Rodney (Balls) Grinter

First time I've watched the side at the G in a few years. Just get the FFFING job done Demons.

North can have a try to get into Clarry, but I get the impression that he actually likes the rough stuff, so good luck them. This has to be a real line in the sand moment for the MFC to stand for something. Like the talk from Goodwin in the week, empathizing the need for a win against North, rather than the olf cleché of this just being another game. Would be another psychological monkey off our back to smash this second rate team Nth today, which would mean more than just the 4 points.

I'd be happy if we made no unforced changes for this game. We certainly had under performers against the Lions, but I didn't see any obvious cases of lack of effort/intensity and think there is something to be said for giving players a good opertunity to establish some individual form and stability for the team overall.

They didn't play Daw in Rd 2. He was probably a 4 or 5 goal advantage to us in the JLT game.

Pedo also played that Hawthorn game and in my veiw actually played alot better than Weid. There is a great passage of play where Weid roves a loose ball running through CHF and either delivers deep forward or kicks the goal himself, I don't fully remember. What I do remember is Pedo competing arially crashing a pack for that loose ball to spill to Weid and also the several other big contested marks that Pedo took that day. That game against Adelaide was the benchmark by which Weid should measure himself at AFL level. Unfortunately I also remember him being bog ordanary and meek in our early games last year he was called upon, one being against Geelong (suggestions he was injured, so maybe some reasonable excuse) and I forget the other, but as much as he has played some good games and shown some good signs, there are an equal or more number of games he has highly under delivered at the top level to date. Now that it's all in the past (at the time, I've felt some of his selections over others have cost us games), I'm ok with putting his bad games down to development opertunities, but I really think the selection committee and coaches need to think more carefully about how and when to introduce him back into the side. I definitely see potential in Weid, but I'm fully in the camp of him needing to show consistent form, preferabbly against some quality/big bodied defenders at VFL level before he is reintroduced at AFL level. When he is, we shouldn't be viewing him as a solution to a forwardline deficiency, so I think he plays along side Pedo, T Mac or possibly even both. But when he is selected, providing the required intensity is there, he should be given a decient period of 4 - 6 weeks to properly establish himself at the top level. As an asides, I think people are scared by Lucas Cook story and relating that to Weid. I take a bit of a Paul Roos view on this and who cares what number they were drafted at and which top draft picks go on to have great careers and those who don't is just such a lottery. Even if Weid turns out to be the wrong pick available at No. 9, I'll always be greatfull that our recuitment team saw something special and picked Clarry at 4, because if he wasn't there by our next pick and we missed out, then that would have been a real loss.

Looked at the title and I thought this was going to be a thread about Chris Fagan venting his anger and nearly breaking his hand on the desk last night.

No questions being asked about Bailey's commitment for the contested ball.

When I looked we were sitting around 1.5% clear of West Coast, who were in 9th. Almost totally meaningless, but ironic I thought.

Though he didn't set the world on fire, I thought Pederson still did some good stuff. A few of his passes into the forward line to Jessy Hogan were spot on. Though I don't really recall him clunking many yesterday, he provided a pretty good aerial contest. Hogan and Jeffy were on fire and were very enjoyable to watch. Couldn't care less how that other bloke played for Port, any more than any other player in the league. It's done move on. Go DEMONS.

Yes, Jetta is probably struggling the most, not sure why. The way Charlie Cameron was playing on Saturday night, I think Jetta was constantly on the back foot and Charlie seemed to be much quicker than Cyril and Betts are these days that Jetta usually does so well on, so it makes a pretty tough assignment to judge Jetta on. He wasn't his usual self against Geelong either though. However, whilst he is possibly down on form and beaten on the night, I was still impressed that his effort and commitment to the contest was their. The way he put his body on the line in that marking contest in the second quarter was outstanding. Bodes well for the weeks and months ahead, when I'm hoping that him and others find their mojo back again.

I'm on the same page as you on this. My great hope in this regard is that Goodwin steels the club with the work ethos and never say die attitude that he had as a player. Though I thought it was a bit bloody minded at the time, I think the way Jack Watts was dealt with last year was part if that culture change. I think Roos also set these sort of higher expectations and desire to build hardened team and game style capable of competing in finals in motion too. Alot of it all seems a bit like hot air when we have some of the inconsistentcy and loose games we think we shouldn't along the way, to some degree I have a fair bit of faith in current coaching/club administration group for the turn around they have acheved to date and what Roos achieved and put in place at Sydney which has been an enduring winning culture.

Agreed. They were also thrown a handful of pretty dodgy free kicks, including a few key ones in front of goal which helped them to some extent - still can't work out why the one against Hunt given to Charlie Cameron on the boundary line was really a free kick, mind you it was a good kick from him to convert it. That all said, they got on top of us in the middle and around the ground for a period and that's what really did the damage. Also to add that, it's all good saying flood numbers back (which we did do) and slow the game down, but when a team starts to get on top of you like that, the only real solution is to start winning the ball back at the source, get back on top and kick goals, otherwise it's just like holding back the tide.

Yeah, I'm sure it's a real struggle. Be a bit like rum and raisins chocolate wouldn't it?

Don't like admiring the opposition, but gee Charlie Cameron was good. ... Brisbane supporters probably said the same about Garlett. When great players play at their best and get on a role, they can be pretty darn hard to stop, no matter how good the defender is.

You might be right and I'm quite happy if you are. I think most would struggle to match it with Frost athletically, but that's not all there is to playing footy. At the moment Oscar is getting the job done. Hipwood for Brissy is pretty quick/mobile, yet we held him pretty well. Granted Hipwood is not at the same level as Brown yet. Big fan of what Frosty can do as well, so like I said more than happy to have him back in the side. My comment was to some extent as much a vote of confidence in Oscar and that we shouldn't underrate the job he's doing. Has been pretty solid down back this year so far and if that continues, it can only be a good thing. Lever is a big boy and just needs to find his grove in the team and the way it plays around him. All this bring back Frost for the sake of Lever talk is making me sick.

Personally I think with his performances so far this year, I'd back in Oscar to get the job done on Brown, though I'm certainlty not averse to having Frost back in the side if his form and hunger for the contest are there. If nothing else Frost would be a good insurance policy in the instance Oscar has a bad day. I do know Brown is a super mobile and smart footballer and that we haven't done so week to contain him an times gone by. Regardless, the real key, as always will be starving him of opertunities. Agree Re Bugg, though I'd say that his best is good enough, but his consistency isn't there and he probably isn't good enough to survive too many bad games as others perhaps are.

Happened right in front of where we were sitting. I couldn't believe it wasn't 50m and reported on the spot. Completely unnecessary, just a cheap follow through after Bailey already had full contolers of the ball and had dangerous written all over it. Gardner was the Brisbane player I think, cold have so easily avoided doing what he did as it was a very intentional act to pummel into Fritsch. As it turned out, I think it was the knees to the guts/ribs that did the actual damage, but could have so easily done serious damage to the neck/head. If the AFL had half a brain, they would suspend this tool based on neglecting his duty of care and as a warning to other players... sorry, I forgot, this is the AFL we are talking about. Also couldn't believe how blasé the Fox Footy comentators were about it all as soon as they could see it was the knees that contacted on the replay, they completely ignored how close his head came to being pile driven into the ground.

Yup. That's really throwing the magnets around.

Somewhat random thought, but how good is this Bayley Fritsch kid? Gee he did both some classy and gutsy stuff yesterday. I recon he is the most worthy wearer of the 31 jumper we have had in a while.

Got to love some of the collective hypocrisy going around on this forum Re Frost and Lever. A few weeks back the story was Frost is a liability and not best 22, Lever a total gun, going to be soo great for us. Now it's - gee, we need Frost because Lever isn't up to it one on one and needs Frost so that he can play his natural game. Pretty easy for players to look like superstars when others are doing all the heavy lifting and they don't have to be accountable for a man. Personally I think somewhere in between is where the truth of all this sits. When he's on his game, Frosty can be a real asset in his own right, but I do think it has been shown up how much people underate his contribution to team ballance, because he give us a third genuine tall, without sacrificing run and mobility. Ironically, as much as it could help Lever, having Frost, I think it could also help Hunt, because I suspect he is also attracting the oppositions best/quickest defensive forward at the moment. For the record, I also think Hibbard and Jetta have got form issues and have been solid without being at their normal output levels and that also won't be helping the Lever situation. I don't think Wagner isn't as bad as some people make out either.

Agree with most of what you are saying here fowler. What's apparent to me is that our midfield has been almost entirely handed over to the new gaurd of Clarry, Salem, Trac, Tyson, ANB etc, from the old gaurd of Jones and Vince. The drive that Jones previously gave us out of the guts in years gone by was phenominal. Being down Viney as well is really hurting at the moment in that context. They were up against some pretty decient mature midfielders in Beams (though perhaps under done, he has still revived that A grade level at Brisbane) and Zorco (though being sat on by Vince). But that those young guys are now capable of driving our midfeild is a great sign in their development. I certainly hope Salem grows into the role and gets better as time goes on. Think they really also do need someone like Brayshaw or Harmes to go the next step and become a grunt ball winning machine. I think once this new midfield setup settles into its role and develops further as the season goes on, we will become a much more formidable team this year and moving forward. Will certainly be aided by Viney's return, but I'm so glad they are not rushing him back and his absence presents an opertunity for others to step up into that role that might not exist in the same way if he was playing.

I was sitting around at the Gabba in my scarf doing no physical activty, thinking it's stupidly hot and uncomfortable to be wearing this bloody thing like this ... and I'm acclimatised to being up here.

Spot on Re Vince. One of the things that really helped stem the flow was kicking a few goals the other way and getting some scoreboard pressure back on them. Had we nailed a few of those shots on goal we had in the third and put a bigger break on them, I feel they would have folded and shut up shop much earlier. Like you, I am disappointed we let them back in it, but really impressed with the way we withstood the onslaught, fought it out and came away winners. Garlett was great for us yesterday.

Lol

$cully's old man was on the take at GWS before the season was even out. To crap on with all that "I really want to be a one club player" rubish, when all he really wanted was to be a $ one million dollar player, I'm sorry, but the whole episode from $cully absolutely reeked and I can't believe that anyone would go in and make lame excuses for him, least of all a MFC supporter. I take no great pleasure in seeing other human beings in physical pain and agony, but I certainly won't be crying if the karma bus has run over $cully.