Rodney (Balls) Grinter

35 minutes ago, Doodle Dee said:

Off topic but i'm kind of curious how a 187cm Robbo would fit into our forward line these days against the consensus attitude now of "tall marking kpf's and small pressure forwards/rotating mids and nothing in between" whereas back then i think it was to just stack the forward line with any players who have a natural goal kicking forward line ability that did not have to play against a zone D. Would people want us to pass on Robbo at the draft because he was too small a kpf and too tall a small forward? We've brought in Fritsch this year, how does he compare in aerial abilities? Is he hopefully going to be the new Robbo? 

At 189 cm, I recon Mitch Hannan is a pretty close match for a Robbo type of forward.  Although he probably tends to work up the ground a bit more, I think he has a similar skill/attribute set to Robbo - good high mark, mercurial and good goal sense.

39 minutes ago, dees189227 said:

Total over reaction and hysteria by the media trying to make it into a story. 

Of course he is going to say port.  And yeah maybe dont act like u chose to go to port, I mean Melbourne did force your hand to move.

But im not offended. Would there be the same over reaction if trenners said it. I laughed when watchingthe news last night and they said it will motivate Melbourne.  We should be using our own stuff up last season as motivation. 

Obviously the media are trying to get afl back into the news.

Whist I generally agree that it wasn't that much of an out there thing to say, I  still think it's pretty dumb on  behalf of JW.  Regards Trenners, I recon he would be smarter and too modest to get suckered into making a statement like that.  It's not like this will become the whole motivation for our preseason, but guys like Jones, Viney and Goody will probably throw it out there to the playing group when play Port I'd say.  It will certainly add a bit more spite to comming up against JW.

9 minutes ago, Demon77 said:

Sorry for going slightly off topic but it's not worth starting a new thread.

They were showing Superstar month games for 2017 a few weeks ago on Foxtel but I didn't come across one of our games. If they did put one of our players on I definitely missed it. 

Did you happen to see if they put us on last month?

Also, Foxtel currently showing  Best Of 2017: Cliffhangers. I tuned in and saw they had the Round 22 Freo v Tigers game on. Tigers won that by almost 50 goals, how is that a cliffhanger? 

Yep, I was kinda waiting to see if they were going to put on any of our players, to some disapointent.  Doesn't bother me in a way though.  I'm quite happy for us to be low on hype and fly under the radar of the media during preseason this year.

I still have a number of Foxy Footy Superstar month 'Max Gawn' episodes from 2016 on my IQ which I refer to for inspiration.  Had Max remained uninjured and retained that sort of form 2017, we play finals.  I actually think much of our compeditiveness and 2016 finals chance came more via Max, than it did season 2017.  Really hoping that Max 16 + rest of MFC 17 = Demon Finals 2018.

14 hours ago, Colin B. Flaubert said:

Like... WOW.

That kind of sacking should only happen should you be revealed to have been involved in grave malfeasance.

As far as I know, neither has been. This is bush league stuff.

What media gigs does Ox have left now? Hope he has a plan B.

6 hours ago, Sir Why You Little said:

What a disgraceful way to terminate employment. 

Croc of sh$&@

Agree entirely with the sentiment, but this is pretty standard corporate practice these days.  

I guess organizations have been burnt by employees who poach significant IP such as corporate stratigies, client lists etc once they understand they are no longer wanted, however in my experience, the type that do that usually skeem and jump ship at the time of their choosing before they are pushed.  The organizations probably wage that it's good risk management, though I really do think they pay the price in the medium to long term through lack of staff loyalty and morale.

I loved the Ox as a player, but although I didn't listen to him on SEN, my respect for him has only deminiished for him in recient years.  As good and intelligent he may have been as an individual player, I don't think he was or is now a great team player for the MFC.

On Friday, December 08, 2017 at 8:49 PM, Dr. Gonzo said:

What's the point of these academies if we don't get priority access to the players like the northern state clubs do?

I actually though that with the academies all the clubs did get a level of priority access with some sort of discounted draft points bidding system similar to the new father son rules.  Whether it is as generous as it applies for the northern states I'm not too sure (actually I tend to doubt it).

Such a catch 22 situation with these academies.  If it actually encourages clubs to get out there and grow the game at a grass roots level, then that has to be a good thing, but it also has huge potential to grow imbalances within the game through going back to the days where some teams (i.e. Hawthorn) were significantly advantaged above others through the allocation of the most productive zones.  There seems to be an almost default position to be critical of the AFL, but on face value, I think the bidding system for academy/zone players is on face value a reasonable compromise.

I'd also like to throw out another idea as some food for thought.  I really do think that one of the big things the AFL has going for it is the tribalism of it's supporters growing up and supporting it's team for life and in the past for kids to aspire to play for the team they supported.  The loyalty factor is something that was once and still is to a certain extent an attractive part of our code and I think the more it becomes diluted through more fluid player movements, it will become easier for the public to become disaffected with the code as a whole.  Which brings me back to the aspect of kids playing for the team they supported, which has been almost completely lost through the  introduction of the draft.  I have wondered recently if the AFL could introduce an additional kind of recuitment/draft points category where players kids who were club members from a certain age could be drafted at a discounted rate to the club they supported.  It would obviously need some kind of normalisation for the number of members/junior members of a club overall so as not to unfairly favour the power clubs, but could also serve as an incentive for people to buy memberships and clubs to genuinely engage with their supporter/membership base.  Just think of a few of the players it might have netted the MFC out of the current AFL playing ranks!

What a difference a year makes.  This time last year we were posing several different questions "Will this Neal Bullen guy make it?"  (I recall many were claiming he was a list clogger, whom we should have delisted) and about Nibbler good mate "How good can this Billy Stretch kid be?".  For what it's worth, I was probably one of the ones questioning Nibbler; probably not to the point of considering him to be a list clogger at that point.  This time this year, the two sit at different cross roads entering 2018.

Goes to show the truth in that modern cleché, that development isn't always linear.  I Still think that Billy has the makings of a good player - good skill level, speed, tenacity and agreession at the footy.  I guess it's one of the luxuries of having an improved list all round, that we can allow some of these guys with potential time to develop their bodies and game in the twos and keep them on the list.

20 hours ago, hemingway said:

Right from the start he showed something and this season he proved it has what it takes.

You nailed his important attributes 39. 

His determination to succeed and his "knack of being in the right place at the right time"".

He showed the latter attribute right from the start, he just started doing it more frequently last season as his confidence grew from becoming a regular selection each week and having time to develop his confidence.

He is definitely a team player. 

I like him up forward because he is an opportunist near goal and a reasonable shot on the run.  

More than just a knack.  I think that through his endurance and effort he often out gut runs his opponent to get to that place.  Did it many times last season.

On Thursday, November 30, 2017 at 10:24 PM, Goffer said:

Weidemann? I think Ox got it wrong, Viney is our most important player, he's a born leader and pulled us across the line against the Eagles. If we lose him for an extended stretch of time we're rooted. 

Agree regards Weidemann.  The guy actually has to have an impact before it hurts us to loose him to injury.  I actually think players like Pedersen and T Mac are far more important to us than the Weid right now.  I think there is more risk if Pedo or T Mac get injured or drop away and Weid doesn't step up and deliver on his potential.

The other risk that concerns me with Weid is that he comes good and takes flight for more opportunity, better coin etc after everything we have put into him.  Don't particularly know why I think this way, it's just a hunch, maybe the family ties to Collingwood.  Hope I'm proven wrong.

2 hours ago, TeamPlayedFine39 said:

Hawthorn has lost Hodge, Lewis, Mitchell, Lake, Gibson and Hale from their last premiership team, but they still have the second oldest and the most experienced team in the league... they're still very top heavy.

And still struggled massively for big parts of last season.  No first round pick 2016 & 2017.  

I really do hope that they are heading for a period of prolonged struggle like we have had.

1 hour ago, fndee said:

I sort of agree with that but I don’t think we were any realistic chance before this year - too young and too inexperienced. 

The problem between the ears I feel comes down to leadership. Jones, the fine servant he has been, doesn’t seem to be able to make a difference when games start to go against us. I think this is why Viney was promoted early last year and I think he was sorely missed in round 23 this year. 

Can't expect Jones to do it all on his own.  Reality is that good sides need genuine leadership in all parts of the ground.

42 minutes ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

That is correct.  When he took the 1yr contract he was told he may have Casey time to give developing players game experience and he was ok with that.

 

Re some other posts in this thread on Lewis and Vince.  They are over 30, past their best and slowing down.  Our youngsters have yet to reach that critical 5 pre-seasons mark, that is generally considered when full AFL conditioning is reached.  So imv Lewis and Vince still have an important role - to keep the opp honest and 'protect' the youngsters from snipers and man-handlers - opp will be out to work over our young stars next year.  (Hopefully Lewis, Vince et al can do that without suspensions).  It is not something Jones does often and he turns 30 in January so his days are numbered (if age is the criteria for a mid fielder).

imv neither Vince or Lewis are in our bottom six and until they are I'm happy to see them on the ground.  And they aren't the worst 'butchers' of the ball in the team.  We still need their experience in all facets of the game not just possessions and kicks etc. 

Generally agree with all of the above.

 I think Bernie sometimes cops it for spraying the ball, but I'm guessing that he often unloads upfeild when he feels like he is under the pump and would probably turn it over holding the ball or trying to dish off a handball to a teammate already under pressure.  How many times have you heard supporters say "just kick the bloody thing" when we handball and dither in defence.  I think being the senior player he is, Bernie is given a bit of licence to have that bomb up the ground when there are no other options and is secure enough in his own ability and place in the side when the bomb gets turned over.  When in time and space, Bernie can be a pretty good user of the ball and those cute little kicks into the centre of the ground often create something really damaging when they do come off.  I also don't think anyone should underestimate the value of Bernie playing for Casey and developing our younger players, particularly given we have lost Grimes, Dunn, Garland and Trenners that were playing that role down there so well.  If I were a developing young player, I recon I'd love playing there with Bernie and he will love the role of mentoring, passing on some footy smarts and helping our youngster walk a foot taller when he plays.

Similarly, I've observed that Lewis is usually a pretty good user of the ball and has a good knack of repeditively getting to the right spot where we need someone to be to link up and form a good chain of disposals and he seems to particularly do this at times the team is struggling to maintain possession and composure.  If he can teach that to some of our other younger or even somewhat experienced players like Jetta (I like the Hodge comparison someone made), then that could be a real boon for the side in years to come.  Conversely, Lewis does occasionally have his days and moments where he is horrendously fumbles the ball and occasionally completely butchers it by foot.  People went off at Tom MacDonald for his shocking turnover last round against the Pies, but I watched Lewis do something just as bad in our game in Darwin against the GC when the game was on the line.  At the end of the day, even the best players are all human.

I liked how the article spike of the hurt and hunger that our younger players have returned with.  Even our prize recruit Lever should have some of that in him after the Crows finish to the year and then the way they treated him.

5 hours ago, A F said:

His stoppage work isn't clean enough. All he does is bang it on the boot. Even Bernie at his very best and ball magnety was imprecise with his disposal from these situations. He'll still work as a midfielder tagger, but not every week, so basically it means he'll play defence. But I can't see him playing every week, though I'm really surprised they renewed his contract at all. Be interesting to see how next season unfolds RE: Vince.

Would still like to see Vince more up forward.  He has good sense around goals and can sink them from a mile out, which I think keeps the oppo guessing and relieves a bit of congestion in our forward 50 arc.

2 hours ago, hemingway said:

Always have had mixed feelings about Caro.

I often read her articles because unlike many of the journos they are well written and provide entertaining reading. 

She is smart, wily and can write well and is able to analyse an issue. More often than not, her conclusions are highly subjective and reflect the angle she has decided to take. She manipulates the facts to suit her story line.

Her articles are usually  a mixture of footy politics,  personalities,  club infighting, disharmony, rumours and scuttlebutt.  She rarely writes a positive story unless its about something or somebody she likes.   

She is opinionated and melodramatic but knows how to write a good article. Hence all the media awards. 

I give her credit for her attack on some holy cows and for not backing down to personal attack.

Her scathing criticism of the EFC and James Hird is the best example over recent years.  Compare that to the journos of other media outlets that helped run the EFC PR campaign and Hird defence. 

Yet she is full of prejudices and biases that influence her articles,  reduce her objectivity and make one query the truth of what she writes about.  As Nutbean pointed out, her articles are a mixture of fact and fiction  but with a strong angle or story line that can produce a conclusion that is debatable, overblown and sometimes unfair.

Anyway, it sounds like she is going to continue to write weekly articles so she will continue to provoke comment and argument. I have no doubt that she will dredge up dirt on Goodwin or the MFC if we have a poor 2018.      

 

Agree with everything you have written here Hemingway.  

I probably could handle a bit of her rumor, dirt and innuendo style of reporting occasionally if was just a small part of her repertoire, not basically her only act.   She never gave the impression that she actually liked/enjoyed the game of footy.  A poor choice as a Chief Football writer, when all she mostly did was put off and give her taget audience the shits.

Though I did think Sam Newman's take off untasteful and a bridge too far, I certainly won't miss Carro's reporting.

2 hours ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

You can build a tank, but you can't make them grow half a foot. 

Well my Charlie has about another 4 or so feet still grow (perhaps more).  Pretty good tank already  (hyperactive little guy, drives me nuts at times).  Would have been interesting to see if his namesake was still there at 37, perhaps there is hope for a son to play for the MFC after all!

On Saturday, November 18, 2017 at 9:17 AM, ProDee said:

How anyone can be apathetic about what jumper and colours your team wears is beyond me.

Players come and go, but the glue that knits generations of fans together is the jumper and colours.

One can try and place themselves above such menial matters in an attempt to seem more enlightened, but you've just taken a position that is at odds with footy, reason, and passion.

Naturally, fans put up with it, as there's little choice, but how anyone couldn't care or could even embrace a clash jumper beggars belief.  I assume such supporters wouldn't give a yelp if the club decided to push for a permanent change to green and aqua.

I find the position disingenuous.

If there is one thing I respect about Eddy McGuire (it's a stretch I know) it's how he has defended the integrity of Collingwoods jumper design.

I also recall one of the most emotive moments in the proposed merger with Hawthorn was Don Scott ripping the Hawk off the MFC jumper.

Come on Melbourne supporters - GET PASSIONATE.  No more of this white jumper rubbish for the MFC.

45 minutes ago, Big Carl said:

Jayden Hunt upgrade to 4.

Joel Smith gets 29 (that his father wore).

Weideman gets 9.

Lever gets 8 (next locker to Jack Viney).

Balic gets 20.

 

Is this confirmed or your wish list?

...well the last is a bit of a wish list, as I understand that Maynard has 20.

I somewhat like the thought of Smith in 29, but Hunt also has ties to 29, being some relation to Andrew Obst as I understand.

On Sunday, November 12, 2017 at 10:27 AM, Rodney (Balls) Grinter said:

 

Like Lever in 8.

Don't quite know why (probably because I think of 33 as more of a speedster/Wizz type number), but I'd prefer to see Maynard in 20.

Would like to see Joel Smith in 27, as I think he has a bit of Sean Wight about him, the way he plays hard and athletically at the footy and as a defender, that make it a good fit to honor that number (can't recall if Shaun and Sean ever played together).

Well according to Demon army reports, looks like I got Lever and Maynard, but Balic has 27.

1 hour ago, djr said:

After watching his interview with Matt Burgen I watched his highlight package again of when he was with GWS. Reminds me of Jayden Hunt with maybe better foot skills. Doesn't mind taking the game on. Hope he has an injury free run. Could be a real surprise.

http://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/2016-10-20/mckenna-a-giant-catch-for-melbourne

 

Now that would be a weapon.

8 minutes ago, Skuit said:

We have also already seen a marked steady improvement in Maynard - by some reports, right up until his final game in 2017. This is not the definition of a list-clogger. 

I hear you brother.

Please remind me just how many years this guy has spent ('clogging') an AFL list?

I want us to draft this bloke, purely because he has the same full name as my 5 yo son, but not more than I'd love for my Charlie to be drafted by the MFC in 13 years time.

I recon there's about the same chance of either/both happening at this point.

9 minutes ago, jumbo returns said:

Gawd

Another preseason of talking up list cloggers

Yep, having this guy on our Category B list is really stopping us from developing the next superstar.

I honestly don't care if Maynard never amounts to more than good foot soldier - every premeriship team has a dozen goof foot soldiers behind it and Maynard looks like he could fit that bill to me.  

To put him in the same basket as players like Mitchie, Newton, Pig Dog etc is total BS.  This guy has size, athletic ability and competitiveness/agression running through his veins which to me suggests he will make his mark.

On Wednesday, November 15, 2017 at 8:58 PM, old dee said:

Finally a man after my own heart.

just win I don't care what we are wearing.

Totally Old Dee.

From 2007 to 2017, we lost more games than I care to think of and wore a plethera of putrid white/grey jumpers.  We should consign both acts to the annals of history.

11 hours ago, rpfc said:

Thanks Morgan - us Demons supporters could use all the luck we can get.