Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Looking forward to tonight's game and how the team responds. If we come switched on, it's a very winnable game IMHO. Had them on the hop in the corresponding game last year, when we lost both a ruckman and key forward in the first quarter, only just being overrun in the last quarter.

More or less my rationale. Whether resting either Gawn or Hogan directly is really the go, I agree it would be a big call, but I do think the inclusion of Pedo to provide either or both of them with a bit of cover in the likely instance they are extremely fatigued would be a sound move. Weid in the ruck is an unproven quantidy. Pedo appears to be in pretty good form at present thus I think this provides an good opertunity. This would not be about making omissions based on poor performance/result of tonights game. More about smart fatigue management and gaining an advantage on our opponents on Sunday through having fresher legs.

Did he really? I didn't know that (not). My understanding is that he will probably be available for the Dons game, without having played a game in a fortnight - thus "arguably(/effectively) rested". Similar for Freitch. I thought his performance against the Hawks was comparably ok and didn’t really warrant an omission on the basis of his performance - thus "arguably(/effectively) rested".

Jumping the gun perhaps and certainly not conceding a loss tonight to Richmond by any means. However looking forward towards winning the next game only within a 4 1/2 - 5 day break, recalling that last year's equivalent game was a slow, low skill level, dour affair in which both sides (particularly the Dons) looked cooked and out on their feet. Win or loose tonight, I think some strategic team rotations to inject some fresh legs could make all the difference to winning or loosing against Essendon. Here are my entirely speculative thoughts on players to come back in and give us an edge: 1. Cam Pedersen - resting either Gawn or Hogan. In the instance that Hogan is rested, the Pedo still spends more ruck time than normal to give Gawn a chop out; 2. Lewis, Freitch - arguably both rested for this week's game against Richmond. Lewis for Bernie and Freitch for the most tired forward; 3. Corey Maynard - potetentially comes in to rest our most tired or out of form on baller, probably Harms at present; 4. Hannan/Charlie Spargo - potential for Garlett or Patraca; 5. Consider Frost at the expense of one of our backline talls to play on Joe Daniher. The following week, we have a suite of fresh players and potentially T Mac to take on St Kilda, who will be no easy beats at Docklands.

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

Agree all of the above. I personally had some very mixed feelings about our chances of winning yesterday. Leading up to the game, I thought it was a game we should win, but one that we also stood a fair chance of stuffing up and loosing. Even at half time I thought that we had a pretty good chance of getting back into the game and getting into a match winning position, but I still wasn't overly confident that we would actually pull it off. My rationale being that for us to play so poorly and below our ability for a quarter like that, but still only be 27 points down, it was very doable to peg that back over a half of footy. Personally I don't put much weight on Geelong finishing top 4 last year. We had them on toast with a very depleated side minus Max/ruck pressence for most of the game, until we ran out of tank in the last quarter, similarly us against Richmond (who I likewise don't really rate that high). We win both those winnable games and the two North ones and we would have been the ones finishing top four - North would have finished on the bottom. The comp is so tight at the moment that mental application over 4 quarters is crucial. I take some positive from the fact that Richmond were perennial chokers for the first half of last season, but were able to turn that around and win a flag. I really think our team has the ability and is on the cusp of something special, but for some small further improvements in the maturity og the playing group. Per one of the other threads, it's just those odd bad quarters now which are hurting our ability to win consistently, which I see as something very fixable that should come from players better reading and responding to those slides within quarters and from further beleif within the group (i.e. improved mental maturity). Much of our playing list is at or coming into their physical prime, whilst I see the likes of Geelong and Hawthorn dropping away in this regards. It is very frustrating to watch the team faulter though. P.S. sorry for this post, not succinct, not all positive, but a bit like our game yesterday, still some positives within it.

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.

In typical media sensationalisim, modern click bate style, the headline doesn't really match the content and tone of the article, although Caro being who she is as a writer is trying to stir the pot and create more inuendo than probably really exists. Apart from that, reading the article actually gave me some better insight into why the players were so cautious and aprehensive. The previous and proposed camps sounded like pretty extreme kinda stuff, almost bordering on torture. It's fair to say that all clubs are looking for an edge, but somewhere along the line you wonder if a line has to be drawn on what's unreasonable. For all the people critical of the players and club for pulling the pin, be prepared to suject yourself to same experience as the players on this issue before you have a right to criticize. As for Danny Frawley, pfft he was a cheap bordering on dirty player of marginal toughness and a dead set failure as a coach, so who is he to put scorn on Goodwin and the MFC - he wasn't called Spud for no reason.

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).

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.

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.