Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Loved the sight of us standing arms linked as a tight knit group during the anthem before Friday's game. http://m.melbournefc.com.au/news/2018-09-10/in-pictures-melbourne-v-geelong If I recall correctly, Geelong by contrast stood spaced a bit apart, arms by their sides without contacting each other. I looked at it at the time and thought that body language really told a story and so it played out with the pressure we applied and how hard we worked for each other as a team. This kind of comradery is so important to sucess, can't just be manufactured and turned on at will and I'm hoping it gives us some extra edge going forward this finals series and beyond.

I thought Gus was pretty good first quarter. Has such good connection with Maxy and I think he has become a big part of us winning so many clearances in general, but that was a key part of that first quarter. Also seem to recall hI'm providing some pretty good run through the guts, but I don't recall specificly which quarter.

Without checking the record books, I think Nev and Hibbard are getting on a bit in years as well, so positions in the backline will open up over time (Jones in future seasons also). The other thing is that apart from Hunt, Lever and Smith, we have had a pretty reasonable season injury wise for backline players. Hunt has wepons that are rare to come by. Interesting to see North dump Hartung, but I think Hunt also has excellent defensive intent and execution, which I understand were Hartung's shortcomings. I think the reality is that players often take a number of years to fully develop and play their best footy, but many on here seem to think that if they haven't made it in their first 2 or 3 sesons, they will never make it. Similarly, I love it how some will claim players to have inherent deficiencies that will prevent them from keeping a spot on a list in the long run. Many here put Frost and to some extent Harmes in that category.

Jessy is a gun, just about to come into his prime in a team well and truly on the way up. After coming out of contract a few years back when we were ordanary, he signed a pretty decient medium term contract with us. As far as I'm concerned he is one of ours and no MFC supporter should be speculating over his future at another club. Can someone close down this thread? It really doesn't deserve any oxygen.

Some were saying he was past it a few months back and whilst he is no longer our most dominant mid (too much competition), I think Jonesy's last month has been awsome. Just keeps going about it in a tough, uncompromising, workman like manner and has been bobbing up and ramming home some important goals. Recon guys like Harmes, Brayshaw and Olivet walk taller with him around.

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.

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

I don't really disagree with any of this, like I think I aluded to, it's more of a romantic desire than something based in reality. He was bloody horrible against North, might as well have not been on the ground almost. I would say that Jack has good around football skills (a good strong mark and I'd suggest a pretty reliable if not close to an elite kick), is a hard inside type and good overall footy sense, but to have really elite footy smarts is where he would need to reinvent himself. I also reconise that is something probably more innate and instinctive that it's unlikely.

Not dismissing what you are saying here at all, but being slow hasn't held back some great AFL footballers in the past. I just wonder if someone can reinvent a role for him that rejuvenates his career. Not that I don't think that Goody and the MFC didn't try that, but whatever they did, it didn't come off. I don't think playing off a half back flank at AFL level really worked for Jack, I feel he's the sort of player that needs to be in the guts where the action is. ... I know I'm probably grasping at straws, but I'd just really like to think this guy still has a chance of becoming a sucessfull footballer again.

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-11-03/power-shock-delisted-demon-signs-on Super dodgy photo of him in his new Port jumper. Pumping out his guns with his fists cross armed, he looks stoned (I guess that's how they roll at Port) and the Port jumper really doesn't suit him (wish he still had a red and blue one on). But overall, I can't argue with the sentiment of others that have posted here in wishing this bloke all the best. Of all the players we have lost over to other AFL clubs the past ten years, I don't think there are are any that have gone with the same high praise and universal good will as Trenners.

Walker Texas Ranger - Leaver leaving for the money. Puss of Tex, he's no $cully $cum.

Absolutely. I'm sure that it's been said before, but where do Adelaide get off thinking that two first rounders for Lever is anything like market value? Two first rounders is what they parted with for Dangerfield and good as he may be, Lever is no Dangerfield. Granted the Crows had a weaker hand with Dangerfield being a FA, but with Lever being out of contract, they don't exactly have a strong hand either. Adelaide themselves were not prepared to part with two first round picks for that Carlton bloke (Bryce Gibbs was it) last year either. Get real Crows, take it or Lever leaves for nothing.

Generally agree, but $1M per season isn't what it use to be and won't be in 3 seasons time at the end of his contract. Lever waited until the new EBA was out for a good reason.

Assuming we get this deal done and Lever goes on to have a distinguished career with the MFC , it would be very sweet revenge for loosing Scott Tompson to them all thoset years ago.

This is the AFL you are talking abut Biff. Do you really expect consistency and reason? (Just look at the 'clash' jumper debacle).

Well, if it's good for Max. But seriously, the Demonland auto-censor is seriously lacking in intelegence on occasions. Admittedly, there are times when my intended curse words have been picked up as such, but there are also some pretty benign ones that seemed to get picked up, even in completely benign context. Eg: Was a good coin toss for Josey to win today; Or We gave Gold Coast an absolute flogging last year.

Here with you on this one Maxy and happy with the outcome against Port on Saturday: "We focused a little bit on our start this week especially because our starts have been - excuse my language - sh--house," Gawn told Fairfax Media. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/afl/afl-news/melbourne-focused-on-turning-around-shhouse-starts-says-ruckman-max-gawn-20170723-gxgv7n.html

I don't actually notice him that much in games compared to other players like Viney and Jetta, but he just goes about his game in a no nonsense, business like manner and gets the job done, week in, week out.

Surprised if he'd given us one prior anyways.

At 3:55 on Tommy Mac Donald "Yeah, he got drafted as a forward - I didn't see the potential myself...if he does it two weeks in a row I'll give him credit. Yeah if he kicks five again, I'll be the first to shake his hand" Lol cracks me up does big Maxy.