, Brayshaw, Melksham, Trac and to some extent with some of our defenders the likes of Salem, Hibbard and perhaps even the odd goal from Lewis.

What's going on with Tommy Mac's goal kicking? He has developed a serious case of the yips these past 3 - 4 weeks. Letting down his elite set shot accuracy record badly. So long as he can correct it and steer it through the big sticks when it might count more in the weeks to come, I'll let him off with some of his descrepancies of recient times. On the flip side, Jessy appears to have mostly sorted out the horror run of bad misses he had a few years back.

One thing that I think can be said for GC team that played yesterday was that they played with effort and endeavor which is something we certainly didn’t in the 186 game, so on that measure alone, they are not the worst team to be fielded in history. At quarter time I was actually hoping that there was a chance we could supercede 186, but I don't think we as good as that Geelong side (yet) and neither were GC probably that bad. The other factor that may have played into things, which I'm sure the coaches would publicly deny is that my guess is that they would have held back ground time for key players like Gawn for next week and I'm not sure we would have seen Clarry play as much time forward against better opposition.

Yeah Bailey Fritsch let us down with that miss after the siren big time ?

You have got to wonder if it is the Karmichael Hunt debacle and the toxic effect that would have had on their culture that they are now paying for. What makes this worse is that it all essentially happened on the AFL's watch - they set up this team and clearly didn't put in the right leadership foundations to create a strong sustainable culture. Go back a few years and they had talent to burn, Prestia, O'Mera, Dixon, Bennell, Sadd, Caddy, Ablett and others, but I think it all stared to fall apart when Hunt went off the rails. I find it all a great shame really, because not only were we crueled of some of that tallent at a time we really needed it, but footy on the Gold Coast has also been dealt a blow. There is a much better following and developed Aussie Rules competition on the Gold Coast than GWS IMHO. In hindsight, perhaps Ablett will go down a a great player but fairly ordanary leader. During today's game, the comentators suggested that Miller should be GC's next captain, but having been through what the MFC has in recient times, I do wonder if they would be better off sticking with an old head like Harbrow who I think has been pretty solid for them over the journey.

Frost did some great work again today I thought. He is such an enigma though. Remember him taking a great mark in the second or third quarter and thinking to myself "now don't cough it up doing something stupid" - following which he passes to Lewis in deep back 50m, screwing the kick up and I think it was only that they took Lewis high in the tackle that saved us. Generally though he did dispose of the ball quite well on some occations. I like Frosty as a player and I think he is of good value to the team dispite his too frequent screw ups. Alot of players wouldn't win the turn overs he does to get possession in the first place. I've also noticed that often when he does turn it over, he's more than cleared our deep defensive zone and gained 75 or so meters feild position for us before turning it over, which gives us sone time to reset our defense. IF he could gain some composure with his more of his disposals he would be a total weapon.

Agree. I think he has been involved in some really good assists and passages of play over the past two weeks. If I recall correctly, I think it was him who shot out that handball to Lewis in the clear to set up one of those goals from 50 last week and I noticed him doing some similarly good distribution and link work with the ball today. With Viney out, we really needed others to stand up and I'd say Brayshaw and Tyson are certainly getting the job done at the moment.

I think that old adage of them pulling us down to their level was true at times today. Overall though, I thought we played with good disipline and didn't lairise when wee were clearly well on top. I'd anything, I think there were both periods of the game where it lacked intensity, but equally periods when Gold Coast had a good crack and took the game on by attacking hard. After quarter time, Gold Coast were actually somewhat free to play like they had nothing to loose and that could have been dangerous for us. I think we did well to be patient and grind out those periods when Gold Coast threw everything at us, but then capitalise when we has the momentum.

What's the chance someone else will pick him up first though? If he's looking the goods, I'd say pretty high chance someone else will beat us to him. The performances of Kelly for Geelong and Bailey Fritsch would have good mature players in the VFL pretty well on many clubs recruiting radars. It's a pitty in a way that I don't think we get any first dibs at him for being a Casey player, but then I think that's also for the best as otherwise all the power AFL teams would start loading their VFL teams with talent for future drafting and further corrupt the whole draft/salery cap system.

Who in there right mind would go back to Adelaide?

Disappointing that this thread has so few responses to this point. Practically every Demonland member that logs on over the next couple of days should be adding their respects to this bloke, whom in my veiw should go down as one of the top MFC players of his generation along with Nathan Jones in terms of what he has contributed to the club. Whilst his spot in the team in the twilight of his career may has been questioned by many on this forum, I recon that should we make finals, Bernie should be one of the first picked. Not just for sentimental reasons either, the hardness straight line approach at the footy is just the kind of leadership we will need amongst a team of younger talent. I'd throw him into the guts at the first bounce with Oliver and Brawshaw to set the tone of the game for us and put the opposition right in their place. Congratulations Bernie on 100 great games for the MFC and being such a bloody top bloke.

Interesting to see one of the games top players so openly speaking their mind against the AFL. I don't think we would see this happening in the men's game. You'd think this smacks yet again of pretty poor stakeholder comunication and managment by the AFL. If the six games only proposal is true, I'm woundering what the AFL's key motivation is? I can think of a few: 1. Releasing the womans games top players to keep a good saturation level for development of the talent at second tier levels and; 2. It would blunten external calls of underpayment if the same level of remuneration is paid for less games.

I guess most mere mortals would give and a leg just to play AFL for the honour, let alone the coin these days, but I think the professional life these days would be soo much different yo having a kick at your local footy club, that I would also have to empathize with those that aren't cut out for it. I had a similar experience when I was 18 and joined the defense force academy. The coin was grate as undergraduate student, I could handle the physical fitness aspect no worries, but the whole environment was completely foreign and hostile to my personality, so I left in much shorter time than he did. We knew the risks when we drafted him and too it regardless, no doubt because we were attracted to the talent he showed. He had a crack, it still didn't work out with us, so I have no hard feelings. I'm not sure that he was contracted next year anyway and/or if he would have been kept on the list, but at least he did it before final list lodgement unlike Lumumba did to us a few years back anouncing his retirement in the offseason.

Sounds right to me. From what I also recall, he is well up there for contested marks inside 50 as well.

Umpires setting a new standard for worst umpiring of the year. Two first half goals to the Crows from marginal RUBBISH, Zero to us. That deliberate out of bounds against Smith was a shocker, has been half a dozen worse sense from Adelaide that haven't been paid and in front of goal. This stuff really makes me mad.

Great pickup for the MFC. It took a little while to warm to him and count him as one of our own, but I have no doubts that his Lewie's heart now beats true for the Red and Blue. Congratulations Jordan on a great milestone. ...now get the job done tonight Demons and make it a memorable game 300 and 100 for Lewie and Dom in the best possible way.

Dom is one of those players that have helped lift the club to where it is from our dark days and deserves to be part of having a crack at some success. Congadulations on 100 AFL games Dom and would be good to get that to 100 MFC games next year as well.

Yeah, no don't think so. Bugg won our 3km time trial this year (be it in the absence of T Mac) and I'm thinking he is now at the point of having a mature body. Personally I agree with the assertion that he is worth using as a tagger. Harmes can do and did do the role well, but I think he offers more offensively than Bugg out of the guts. If I recall correctly, we used Viney as a tagger on Stevens in the first half against the Saints - now there is a waste. I'm not prepared to write off Bugg at this point. His kicking is a confidence thing and he has often played at times the teams confidence has been down. With the realitive lack of injuries we have had this year our midfeild depth hasn't really been called upon and at the moment that's kept Bugg out. I agree that he is certainly on the outer and close to out at this point though and no unless something changes dramatically, it certainly wouldn't suprise me to see him traded or delisted at season's end. But I'm also all for us trying to get the most out of every player on our list and think a taggers role for him could be just what our side needs, someone to get under the skin of the opersition and/or get into the taggers that will come after Oliver, Brayshaw and Co.

Given the way Max was putting it down our on ballers throats yesterday, I'm not sure we will really miss Viney's contested work. Just pray we don't loose Max. I think he has been the difference the past two weeks and probably for most of the year. Sure we have Pedo who I have confidence would step up and perform well, but he ain't no peek condition Max.

Would be really happy for JKH and the MFC if he can step up and cement himself as an AFL player. As others have hinted at above his introduction to AFL with our team of 4-5 years ago can not have been easy, particularly for a forward. He is a slightly different sort of player, but Spargo has certainly had a much easier introduction to AFL than JKH. My recollection of that first season was that JKH he showed real promise as a player that had a bit of X factor, good skills and poise delivering the ball. It's been variously stated by Roos that before his time younger players were both gifted games too easily and thrown in the deep end and that realistically these players should have been given more time to develop in the VFL. That all said, I'm not sure thay the MFC has been able to deliver on many of those long term development players in the VFL either, which has been very frustrating as a supporter. I've heard many on this forum write off the likes of Billy Stretch and JKH on the basis of a lacking of fundemental football attributes like leg speed and/or ball skills. At the same time many are also critical of players who lack mental strength and/or good character that drives successfully team culture. From all I have heard talked about both JKH and Stretch is that their character and training ethic are first class. Thus I think it's really important for the MFC that players such as these guys succeed and become a valued and embedded part of the team moving forward. Probably the best example of where it has come off for us would be players like Nev Jetta and ANB.

16th yes, 16th I get the point. We are also 1st in the competition for scoring . I say that again 1st and have the 2nd best percentage in the competition, so I think some of it comes down to game style and a deliberate decision that we will allow more scoring against us than some teams, to enable a more attacking game style. Clearly it's all about ballance and the stat I really care about is the wins Vs losses columns, which admittedly has taken a bit of a pounding over the past few weeks. To suggest that we are no good one on one is flawed thinking though when more than ever, it's a team game. I actually think the area of our game which has lost us the past two games particularly is the inability to make the most of our scoring opportunities, but that's a whole other discussion. We are not that far off the pace at the moment, but we do need to get back onto the winners list and start racking up the four points. Yes tightening up and few things defensively will help that, but it's no where near and dire as is being made out to be there case by some at the moment.

You don't rate Jetta or Hibbard? Say what you will about his lack of pace, but Lewis is pretty decient one on one as well. Salem is hard as nails an always brings tackle pressure. Oscar had a brilliant start to the season, but has obviously gone to [censored].

Why not pay in the back when that's what it is? Balling it up just causes more stagnant play. If a player wants to tackle a player in that situation, they should stay on their feet and lift the player so the actually have a chance to get it out, or the other alternatives are that they let the ball get handballed out or let the player stand up again giving them an actual opertunity to dispose of it. I didn't think Port deserved to win the game last week either, yet they did (more poor umpiring a contribution there), if we are to become a good team and finish top 4, then we need to win more of these games we don't really deserve to and rack up the 4 points. Not many teams bring their A game every week, but the best ones find a way to win regardless. We should have done that round 1 against Geelong and probably against Port and the Saints too.

Sorry, you lost me a bit there Wil, but talking about holding the ball, I get so anoyed with some of the ones that get paid when players are on the ground trying to pick up the ball and distribute it out. Fair enough to pay holding the ball for someone dragging it in and making no attempt to get rid of it, but when someone goes to pick it up, ends up on the bottom of the pack and then getting ridden like a bull on their back like the Lewis one yesterday, then I think it should be paid in the back.