Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Yes my wife is also a sunny day Hawthorn supporter. All I can say is how sweet was Rd 20. Looking forward to a period of sustained success over those horrible poo brown and yellow jumpers. I feel our list is headding in the opposite direction to theirs, even if they get O'Meara, Vickery and others. The old brigade of Mitchell, Hodge, Lewis and Gibson that were somewhat holding their team together are past it and I really don't think their next bunch of replacement kids are all that flash.

Great result and another great ambassador of the club.

Hiring a proven coach with excellent credentials, who promoted a sound, basic, build from defense up approach to football, recruiting competitors with good character, along with engraining solid team first, winning culture - I'm not sure I'd call that an experiment as opposed to a well trodden path to success. I just hope this path continues uninterrupted under Goodwin, which I have reasonable confidence that it will. A bit of luck wouldn't go astray either, we are overdue for a bit of that.

Agree. Perhaps it's just nostalgia, but for my mind, the best modern footy was played in that 80s/90s era, with two or three on the bench and limited (but not subitutinal type) interchange. Current coaches complain that it would "slow the game down" and that players would "burn out in the fourth quarter" - my personal opinion is that's crap: 1. Players and teams would need to relearn how to 'pace' them selves so as to leave them selves more in the tank at the end of the game. 1500m runners don't go out at 400m pace for the first lap. 2. Would result in more true one on one (not 5 on 5) contests to move the ball down the ground; 3. More true lead up and one on one power forward/key back type contests at either end of the ground. 4. Still plenty of scope for different sized, skilled and athleticly talented players to play different roles and parts of the ground. This is the way Aussie Rules was meant to be played. If limited rotations failed to bring the desired result, I'd also actually be in favor of introducing further zone rules in general play, beyond the current centre square one we have now.

Can B Stretch also add his name to the list to become the second father son Bluey?!

Love it. I remember that slimy little turrd $ulley saying a similar thing, but my impression is Trac has got so much more character and integrity than him.

Disagree with your last statement, but otherwise on the money. Personally, the award I hope the poll much better in is the Norm Smith in a MFC premiership team - everything else is pretty much rubbish.

Just hope he fares better in future years than our last two AAs .

Maxxeey I love this bloke.

Free Of Charge Is that what you meant - haha

Team - Essendon, North, Carlton Finals - one that gotaway

Perhaps we also should have traded Patracca before he did his knee. Big Max is another one who's currency before this year was well down due to successive knee injuries and just look at how many seasons we have wasted on the bearded warrior. Salem has already produced more in the two or three years on our list than Cale Morton or Joydan Gysbits did in half a dozen and they are the other potential out comes of trading for a draft pick and trying a different option. Are you from the school of thought that high draft picks should perform to their full potential from their first year? Only a few freaks like Crisps and Judd ever managed that, but most clubs fully expect quality players to take a few years to develop and can take longer if there are a few speed bumps along the way. Just look at Robbie Grey guess you would have traded him too. I actually think that first round draft picks are like new cars, in so far as you pretty much loose value on them the moment you drive them out the door.

That sounds like a polite way to turn down what would likely be a poisoned chalice for him.

Hogan's first season was certainly ahead of where Johnathan Browns was and Tom Hawkins took about as long as Jack Watts to come good I recon. Both of the aforementioned played in kinda handy sides too. Our delivery into the forward line was deplorable at times this year, but should only get better as the team improves. I'm sure Jessie would have been much happier with the kind of supply that Tomahawk was getting today.

I'm not sure that Freo would be looking so attractive to Hogan after the realitive seasons us and them have had. Freo's annus horribilis couldn't have come at a better time for us in many ways. The main concern would be if the exit of key players like Pav and deflation in value of a few others will leave them with a huge war chest to throw at Jessie.

Whilst it would certainly be handy to pick up a few quality players in the off season, I'm not sure that any sort of cull of our playing list is required, beyond the few obvious delistings. I'm now just looking forward to what another preseason will do for our young team. It's pretty incredible that we have been able to compete against many of the sides out there this year, when you consider the realitive youth of our list, it is a case of boys playing against men in a lot of instances. Hoping our game goes to that next level with some more physical and mental maturity.

As much as watching the game today sucked, perhaps it was for the better. There has been enough good performances this year for the team to build a bit of confidence that we can match it with some of the good teams on our day. If there was any sence of overconfidence and complacency from our small run of form, today's loss should leave a bad taste in the mouths of the players to motivate them to work their butts off over preseason as there is obviously still a lot of work to go.

Still spewing about last weeks game and more so with WC winning. Those GWS ****ers will have had pleanty of motivation as they will be playing for a home final. If we were to win and win well today (and I have little confidence that, but then said the same agains the Hawks), then surely that would provide both some added confidence and motivation to go to the next level in 2017.

And that is where I think Jessie is more valuable to the team anyway. I look forward to the day when we have enough quality ball carriers/deliverers that we can park Jack Watts in the forward 50 and utilise his goal kicking prowess where we recruited him to play.

What value could be put on his attitude and comradery with Track during their rehab? How inspirational would it be if he can make it back to being the champion player he was previously on his way to becoming?

That's a given with Trenners

Harmes was rested last week, but my view is that Salem or Grimes were much better options than Mitchie. Kennedy or even JKH/Newton would have been much better options for Garlett and Pedo should never have been omitted for Weid. They should have at least started Vince on Crisps to provide a physical contest and negating role there. Crisps dominantion was entirely predictable.

Yep, I know where you are coming from. I guess my statement somewhat reflected a personal emotional apathy towards this game after the disaster of last week and the horrible selection decisions which were made prior to that game. That said, I actually think that by in large, the 'youth' selected in the team this year have been up to it. Was very impressed about the way Wagner went about his game from his second game onwards (until he got tired), Oscar was holding his own somewhat even early on because at that time Dunn and Garland's form wasn't so great either. I thought Frost looked the goods from early in the year (it wasn't his fault he was being played out of position), Billy has been worthy of his position in the side for the most part, Harmes is harder than many of the players five years his senior and Hunt, Track, Clary, Gus all goes without saying. I would agree that Weid is probably still a bit too lean for my liking and would probably prefer to see Pedo in there as well, but per the Hawthorn game, Weid is not incapable of providing a valuable contribution. I don't quite know how the coaches should deal with ANB, I think he has potential, but just doesn't look quite ready/up to it when they have brought him in this year. I don't think we should be as quick as some suggest to dispose of Dunn, Garland, Pedo or even Dawes though. As you suggest, we are only a long term injury away to Tommy Mac, or Hogan from needing a sound, mature backup.

Within reason, I actually don't mind so much who gets picked this week, given that the prize which was potentially there, is no longer. I do hope that whoever is picked gives it a red hot crack. I could handle an honorable loss in the present circumstances, particularly with some promising signs and development from individual players and the team in general. However I really honestly do hope we don't put in an insipid performance and get thrashed. That would be a huge setback within the context of the good progress which has been made overall.

I share most of the sentiments in the entirety of this letter - don't quite understand why it has attracted so many knockers. Whilst I'm pretty shattered with the loss to Carlton and similarly lames ones to Essendon and St Kilda to an extent, if you look at the year on balance, to be actually fighting for a potential finals birth as late in the season as we were, is such a refreshing change from being the complete joke of the competition that we have been. It actually feels good to have some credibility as a footy team back. In addition to nearly making finals, the side has not really copped a belting all year and has been in most games until at least 3/4 time and almost all at half time, which is quite a turn around from just a few years ago. I personally just hope that Goodwin and the team continue on this trajectory and that we can be a serious finals contender and player next year and beyond, rather than being a one or two season flash in the pan like Port.