Rodney (Balls) Grinter

1 hour ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

I’d offer him a zillion dollars over 667 years.

Backended I guess

27 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

According to Champion Data, Langford is the highest rated first-year-player ever (since Champion Data commissioning).

Yet not right up there in the rising star discussions. What does that say about the media?

But on the other hand - whatever. We know the kid is an absolute jet.

On 23/08/2025 at 13:50, Demongirl35 said:

I said for next year.

Campbell may go on for one year or retire this year but I’d rather find our next ruckman.

I think part of the point was we had Campbell there and probably should have used him to give Max a spell at some point but didn't (just for a change).

I know Max is a warrior and of immense spiritual and on feild value to the team, thus in the season we had, it was probably pretty important he played alot of weeks to help hold the ship together, but you do have to wounder if he's his own worst enemy in preserving himself in the interests of maximising his career (pardon the bad pun).

I'd rather keep Max on ice every now and then and make sure he's there for the biggest of games when we hopefully become competitive again.

Also Tom is the same age as Max, so you'd think it would be reasonable for him to go around again if we can't find a younger backup, unless he's no longer willing or his fitness and form doesn't support that.

Well done on a fantastic career full of highlights, excitement and some solid honest performances mixed in there as well. Was too often admonished for his lack of poise and accuracy of disposal comming out of defense in his earlier years, but by the time he'd left the MFC, I felt he'd actually matured into quite a well rounded footballer.

Along with Melksham and Kossie, he was instrumental in the come from behind win we had against Carlton a few years back, with some daring run through the middle and great pin point passes that ended in match winning goals.

Was also there for one of Jayden's break-out games at Carrara / Metricon back in 2016 when the team had one of it's biggest wins in many years and that new bloke Jayden Hunt dashed and weaved the ball out of the backline and I thought we had a super star in the making. Still one of my favourite games of footy.

In retrospect, Jayden had a bit of an almost / not quite career's in terms of super stardom, but still a career he should well be proud of and us mere mortals can only be envious of.

Was one of the rare players that I didn't resent leaving us for another club and was very happy to see prosper at their new home. Thanks for the memories while you were in the red and blue Jayden and enjoy the rest of your life.

3 hours ago, Nasher said:

Thanks for the memories Jayden. Loved the dual headbands when you and Ed were both flying - and who could forget that torp?

Stiff not to be a premiership Demon, but that’s life.

That goal was something out of the box.

How many times do players have a ping from well outside 50 after the siren like that, only to completely shank it and or not get enough on it and have it drop 20 - 30m short.

I don't think it was any fluke either. Jayden was really quite an accurate and reliable set shot for goal and somewhat underrated as a forward.

Top of the ladder - that's something worth a mini celebration.

2 hours ago, sue said:

I woke up this am and started reading this thread. SO MUCH NEGATIVITY. I couldn't bring myself to read through all the posts.

But I wonder if I'm in the same universe as some of you. We all expected to be absolutely flogged after the year, the Hawks match and playing a team desperate for a double chance. And yet we matched them, almost won. All the carrying on about we don't know how to defend a lead - may be true but lots of matches are won by a team only 10 points behind at 3QT. Why focus on that when we expected to be flogged?

So yes, there are a LOT of things we need to fix but why can't some people take some pleasure from how we played last night. I know I did.

(I presume some of the posts which I skipped may have said similar things.)

Agree with alot of what you aresaying.

I think there is still a fair bit of stuff to take out of our season. Our percentage is one of the best of the sides finishing outside of the 8 and we pushed or beat quite a few good sides when they were up and about. To me, together, with some great young players says we've got alot to work with for the next seasons ahead.

But I'm not really happy with that. Don't want to accept mediocrity. We need to win most of those close winnable games, play and win finals and more flags. Alot of what happened between 2020 and 2021 was about having that ruthless mindset and we need it back.

37 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

This one?

I hope so.

Nah, I'd take the inland route and avoid the toll roads.

Was really impressed with our centre clearances and how we moved the ball through the centre in the second half.

I thought there were a few players contributing to that, but most notably Max and Rivers.

Generally thought Rivers played close to a blinder, but the one chip I'd put on his game was that he seemed too indecisive when running through our attacking 50 and in positions to kick a goal. He's Generally a great shot for goal from that range and on the run, so in most instances I thought he should have just had a ping. Ironically the one shot he had was towards the boundary and which could hive iced the game for us, he missed.

12 hours ago, Random Task said:

Crazy impressive talent. I'm just as bullish on Lindsay as well. These two are going to be a pleasure to watch for the next 15 years.

Generally agree, except that at this point Langford has better composure in front of goal and The Bison 🦬 is more of a physical brute.

18 hours ago, pitmaster said:

It used to be the case that players would not rat on one another at the tribunal and would leave what happened on the ground to be settled on the ground.

Yet it seems no longer to be the case as Collingwood ratted - "dobbed in" if your prefer - on Izak Rankine. Sydney's Blakey had been similarly insulted but said nothing. Collingwood, with Maynard of all people taking the high moral ground, has driven this.

It interests me that no one in the media has remarked on Collingwood's role and the fact that it simultaneously diminishes the prospects of one of its stronger rivals for the premiership.

I understand that folks don't want to diminish the sense of wrong here, but surely Collingwood's role and consequent benefit is worthy of recognition.

What do others think?

I'm not sure that's 100% how it played out though is it?

From what I've read, Collingwood raised the matter with Adelaide, who then took the high road and self reported to the AFL, knowing the likely match ban consequences.

I do think it still shows a huge hypocrisy with Collingwood though. For quite a few years under Goodwin, the MFC pretty much accepted whatever sanction was handed to it by the MRO / tribunal whenever it was related to protecting the head. When the Maynard KOed Gus, Collingwood could equally have put player welfare before their own interests, but did pretty much the opposite. Eddy's "justice has been done" reaction highlight that self interest.

I'm not sure if Collingwood reporting to the Crows made it inevitable that the AFL got involved, but I really do doubt Collingwood would have behaved the same way if the shoe was on the other foot.

1 minute ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

It's fascinating how many different opportunities the AFL has to feed our MFCSS.

Yeah, agreed, but I think there's actually quite some realisim to my thinking as well.

We all saw what happened with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, then us loosing Mac Andrew to GC.

Already Ross Lyon and others are calling out that the academies and FS are not serving the equalisation measures in the AFL well (which to a certain extent I think is true). I do foresee huge pressure to roll the FS concessions back at some point in the future.

Conversely, it could be pretty cool to have a contemporary version of the Feby twins in the red and blue.

2 minutes ago, Rab D Nesbitt said:

When can we expect them to be rolling off the draft conveyer belt?

If they are any good, the AFL will probably restrict access to the father sons rule than let us have the next Ascrofts.

7 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Thank goodness (yet again) for the Demon Army. Yes, we’re well aware of the dire position our team’s in and we hate it just as much as every other fan, but ffs, we don’t wallow in misery and revel in defeatism like folks on here.

Some of you are seemingly willing a loss, and a huge loss at that. Maybe it’s a defence mechanism, idk; whatever it is, it’s draining and I don’t understand why anyone would engage in something that brings them down to such sad depths.

Anyways, Ima channel something Goody told me in the week leading up to our Brisbane win… “We go into every match knowing, not thinking, but knowing we can win. The scoreboard at the beginning of the match is 0.0.00 for both sides.”

*The mighty Dees by 7, 48, 91 or 0 (a draw).

GO YOU MIGHTY DEMONS!!!

GO OUT THERE TONIGHT AND

RAISE [censored] HELLLLL

❤️💙👊🏼❤️💙

*Sounds random but I stand to win $250 if any of these margins apply. 🤩

(We run a win/loss margin bingo as a fundraiser. You pay $10 to be given a random number and that number could be the winning margin) 🥳

Love the reverse side of the banner tonight Ghosty:

"Our partners support us through lows and highs, let's say thanks by smashing the pies"

1 minute ago, Earl Hood said:

F••k all GA seats available in the Northern! Everything is reserved for the filth. Up so high I will be calling for oxygen at half time, but I am still surrounded by B&W ferals!

Similar story in the Southern. Only seats on level 4 between the goals and HFF.

Watch a bunch of good seats go empty that could have been used by people who actually wanted to watch the game.

By God I hate the amount of reserved seating that is allowed these days. It's not really the every day man's game any more.

8 hours ago, Rocknroll said:

Really hope we turn up tonight and have a crack. Love to wipe the smiles of a few pies fans faces.

Reckon Brayden will have a real go at Langdon tonight, I hope Viney, May, Melk and co are ready to support.

Pies really need this and reckon we are 80% checked out.

Hope Langdon annoys the F out of Daicos again and Maynard does try to have a crack at Linggers, which should light a tinderbox of aggression towards that scum.

Don't really have any expectations of our performance tonight, but really do hope we dig deep and smack the c##p out of this mob. Such is the hatred of those filth since 2023.

5 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Dunno R(B)G, I reckon their dads might be a bit past it 😁

Lol. That's a but harsh Ghosty. They all look pretty fit as if they still in their prime to me.

Hardly how I'd refer to our former captain, caretaker coach and last Brownlow medallist.

Somewhat conflicted by the AFLs latest ruling on Rankine.

On the one hand, I totally support the AFL for taking a stand on unacceptable standards of behaviour with respect to discrimination and vilification.

On the other hand, it twists the knife in again that Rankine gets suspended for a finals campaign, yet Maynard got let off and allowed to play in a premiership after carelessly ending Gus's career.

Don't think I'll ever forgive Maynard, the AFL, Eddy or Collingwood supporters for what happed before our eyes at the MCG that night and then in the aftermath.

Best footy news all week.

Would love a photo of Kalani, Kynan, Taj, Jack and their respective fathers all in the same shot. I don’t know how realistic the chances are, but it would be even better to have them all on the same team sheet one day.

Jury is still out for me on a couple of fronts:

1. Is he a better natural forward than Disco?

2. Will Disco be a reliable key back option?

While Disco's intercept marking and general defensive work have been good, his disposal and target selection in the backline seem to let him down alot. Reminds me a bit of a young Tommy Mac in this respects. I do think alot of Tom's early disposal / turnover issues were due to us being woeful as a team over all and him being constantly under pressure and similar could be true for Disco. However I think Tommy's passing out of defence has also got better as he's aged. I guess we'll never really know the truth of all this, because the experiment playing Tom forward started around the time we became compeditive as a team.

Hopefully Disco can tidy up his disposal in defence as he's got alot of other good attributes down there.

Conversely, I feel Harry is a more reliable option by foot in the back half.

If anything, I think we have a few options that can play either end of the ground and will be interesting to see if a new coach is willing to use that on a more regular basis.

14 hours ago, Ghostwriter said:

Pffft this would suck. Glad I’m not one of these supporters.

Yeah, me too 😂

9 hours ago, burnthefushias said:

He's classified as a non free agent because to be a restricted free agent you need to have spent eight years at your first club and be in the top 25% earners on the playing list, but it's a similar deal in terms of how a player navigates getting to another team when they're out of contract.

The first option is negotiating a trade and if that isn't agreed upon between clubs, the non free agent can choose his contract length and dollar amount before nominating for either draft. So if McVee wants West Coast, we don't have a tremendous amount of leverage given their position in the pre-season draft.

There are also other rules for rookies. The one which I thought might have applied to Judd probably doesn't:

A 2nd year Rookie not accepting a further Rookie contract will be considered a Delisted Free Agent, and therefore will be an Unrestricted Free Agent.

There is also the delisted free agent that after being delisted will be a perennial free agent for life after expiry of a contract. It's possible we might have somehow delisted Judd in order to draft and promote him to the senior list, but I'm not sure on that one.

Everyone is asking AI everything these days, so thought I'd ask the question. Not too bad a summary, if a little vanilla in parts. Got to say, I like the part about resilience and hope, which is a somewhat overlooked part of MFCSS.

The "Melbourne Football Club supporter syndrome" is not a recognized medical or psychological condition. It likely refers to the emotional rollercoaster that many supporters of the Melbourne Football Club experience, given the club's long history and sometimes turbulent performance. Wikipedia says the club is the oldest professional sporting club in the world, but it has also faced periods of significant on-field struggles. 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Long and Storied History:

  The Melbourne Football Club, also known as the Demons or Dees, has a rich history, being the inaugural team in the Victorian Football League (VFL), now the Australian Football League (AFL). 

• Emotional Connection:

  Supporters often develop a strong emotional bond with their team, shaped by shared experiences, victories, and losses over many seasons. 

• Ups and Downs:

  The club has seen periods of great success, including premierships, but has also faced extended periods where they haven't made finals or achieved consistently high results. 

• Resilience and Hope:

  Despite challenges, Melbourne supporters remain passionate and hopeful for future success, demonstrating the enduring power of fandom. 

• "Narrm" Recognition:

  The club acknowledges its Indigenous heritage by using the name "Narrm" (a Woiwurrung word for Melbourne) during Indigenous Rounds, demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity and respect for the traditional owners of the land. 

1 hour ago, ChaserJ said:

Judd's not eligible for free agency yet. If his contract expires he can nominate for one of the drafts.

I'm not 100%, but I think he qualifies as a restricted free agent because we originally recruited him off the rookie list or something. It's kinda perverse in a way - give a player a break that others are not willing to, then they are basically free to walk at the end.

Honestly, I think if he nominates a move to another club, we should play handball, match the order and see if he really wants to play roulette in the draft.