Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Didn't disagree with him being dropped as his form certainly dipped, but like you I'm very glad to see him back. Often has a good impact in big games.

Such an improvement this season to this point though which has put us in a much better position. Last year we were comming from behind, had to win every game and pretty much reley on others to loose. Beating Geelong in Geelong was a long shot on the respective capabilities of the teams over the course of the season. This year we have the runs on the board and if we win the next two weeks I recon we pretty much stich up a finals birth with the job ahead of the teams below us. Win all four and I seriously think we are a top four chance ahead of GWS. Where last year, we had to play absolutely out of our skins to match it with the best sides and almost hope they had a bad day, this season I feel our team is at a point where when we are in form, I expect we will match it with any side in the comp. All far, fat easier said than done and I do like Goodwins one week at a time approach. Our form has been ordanary over the past month, yet we have still found a way to keep a few wins ticking over. Interesting that despite the loose a soldier, replace a soldier cleches from Goodwin at the time, he even suggested on Monday that our dip in form correlated with missing our A team mids. We do need to find the sort of form we had going during that streak of wins against the Pies, Dogs etc. Given the recient form of GWS I don't think we will know if we are really back in form should we only just win and or until we have finished off the season with a good record over the next four weeks.

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

I was thinking I might take a break from watching any footy programs on TV tonight (usually find it kida demotivating after a loss), but then I remembered that Simon Goodwin will be appearing on Fox Footy's 'On The Couch' program tonight. Will be interested in what he has to say.

No it's not. I'd still play the Bear ahead of Weid every day of the week at this point. Weid has played what one good game in a row? The Bear was reported as our best big man the week before and as being the domaint big man on the ground. Weid would need to play a different role in the AFL side (as a second tall to Tommy Mac) compared to a main focal point in VFL. I didn't see Weid's performance on the weekend, but I still don't rate his ability to take the big contested marks, bash crash, tackle or ruck like Pedo Bear. If we think we need to replace Hogan with another tall, the Pedo's the player I'd be looking to and I think he would rise to the occasion. I think the form of Weiderman is encouraging, but my view is he still needs another preseason and to bulk up a bit more...if he is selected and plays well, I'm more that happy to be proven wrong.

Then we need to get better at winning as favourites. Most preimers do it from finishing top four and to get there the team would be favorites most weeks. Perhaps the pre finals bye will help even things up a bit more compared to years gone by (pardon the pun), but playing finals from outside the top 3 / top 4 has been the downfall of MFC teams since the 80s. Obviously an extreme outside chance of top 4 this year, but getting there is where the team needs to get to in the years beyond this one.

I certainly hope the team hasn't given up make finals like you appear to have done.

Still in it with a big shot. We can beat GWS next week and or 3 from the next 4 is entirely doable. Our loss to North is similar to the Bombers loss to the Lions - a setback for sure, but you don't throw away the season on the back of one game. I was pretty [censored] with the result and particularly our last quarter yesterday, but if I have learnt one thing this season, is that our team is more resilient and I'm full expecting we bounce back from this. Forgetting about yesterday as a supporter and looking forward to the opertunity ahead.

Sorry to be a party pooper, but my hope is that we don't have one in the next 10 years, because our top group of players are all so good they pepetually taking and sharing votes between them, that we tally well Brownlow wise as a team, but not well enough individually to have a winner. More interested in having a Norm Smith medalist, along with breaking his curse.

This is [censored], Come'on Demons

Well, at least it's not 60 points at quarter time.

I kinda understand zone/team defense, but Nev Jetta on Ben Brown is rarely going to work.

Torpes from full back.

No BT on comenty off to a good start already

Expecting a much better game from Jack Watts this week. His game last week was pretty ordanary to say the least, but watching the replay, he still contributed a few handy score involvements. And because he's Jack Watts, he still would have taken one of Port's best defenders allowing others like Melksham to get off the chain a bit at times. If Jack wins and controls the ball into our forwardline today and we could be in for a good game.

It was nominally the equivalent game to this last year, that Max stamped his authority on the comp. Melbourne supporters would have already knew he was a gun, but his performance against the reining AA ruckman Goldstein that day really made everyone else take notice. Maximus looked like he was starting to get back to that sort of form in the first half against Port last week (before he rolled his ankle and couldn't jump). Given his picked, I'm assuming he's good to go an would really love him to get back to top form today.

Your assuming that the $1300 is spread evenly . Reality is that it's not.

In 2014 we were winners in the draft lottry when the Saints passed up on Christian Petracca. I'm not buying into the whole argument of whether McCartlin will ever be worth pick 1 or not (with the eminent retirement of Reiwault it may well have been the right pick for the Saints in the long run), but Trac was definetly the player we needed more. Every time I watch Trac play I am greatfull to the Saints.

So let's call it a nice round 50,000 then.

Few points: 1. I want to see Jack as a MFC AFL footballer first and foremost. I don't care if he is perennially on the fringe, but as far as I'm concerned, he is one of ours. I think there is a lot of mutual loyalty there to repay, for the club for what Jack has gone through with us and for Jack from the club keeping him on for so long through all the injuries. I wouldn't begrudge him as such if either he or the club decided he was beter as a regular at a building club like the Lions, GC or something, but it's certainly not a preferable scenario by any means. I'd think and hope that Jack would rather be on the fringe with his mates at a successful club, than a regular at a struggling club, from his perspective I would think he's been there done that and deserves to take some part in the success I think and hope that is on the door step of the MFC. The ultimate would be for him to become a premership player at the MFC, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves; 2. I think any game is a potential danger game for any club, even the strong ones. With our record against North I'm also feeling aprehensive, but really do feel the time is right and team is mature and good enough that we should just get the job done. Windy conditions in Tassie are different, bit we played in them last year and did ok, if it wasn't for giving a 60 odd point head start; 3. First game this year we physically took it up to North from the first bounce, but I think that distracted us from playing our game and let them bully us on the scoreboard. We play a physically hard game naturally now, so we just get on with the gamr in a professional manner, put the scores on the board and come away with the four points. No point in burning too much energy or getting too worked up and getting players suspended over that Norf trash; 4. What does the MFCSS stand for? I mean I get the loose idea what it means from the numerous contexts I have seen it in, but don't understand the explicit acronym.

That would be nice. I felt last week's game really didn't really suit him to get involved in a big way. It looked too much like he was playing cautious, within himself, trying harder not to make mistakes than taking the game on. His skills liking up through half forward would be good. My recollection of him at his peak was that his foot skills were pretty handy. I know this [censored] probably belong in the JT thread, but beyond beating Norf, my second football hope for the WE is that Jack builds his place back as an AFL footballer. The ultimate footy story, the side that was down and out climbs it's way back, along with the player who shared the same fate. Come'on Demons, Come'on Jack (s)!

Non changes a good outcome for this week. No risking Jones - keep him and Bernie fresh for the Great Wankers Side. ...but first let's smash these Norf pricks.

My recollection of that left me less convinced it was the right call in some ways. It was clear that, true to the media rumours, Nathan Jones was personally hurt by having to share the captaincy, which correlated with my feelings that it was alway a big risk in that respect. Full credit to the proffesionalisim and leadership of Jones to cop it on the chin, respect his coach and get with the program. Had he not done this, sooked and become disruptive, things could have gone down hill for the club. I think Jones deserves full respect for the way he has lead the club in tough times and still impacts in a big way now we are on the rise. One poster commented that we have risen more since Viney has been a joint captain, but I think that’s really as much to do with the teams rise as it is Viney's. I'm a huge fan of Viney, but was generally in the camp of him being VC. Now that it's happened, there is really no turning back and like Jones we as supporters should (and I think mostly have) embraced it.

Probably a whole other thread in itself, but i'd argue that we got value out of Rodan. I'll go further and say that on ballance, we even got some value out of Lummumba, Matt Jones and probably a few others. Peddersen is probably the most notable current recycled player that somewhat fits into this category. The common threads are that all these players played a role for us, whilst costing us almost nothing at the trade/draft table. While none were really superstars for the club, they helped us become more competitive whilst the next batch came through. The likes of Viney and Co would have played in bigger beltings for longer and been more sapped of confidence were they not there, which wouldn’t have helped their development.

You lucky Barstard.