Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Didn't improve at all this week IMHO and did far less than Pedo did in his last game senior Vs the Lions in Rd 2 after which he was dropped. I think Pedo is far more impactful in the ruck, because he doesn't get pushed around like Weid does and takes important marks around the ground. That said, I don't think it will hurt us overly to keep blooding Weid against the blues and he and the team will be better for it in the long run. ...and the coach seems to have a huge man crush on Weid, so I think he is safe. I'm resigned to Weid being a long term project that probably won't really consistently bare the sort of fruit we'd like for another year or so yet at least. For whatever reason, I actually found watching Oscar play over the last few years less frustrating. On that note, I think Oscar actually played his worst game for the year last night without being terrible.

I would be ok with giving him a week off to recover and freshen up his old/aging bones, but bring him back in for the Crows game as he usually does a pretty good job against them and gets under their skin. Personally I'm of the view that Bernie still has a lot to offer if he is managed right. Good old fashioned hard, tough, honest player, with a good footy brain and skills to match.

Agreed. Bar that one game where we had a complete brain fade, if you look at the respective sides played, won Vs lost and the ladder, I think we are going at least as well as Hawthorn. Yet they keep getting talked up as a strong finals bound contender and us a good chance of missing out again. I guess it's reasonable from an outsiders perspective when you look at the recient history of the teams over the past 10 years, but hoping we prove them wrong, that we keep improving and they have peaked this year and start dropping off. Can't stand those Hawthorn f#! $ers, so pussed with the way we lost to them.

When Gartlett is up and about, he is a significantly better player than Spargo is at this point in my view. But Garlett needs to show some good VFL form first at this point I think and that other modern footy cleché "work on the stuff the coaches want". I think Spargo has shown some good signs and will get better as he develops and I don't think it hurts for Jeffy to get into some good form in the VFL either, I'm hoping he takes the right approach to it, gets some real confidence and desire about the way he plays and comes back cherry ripe. Agree that it's good Carlton put all their energy into beating Essendon this week. I think in years gone by, they would have left something in the tank and focused on the MFC as a game they had a chance of winning. I've been happy so far this year in our ability to put away the bottom sides - let's hope it continues.

Sounds like the fitness team are pretty confident he has the miles in the legs, but that he is still not 'match fit'. I think this is a sound move. Even T Mac was cramping at the end of the Saints game and he is both a fitness freak and had more of a preseason than Viney from what I understand.

Disagree with this. My observation last night was that Gawn was getting benched/rested halfway through each quarter and that asides from the last quarter, the period when Gawn was off the ground corresponded in a period of GC accendancy. This worries me against the better teams. Perhaps having Viney back will help, but it's certainly something I think the team needs to work on. I know Weid is more the future and whilst I been encouraged by some signs he has given the previous two weeks and think it's good he has been given some continuity in the seniors, I still prefer the presence and phyicality that Pedo gives. Whilst the last few weeks against lesser sides playing the Weid has gone ok, I'd still prefer Pedo back in for the big games we need to win. Will be interesting to see how the form of Pedo and the Weid tracks in the VFL and AFL respectively over the next few weeks.

On the flip side it was refeshing listening to our own Daisy Pearce on the ABC's call of the Lions V Dogs last night. Some great special comments. I particularly liked one she made after Hipwood missed a fairly elementy set shot: "Do you think a haircut would help?" lol Gold - telling it like it is!

What's the odds there will be a bigger crowd than the huge one of 6060 that went to the Gabba last night?

What do you mean a few? They did it last year ?

Official attendance a huge 6060. There's a challenge for MFC supporters right there - get a higher attendance to watch Todd Viney Jnr play for Casey tomorrow.

Good starts for T Mac and Nibbler.

I do hope so. A more legitimate Aussie Rules following up on the GC than Western Sydney. It's a long was from the GC to Brisbane ...a bit like the MFC playing a home game at Kardinia Park. Based on this attendance GC would probably have been better off playing at Southport's home ground tonight.

15mins from first bounce and the MFC cheer squad makes up about 1/4 of the total crowd. Not going to be breaking any attendance records here today. Will probably be a bigger crowd at tomorrow's VFL game to watch Casey.

One of the other stats that were pretty high up (or at least we'e a few weeks ago) is runs of unaswered goals kicked against us. I think that stat combined with the quarters won stat explains our ladder position.

The ladder on the AFL we site now shows this, which I think is kind of handy.

No problems with either of this. I think that it's great that we presently have some what of an abundance of quality small forwards/goal sneaks (Freitch, Hannan, Spargo, Kent, Gartlet) that we can play those in form and send those not in such great form/output back down to the twos for a few weeks to get them selves right. Jeff has kicked 40 goals in a season multiple times as a player both for as and Carlton, and his forward half pressure/run down tackles are pretty dam good, so there's no doubt he has a place in the side when he's right. But he does have the tendency aluded to by Cook man of going missing for blocks of games during the season. It probably better that he goes back to the VFL to find some confidence and hunger during these periods, as I'd recon playing poorly at senior level for several weeks would be as confidence sapping for Jeffy as it is damaging for the team missing the output from a player of his capability and tallents, though it's probably also true that even when his output is down, he is probably still drawing one of the opposition's best small defenders (so long as they are not hurting us the other way).

It ant rocket science (I'm just a poor old ex-garbo). They (footballers) might talk up all this "one club player" stuff, but at the end of the day, they (probably at the urging of their managers) think with their head not their heart when deciding to accept a deal and stay or chase a better deal and leave.

...many footballers like the romantics of being a one club player and I believe a reasonable level of genuineness in this assertion from most, but at the end of the day, I believe that almost all would be making their contract decisions on an dispassionate, pragmatic basis, so on its own, the stated notion of being a one club player is almost irrelevant.

Puss off BT for starters. Wheatley is a moron - he has nothing on BT.

I know what you are saying, but: a) I really don't mind if the media and rest of the footy world underrates us, so long as we keep improving and winning (when they will inevitably and regrettably jump on the band wagon); b) Some of our lapses within games still righty cause the objective observer to question the MFC's present capability to be a finals side. Until we consistently put together convincing four quarter efforts against all commers, I think many will have trouble having any confidence in us - refer point a).

Yes, the over [censored] zealous auto censor.

Watching at the ground, I thought Hannan contributed very little last week, but upon watching the replay, I noticed he did do a few things, but wasn't great. Has the potential to stand up and be a real match winner on his good outings though and made a pretty handy contribution Vs the Bombers, so worth persisting with. He seemed hopelessly out of position (too far behind to impact) when playing deep forward last week, but did do some reasonable link up stuff further up the ground.

No life? ( ...yes, I know, I'm on here too. Pot meet kettle).

+ ANB isn't playing to his attacking potential at the moment either. If he can find a way to win more ball and use it better (like he was last year) within/in-addition to his present role, then watch out opposition, because ANB could do some serious damage also.

Agreed. After being a bit of a critic of his selection at times, I think Weid is starting to show a bit more competence and confidence at the top level, which is encouraging. No doubt having T Mac back helps too, as Weid would now be getting more of the 3rd best tall defender and/or a shorter opponent to match up against.