Rodney (Balls) Grinter

At the Freo loss old mate up back of our bay kept yelling that Harmes shouldn't get another game, and that he should go back to the VFL, because that was his standard. Admittedly Harmes did quite a few stinker things that day, but he's got a well earnt premiership medallion and a memory of kicking that brilliant pass to Fritta that turned the game that old mate will never have.

The game after playing Richmond (I think it was North), I could hardly yell out because of the short 5 day break between games and I'd yelled myself horse because of the atrocious umpiring we copped against Richmond that week.

I play up on it too. Was in a pub in Taralgon with my MFC scarf on a few weeks back and joked to my gf that it was a stop off on the way to Baw Baw from her place. Asked the barman if they had any cheese boards i could try. Then on the other hand in a pub in Newbrough wearing the scarf, I was asked what that '[censored]#t' thing I had around my neck was. Classy. Amazing the guy could talk without any teeth. Probably a Collingwood supporter.

Good plan. There are a few little Melksham's running around arn't there? From memory they probaby played with the Viney and/Or Jones kids during 2021 COVID hubs, so should be a few good future MFC stars in the making.

I know what you're saying, but it's a bit like trying to make a smoker quit or a alcoholic stop drinking etc at some point surely it comes down to the individual making decisions about how they want to live and what they consider life is about living for? We let people do all sorts of things involving risk in our society. Riding road bikes is a risk I'd never be comfortable with, yet many keen riders I know have multiple near death accidents and get right back on the saddle - why? Because it's something they love doing in life.

So who here remembers the tone at the start of the 2021 season, when we'd missed finals again in 2020 and St Kilda were closer to a premership than us? Sucess and failure are on a knife edge in the AFL, but I think we've got more to be hopeful about than pessimistic. Sounding a bit like a Goodwin clone here, but we nearly won yesterday while playing badly and I'm sure there were plenty of lessons for us to learn. ...just like we did post 2020.

Yup, on the same page there too. Having watched so many talented sides in the 90s go unrewarded and then living through the pain of the 2005 - 2018 era, I also really hope we make the most of what we have now and get that elusive flag at the G.

I've got too much going on in my life to get too hung up about the defeats we've had this season. Do I think we could and should be playing better and like it more if we were convincingly controlling games, closing them out and walking away victorious - yes totally. But some of the over reactions (and amplified x10 on other forums) are crazy. I'm largely tuned out just at the moment, but do appreciate the sensible analysis and thoughts on here even in the event of a loss. Even some of the more reasonable vents as put by @Jaded No More are acceptable. One thing for sure is that it's a completely different feeling being 7 - 4 or whatever we are now, compared to the 10 - 1 and 54% that is currently the Eagles lot, but use to be us not so long ago. Perspective is a good thing.

Thanks AF, you summarised alot of the recient history I was trying to recall as well. Was it the break through 2017 premiership year that Richmond supporters were microwaving membership cards? If you go back even earlier to the dominant talent rich Geelong sides era 2007+, they didn't get everything on there own terms either. We're not doing things as easy/dominant as we'd like, but we are definitely more disiplined and regularly competing better than any MFC team since 1964, so I don't think there's much more that we can ask than that. Ask any AFL premiership coach and they'll all say how bloody hard they are to win and also require some extent of good fortune as well. All the bed wetters decrying our 'pathetic' performances of late need to get a grip and are just showing their own lack of football IQ.

I'm [censored] with the performance and result, but sheeesh thIs the sky is falling down stuff pisses me off even more. Sack Goodwin 🤦‍♂️ Scrolling the posts on the Melbourne Football Supporters Forum on FB - OMG.

I think that's all most of us want Jimmy. ...well almost. I think if I feel it that once, I'll want it again, but that one with our fellow Demon family and faithful would be magnificent. Thankfully listening to Max, I know him and I'll bet the rest of the team really want it too. I also want it to be a proper daylight flag before the AFL caves to the TV gods again and turn it into some kind of second rate entertainment spectacle for their advertising masters.

It's a real suburb and it kinda suits that's where they train. ...It's actually pronounced with a silent ck, except for the purposes of this forum, in which case, I'm happy to forget that.

Someone needs to buy those guys some lubricant, that really must hurt.

I'd rather cheer on the resumption of the Walyalup death ride than boo. Hope we absolutely pump them. That would be the best message to send Dogga.

Pretty respectful there from Luke. No "All duck, no dinner" type comments there 😂

No Unless he does something deserving of that during the game and I don't foresee that as particularly likely.

Why not do both / all? I don't really have super hate for Luke and have some degree of personal respect for him returning to his home state, but I do think it would be nice if the team let him know leaving the Demons isn't the right thing to do as well. Would serve as a nice example.

Yeah, but I do wounder if effectively targeting the younger Brayshaw would actually have a bigger impact on their output. Although doing the same to Jackson might also suck in their other onballers as well anyways, so have the same effect indirectly.

Honestly, I think this is where the game is messed up at the moment. I've seen Brisbane target Max in much this same way and sorry, but I think it's completely BS. Players stand their ground in the wrong way or don't have their hair brushed properly in a marking contest and it's called a free kick as interference / shepherding. Max get's essentially shepherded miles off the ball repeatedly all night and that's ok? You can guarantee if Max pushes the player out of the way in its instant free kick against and (would often be 30 - 50m out from the oppositions goal for kick in scenarios), yet his opponents are allowed to do the same to him all night. Can't tell me with 4 umpires out there, they can't see/police it. He's our main target at kick outs so you'd think the umpires would see at least some of it. One way or the other. There's definitely one rule for Max and another for our opponents. The Daniels 3rd qrt GF sling tackle which would have 4 weeks for any Melbourne player, but no free for Max is case in point. Time Goodwin actually took a public stand and held the umpires to account.

Reporting for duty sir 😉

Not underrating Clarry's awesomeness for an instant, but I'm wounding if this provides an oppertunity for us to function slightly differently in the midfield in a way that's less predictable for the opposition and breaks open our season again? Certainly provides an opertuity for a different few faces like Sparrow, Harmes, Kossie, Riv or Gus to rack up some serious midfield time and show what they can do in there given the opportunity. Will it be Brayshaw Vs Brayshaw again?

I loved the way that Doggy Brown played too. Hard, tenacious, skillful and loyal to the core for the MFC. That Dogga bloke was ok and played a great 3rd quarter in a MFC premiership, but he doesn't even have a son yet, let alone one that will qualify to play in the red and blue one day! 🤣

See no problem here Or here. Think I made the call a few years back that all of Hawthorn, West Coast and Richmond were very top heavy list age talent wise and were primed to drop away as we hit peak performance. Probably also said a similar thing about Geelong and I'm optermisic that the wheels are starting to fall of there too.

"has sharp vision and opens up the play with his creativity around stoppages" 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰 ❤💙❤💙❤💙

Agree 100% The headline might be skewed towards clickbait, but as far as I'm concerned that's ok in the context of the issue. If Daniel has been courageous enough to both live through his trauma and then subsequently go public with it, then I'd say it's a story he wants to be heard and if it takes a bit of clickbate to acheived that, then so what. I'm only partially guessing, but my assumption is that when people want these things to be heard, it's about a) some self respect in being believed and b) encouraging others to help them come forward in the hope that the problems are better managed going forward, which I think is very noble. I think there is some very useful discussion which the article raises and I certainly found it insightful as well as saddening. It also contains some important lessons on how the media and the general public need to tread lightly, with care and compassion around individuals and collective social and personal matters. Read the article, it explains things far better than any of us can in this thread. All the best to Daniel in his life moving forward and I hope he is able to reach some inner peace regarding his past trauma.