Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Not that it was the issue with this decision, but one of my chief beefs these days is when a free kick is called and 99% of play stops, ball carrier keeps running (but only really in a half hearted way, expecting the free kick to be called back) and then the ump decides to call play on advantage, with the player 20m further down the feild and in miles more space than would normally be the case. ALWAYS happens more against us than for us!

Without getting too carried away with what it means for where we are at as a club, bathing in the glow of Sunday's glorious record win against the Carlscum, it has basically taken me to this point in the week to get interested in Demonland. Can't help but think how much better the win was being played in something clearly identifiable as a MFC jumper and how it would have taken the edge off it, had it been performed in one of those crap white Bali singlets. Also got me to wondering would beating Carlton by 109 points have been the biggest win for the MFC in a royal blue jumper? ...pitty T Mac missed what for him was almost an unmissable goal after the siren, or it could have been a 114 point win.

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.

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!

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.

Sorry, I am going to sick my neck out a bit and compare him a bit with the asertion that at this point I think he uses the ball better for is than Lever does. It's actually a bit more of a statement of non confidence in Lever at presemt as much as anything. Where I think Oscar makes sound, safe decisions and generally passes within his capability with good execution, I think Lever is the complete opposite and I would go as far as to say that I think Lever is the worst ball user in our backline right now. Whether it's because he is uncertain of our system of ball movement and his teammates positioning and that he will get rapidly better once he finds his feet more, I couldn't say, because I didn't take much notice of him at Adelaide, but right now, I recon his ball use for us is rubbish.

Well the boot studder and the orange boy have also resigned in disgust, so must be something to this suposed rumor.

Hence my comment "from the limited exposure I've had to him)" i.e. O'Brian. But O'Brien wasn't even clucking his grabs when we played the 2016 (granted it was a shiity wet game). Also I get how the mode game needs pretty reasonable mobility (which Weid actually seems to have in spades for a guy his size), but I really still think you want your key forwards taking a good contested mark, otherwise you would just have a team of Jeff Garlets. Think you are missing my main point about big guys typically taking longer.

Have great faith in Pedo, he crunches packs like few of our other players do. I actually think he is a better pack mark than Hogan at this stage. Still I get your point about him seeming to perform better when given ruck duties. In this regard, I think the team should actually be looking to use that to best effect in the circumstances. I see a huge potential for Gawn to be targeted by opposition rucks this year, so I think it would be more than handy for Pedo to come in and give Gawn a bit of a chop out and take some of the pressure off him at times. Will keep the oppositions resting ruck more honest and possibly also mean that they will need to keep their main ruck on Pedo at times. Gawn can be pretty handy resting and drifting into the forwardline in his own right.

I've certainly been critical of the club playing the Weid over other players at times last year, when I didn't see him as being anything like ready and it costing us games. Still think we would have beaten Geelong and Richmond last year if Pedersen had played instead of the Weid. That said, it's more a criticism of our coaching and selection than anything directed at Weiderman so much. Like most big guys, I think this guy needs time to develop and establish his game. Tom Hawkins is the classic, but the more recient example I can think of is Tim O'Brian for Hawthorn. When we played Hawthorn for the first time in 2016, I thought O'Brain looked like a passenger in their side, failing to make much of an impact (ironically, asides from one late goal which helped sink us that day), but watching him last year, I think he started to look much more imposing as a player and gave me the impression (from the limited exposure I've had to him) that he looked like he might have a good future as an AFL player. O'Brain is 3 years older and longer in the system than Weid. If we can pick up guys with gammy hamstrings from GWS and keep them on our list for a few years on the basis of potential, then I think it's well worth continued perseverance and patience with the Weid.

Not alone Olisik. I also think there are times that he is too stationary, looking for options, trying to do to much with it, holding onto the footy for too long and gets caught. But I think we just have to cop that every now and then, as I think it happens to all players, even the best of them and Trac has the ability that most times he uses he uses it well or better than most with his vision and ability to hit up players in good positions. It's also something about the way he moves in those situations where he looks like he is just walking around players, looking like he'll get caught, but often evading them. Brett Lovett use to be a bit the same, but I think Trac has definitely got better leg speed.

Just saw this headline on the AFL website and freaked: 'I'm keen to play on': Tyson's tough blow

Personally didn't want to see us trade Jack Watts, but please lets not have this commentary everytime he plays well, poorly or indiferent. Good that this has happened in preseason so it doesn't take up discussion space during the season proper when I will only be interested in our current listed players and how the team is traveling towards the ultimate success - move on Watts lovers.

Watched a few replays of or better 2017 games over the summer and one thing which really stood out is how much pace Hannan has. Would have to be up there with the quicker players in the side. Certainly like his work inside the forward 50 arc, good mark, good positioning and both a good set shot and oppertunist goal sense. Another great signing by the club.

Agree. I personally think our midfield has been lacking one or two players that can really pack a punch moving the ball forward. I always thought Salem was slated as a future midfielder when we recruited him. I like his toughness, compeditiveness and his class with his disposal. Reminds me a bit of Jimmy Bartell in his prime. As much as I understand the need for players with quality foot skills down back, I've often thought Salem was wasted down there and he looked like he didn't really enjoy or was fully suited to the fully defense mindset down back. Besides, we have medium sized backline players to burn these days. We really do need players that can deliver well and find targets inside 50 as so often we have dominated time in forward half, only to miss targets and waste opportunities for quality shots on goal. I also think the club has taken a conservative approach, holding back some younger players from having big midfield time/roles too early in their career when they were physically and psychologically less developed. I think it's now time to throw guys like Salem, Brayshaw and Harmes in there and have them bust it up a bit and hopefully take some opposition midfields to pieces.

I think what was implied is that he wasn't expected to be rushed into the side as an 18yo and be one of the saviors of the team.

What is up with Frost? Fit, but not considered for JLT 1? In form and/or with some minor further improvement in his game I think he could be an important part of the team.

I'm not sure that JKH and Kent are really being talked about for selection at the moment (not that I'm writing them off either though). But I was really quite pleased with the performance of all our small-medium forwards yesterday. Pressure without and execution with ball were excellent I thought.

With the royal blue jumpers, it may even be possible to adjust the colour/contrast settings on your TV to turn them back closer to navy blue as if we have no clash jumper at all!

In all honesty, my era of becoming a serious MFC supporter immediately followed royal blue jumper era in 86/87 and I think the number 2 jumper I has was a bit of pre loved hand-me-down or op-shop special so it's hard for me to comment with authority, but my old man reckons that for the preceeding period of doom and gloom, wacko Jackson gave him the only reason to turn up to games, so perhaps there were a few with 25 on them. Before that big Carl Detterich had been a bit of a favorite in 10.

New jumpers look great, not so sure about the colour of the boots. ...though to paraphrase @old dee, so long as they are kicking goals and pin point passes to their team mates with them, I don't care what colour their boots are!

Most exciting news all day. Stuff about the new sponsor is great and important, but really doesn't do much to excite the passion in me as a supporter. Well done to the club for listening to it's membership/supporter base and making this happen and also for the AFL for finally comming to their senses as well. Right from the start of this ridiculous clash/away jumper policy the AFL brought in 10 - 15 years ago, it felt like a foreign (Americanised) sporting culture was being imposed on our code with the (selectively applied) predominantly white emphasis. I'm pragmatic enough to realize the need for a clash jumper of some description, but really the AFL should have thought long and hard before it let clubs like WC, Port and Freo adopt new jumper designs that clashed more heavily with existing teams jumpers than the jumpers approved for those teams when theyou first joined the comp, so much of this was the making of the AFL. The new 'Royal Blue' clash looks great compared to the white/Bali jumpers. It actually looks a few shades lighter than the original royal blue ones, though my royal blue one with the number 2 got pretty sun faded in the end.

Next one to be in Red and Blue (without any horrible white away/clash jumper rubbish).