Rodney (Balls) Grinter

It's a very long shot, I know, but I wouldn't totally give up hope of T Mac or BBB comming good and playing some kind of role for us up forward. I think most would have written Melksham off impacting the way he has this season, so you just never know. Still personally I think it's much more likely that we fill the void through one or a combination of Trac, Fritta and Grundy/Gawn or perhaps all three. I do often hear Max speak of how rucks and talls come into their own in finals as fatigue sets in, so I really suspect there's a well established plan that Grundy comes back in the next few weeks and supports in the ruck and forward. From early season form, I also don't think it's beyond Grundy to contribute meaningfully on the scoreboard.

From my recollection it can be pretty decient. He is usually trying to snag them on the edge of his distance from outside 50. The the time I remember we played him for any time as a true forward was against Freo in 2020 up in Darwin, where he kicked a few quick fire goals and nearly won us the game. Still I can't see Goodwin wanting to unsettle both ends of the ground at once, so I suspect May stays back, except perhaps in a break glass type situation if we are well down in a final, but even then, I think Goodies record is that he's hesitant and generally too slow to give something like this a try until it's too late.

Far from being the match winner, I thought Jackson was really fumbbly below his knees and in front of goals for Freo in that last quarter. Nothing like that clean confident handling that featured in the bang bang bang. Not that I've watched his every game, but I get the sense that he's gone backwards this season, compared to how he played for us.

Agreed Layzie. Speaking purely as an outsider supporter, I think 2021 we'd been one of the two sides the rest of the competition had chased for the season, but because of our record and long recient history of a lack of sucess, the football world was looking at us and asking "But can they stand up and hold their nerve in big finals?". As a supporter I was sort of asking the same question, but at the same time feeling "this year is different, it's the most consistently good I've ever seen them play - surely our time has come". This time around, I don't feel like we've had quite as good a run of form over the season, but I feel the group is more in control, confident and firm in their belief that we can go all the way, now that the monkey is off our back. I do also feel we have the talent, the system, are capable of rising to the occation to beat anyone come the pointy end and have put our sleeves into the top 4 position required to have a great crack at it. So long as Clarry comes back and fires and we don't cop and other huge injuries, I'm quietly optermisic about that elusive premiership at the G.

Next weeks game against the Eagles is a really vexed one. If they win another and North don't, it puts North in pole position for Reid. I can imagine there's a remote chance Eagles trade multiple picks for pick 1, because they both need a deep rebuild and should be wary of the go home factor, but I don't see either of those being such a factor for North and think there's Buckley's chance they'll trade Reid for multiple picks. Think we actually need Freo to win next week.

Agree BB, but conversely in 21, we came home with a wet sail and played some brilliant attacking football in the last half dozen or so game and were able to really attack finals brimming with confidence. BTW, I don't think these are mutually exclusive mindsets. I think the emphasis is on playing the way we want to, in order to set ourselves for finals and if we finish 2nd, 3rd or 4th at the end of the home and away, it's somewhat irrelevant as you point out, it's finals when we want to be really hitting our straps. Finishing second might just be a byproduct of getting into the sort of form and game style we want for finals.

Good summary BB. I'm personally quite happy with the selections this week. I'd thought Hibbo may have came in to rest McVee, but since Casey have the bye, Hibbo gets the week off to keep him fresh as I don't think he needs the validation of playing seniors every week and the evidence this season is that his aging body can do with a little extra TLC. Really glad that Joel Smith is getting another crack at a full game. Every time he's been bought on, he has competed brilliantly in the air and generally impacted well. He did get a few full games back when our forward line was struggling, but the fact that we were struggling over all down there, together with the generally wet wether nature of the games made it had for him to really establish what he can do. Now that we have re-established some attacking capability, I think an important aspect (if/when Joel plays forward) is that our contested marking options of Petty, JVR, Melksham and Joel don't all go up at once and spoil each other. Alternatively, I can also see Joel playing in the backline taking the role down there that Petty would have (probably more where Tomlinson and Joel have played in recient weeks) and Joel's form in this role has been quite strong and I feel he gives us both a great intercepting/contested marking option down there and also heaps of dash to rebound out of defense.

Brayshaw's shanks tend to be on the run in front of goal. Comming out of defense, I feel he's generally more reliable, choosing short safer chip kick options, rather than biting off the risky kicks too often.

Saw a post on another channel during the week reflecting back on the Lever trade that we gave up 2 first rounders for and got back pick 35, which turned into Harry Petty (can just see the bounce crew doing their numerology thing on that). The two first rounders ended up at Carlton through some on trade for someone and they got players who I forget, because I'm assuming they are just average, not great footballers. I think we won the Lever trade even though we gave up two first rounders and Freo may still win this one. Unless we can turn pick 4 into Reid and/or JT can work his magic yet again. Give me a proven gun player over picks most days of the week, but all the same I'm also hoping our footy department and JT can spin their magic. The most valuable part for us is Freo's low finish giving us an oppertunity to top up and keep building for sustained sucess while we finish higher up the ladder in premiership competition mode.

Preference is to finish 2nd and guarantee all finals in Melbourne. Agree with the win anywhere, anytime mantra and if that eventuates, so be it, but I want us playing in Melbourne at the mighty MCG for the pure fact of letting the most MFC supporters be there in person. How good would have it been to be there for all those finals along the way to the 2021 premiership, particularly the prelim against Geeeelong, which we need to replicate at the G against someone/anyone - I'm not asking for much!

Disagree to a point. The managing players doesn't just need to occur over 1 week and a different player can go out to allow the rested player back in. The sort of thing I'd envisage is perhaps Out McVee, In Hibbo against the Roos. Perhaps Tomo goes out against Carlton and McVee comes back in. The following week against Hawthorn I'd be resting Hibbo, because he does seem to be requiring that additional management this season due to his age not recoving from niggles so we'll, but I'd want him fresh, available and raring to go for finals, because he's a compeditive beast and proven finals performer. Could probably make a similar case for resting Melksham against the Roos and possibly even Viney against Hawthorn if Clarry is back.

Sounds like a great idea all round. I'm sure it must be a [censored] call for a club doctor to have to make anyway.

I know the nickname didn't come from Richmond, but how demeaning to be calling your coach "Mini" So they can't loose a close one. Let's give them a smashing then - a Goodwin let's say!!

The way he launches at contested marks and the odd screamer and the way he spins out of traffic at times, JVR is definitely the player we've had in the last 20 years that most reminds me of Swarta. Just need to make sure his knees stay in good shape.

It often amazes me how 'Chin' Chandler finds so much space in our forward 50 at times. Is it because the opposition don't give home enough respect (which I find hard to fathom given his impact this year when he's on) or that he has such a great tank and work rate? Or a bit of a combination of both? I do also think his inclusion in the side stretches the attention the opposition can dedicate to Kossie in a way that Spargo doesn't right at the moment.

Not totally convincing, but a very important win today. Puts us two games and percentage clear in 4th position. Really shows me how far the team has come. In years gone by, we'd be the Adelaide, scratching for wins at this time of year just to make finals.

I'd say Trac has Bluey in his sights, but I'd say just about every other MFC award linked to tenacity, the coaches and leadership award Jack has sealed up. Agree that he's been huge when we most need him this year. Absolutely love the bloke and I also think his leadership has gone to the next level. He seems a little less overtly critical of others in his approach than perhaps he may have been in the past and more of just "get behind me boys, because we're going to fight this one to the death!" The footy/war analogy has always been a bit tenuous, but I know if I ever did need to fight in the trenches in one, blokes like Jack are absolutely the kind you'd want to be in it with.

Yeah, they don't have to do that, just think their still enough of a chance to win a few more games and put themselves above Freo. Alternatively, if they beat us and we still finish 4th, I don't really care. It's probably better for our draft hand to finish 4th than third anyway. I forget - do Hawthorn still have their own 1st round pick? I'd actually rather they finish higher and get worse picks as well.

Super important game for the Hawks to keep their season alive this afternoon. So apparently this it the potential ladder at the end of the season if the Hawks win every game from here and other results fall there way. I'll be cheering them all the way to September. Hell, I'd actually love to face off against them in a grand final with our current squad instead of Brisbane as shown in the graphic. ...more importantly there's also a third spot for us riding on it too!!

So Grundy gets demoted for one week to the twos and the media imeediatley start to make the call he's being traded again - talk about knee jerk reactions and rumor mungering. If it goes on for the rest of the season and Grundy doesn't play another game, this season (including finals), then I could understand the trade rumors. Grundy and Gawn kicked 6 goals and 3 goals between them in of our practice matches this season against Richmond and St Kilda and the media were fawning all over it: New ‘double threat’ ominous as Dees ‘blueprint’ emerges: 18yo’s ‘exciting’ glimpses: 3-2-1 https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/live-afl-preseason-2023-st-kilda-saints-v-melbourne-demons-match-simulation-live-updates-score-stats-video-stream-result-news-blog/news-story/cf6ec8d981d2b8f225360391a22199ce The fickle and headline attention seeking nature of the media make me sick at times. Listening to Max on 774 last Saturday, he was still adamant that he was a believer in Brody and the shared ruck / forward scenario could work and was taking the kind of mature attitude about it that you wish the media would. Yes, you would expect him to take that attitude as both captain and current team member, but I do love his unwavering commitment to the concept of making the team better and supporting his team mates. In the circumstances I think we need to try every option we have to get more goals out of our forward line and both Max and Gawn have shown reasonable ability to take marks and kick goals throughout their careers, so it's no long shot at all IMHO. Maybe we just need to think a little more outside the square and have Brody and/or Max running off a wing or half forward back towards goal and using their athletisim rather than starting deep. Anyways, I'll be fascinated to see how it all eventuates, but it isn't a forgone conclusion where it ends up for me. Who in the media saw us winning the premiership or even finals in 2021 at the start of the year? Not many.

The other thing to consider is that we have a bit of a glut of A and B+ grade mids in something like the 25 - 28 yo age bracket. We need a few more future A grade mids comming through underneath in the 18 - 20 yo bracket, so we don't end up the Hawthorn/Eagles/Richmond in another 3 or 4 years.

One of the main things this table shows me JTR is Jackson asides, how long it's been since the MFC has had a top 10 pick. For the sustained sucess of the team, it's so important we get more in and thus what a gift from God this season Freo are having is for us in the circumstances.

So, if we get Jason Talylor on the Demonland podcast again this year, it would be interesting to know how he's enjoying the death ride!! In all seriousness though, I do wounder how it's actually influenced our recruitment planning. I'm guessing that knowing well have at worst a pick somewhere in the Range 4 - 8 will give the team some great options to seriously think about going forward.

Probably about what every other teams supporter says about our captain - you know the bloke that had the ciggy in the car on the freeway on the way to training! 😂

Springfield or Coorparoo?