Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I do see potential in both players, but I do partly wonder if King is aware of those guys being whipping boys, so making a particular point to praise them in public to offset that a bit. Anyway, time will tell and I think they both did show a little bit of further progress and indications that the belong at AFL level during our most recent practice matches.

Could also be because virtually no-one knew it was on. Our media team have put out a pretty good series of promo videos, so I'm loath to be too critical of our coms, but here's an idea - how about email your members that the even is actually on with enough time to book it into their schedules. Even better idea perhaps the club could put on a tour of Melbourne Sporting Globe venues throughout the season with the coach and/or senior club figures such as president/CEO and a few players strategically timmed throughout the season, when members and supporters could mix a bit with them and have a bit of an update and Q&A. I've Have paid for several of these style sportsman events in recent years, but I do think it's about time the club gave back a bit to members and supporters and put some on for free. Might even get us a bit of a boost in members.

...like Kade Chandler being named in our Rd 1 side ahead of Jeffo. Here's your chance @picket fence 3 goals in 6 quarters of footy isn't a bad return for a small forward. P.S. I know the Rd 1 side hasn't technically been announced yet, but Chandler would need to be around at Friita's place helping out with the dogs for it not to happen (please let me not have just put a jynx on him 😖)

...after Maynard hands back the premiership medal that was handed to him.

That Saints last quarter was a fair bit of anomaly though really and I think at times back in 2021, our on-field leadership was pretty dam good. Back in 2021, we rarely got ahead by big margins, but we were almost always able to keep control of the game and defend them to victory. The failure of leadership in that last quarter wasn't the last 1-2mins or whatever it was, it was that last 10-15mins that after letting a 40point lead slide back to a 20point one, that we didn't find a way to shut up shop for them defensively and/or kick goals against them to end their run and effectively close out the game with 5mins on the clock. Maybe it was because we had Lever for alot of 2021 and didn't last year against the Saints. Maybe it was because we were fiddling with playing a more attacking game that we forgot how to switch within a quarter and go back to that miserly defensive mode. I also think that St Kilda had nothing to loose and thus were in a box seat in a way, in that sense. Also from memory, think they were assisted with some pretty marginal/fortunate free kicks that went in their favour in those last 5mins that put them in striking distance. I'd also add that in the last round of 2022, we came back from 32 points down against Geelong down at Cat Park, when they had Dangerfield and Selwood - was that a failure of Geelong not having good onfield leaders? Anyways, the main point for me isn't the positioning, on field leadership in the last few minutes, it was that we let them get back so close in the first place.

I'm probably fairly biased, but I do think 1-5 is a pretty pessimistic assessment. Perhaps if I was a neutral supporter, maybe that is where I'd get to, but I'm not that I actually think anything in the 2 - 4 wins range is more realistic. Looking at how we did perform against a supposedly maturing North and Richmond, I really don't see us a bottom 4 material and actually think we are at least in the group of teams that includes St Kilda, Essendon and Carlton, so would expect that we'd at least win a couple of those games and possibly one against one of the higher ranked sides from last year. My honest oppinion is that the first 6 - 12 games of the season no one has a particularly great read on form and it's not until that mid way point of the season that things really start to work themselves out. Teams have [censored] starts to the season (us last season and I think Brisbane have been notoriously slow to get into there seasons). Some teams fall away and others do go through big step change improvements from season to season. Being an eternal optermist, I'm putting my chips on that we've had a great off season, now being well coached within a system that the players have really bought into, are playing with added belief and enthusiasm, without the baggage that had built up over the previous two and that will get us over the line more than we might have at the start of last season.

I thought that was a good feature of the recent practice match again North that we did several last 2min drills against opposition other than ourselves and won both drills in a fairly controlled way. Granted our opposition was only North, but they did also go onto beat Collingwood in a close one in their second practice match.

I agree mostly with where you are coming from, but: a) we got both Mihocek and Steel for next to nothing; And b) Given limited (granted it'sjust pre-season) game time they have both shown a fair bit, with Steele contributing well both games and Mihocek 2 goals in 10mins. I think the signs are pointing in the direction of both these guys being wins and good fits for us. Where-as they probably weren't what their former clubs wanted/needed. Collingwood are even more top heavy age wise than we were. Not quite sure why Steele was seen as surpurplous to St Kilda, but I think he perfectly plugs the experience gap we had in our midfield post Trac & Clarry exits to provide a bit of support for the next generation of developing mids we have comming through.

Second this sentiment. Along with Hibbo, he was a huge contributor to us having a near impenetrable backline and a huge part of our premiership sucess. I'm making no judgements on the personal circumstances in which have contributed to the way things have unfolded and understand the rationale that he and the club have applied in paying out his contract and retiring him from the list, but as a supporter, I'm bitterly disapointed in the way it has transpired and that he won't get a fitting send off game. Had he been able to play this season, my assessment from afar was that, despite some high profile confrontational moments on and off feild Maysie was a highly compeditive beast, but also a solid team player and that though he might have been frustrated had he seen time playing twos, that he would have made good on being a great onfield mentor to our next generation of key backs. I get that he'll probably get a lap of the G in the back of a car, but he deserved better as the warrior player he was in his time playing for the MFC. Thanks for your contribution to the MFC and to the only premiership I've witnessed in some form in my lifetime Maysie.

The way I'm seeing it, is that even if circumstances change 3 or 4 years down the track, if the player still has currency, then at least the club has more negotiating power than if they are available for free agency. I.e. we might have got only 1 end of 1st or 2nd round pick for Trac - really highlights the gross inadequacy (and inconsistencies) of FA compensation.

Yeah, I guess that one is a bit grey. Sources I Googled said he adopted the MFC based on prior support for Glenelg Red Legs (my grandmother was the same). Sang a tribute at Robbie Flowers service: https://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/196420/flower-service-paul-kellys-tribute?videoId=196420&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1413182987001 According to another Demonland post does suggest that he's now Adelaide, but previously Melbourne (bloody turn coat!), but guess he still has a soft spot for us:

You also mentioned Langdon, Lever, May (Were Hibbo and Melksham pre or post Lamb). 'Maybe' Sharp 'might' prove to be value for money in time. Big Ben Brown was a win overall, even if only short lived. You've got to ballance the body of work. Same as recruiting from the draft - not every pick is a winner. I'd also agree that Tommo was value over the journey. When you sum up all those guys, it's about a 50/50 hit rate. On the flip side, not all of the players we've traded elsewhere have gone on to acheive big things. It's somewhat the nature of the beast. Most importantly, in trading in Langdon, Lever, May, Big Ben Brown and Hibbo we did put in place some critical missing pieces of a premiership team, so overall, I think our trading and picking up of out of contract players over the journey was on the money.

Similar to what I'm suggesting above, I think free agency has wrecked equalisation and the salary cap. I see two solutions, which may be viewed as somewhat radical: Limit / equalise the number of players able to be signed on as free agents per club over a rolling time period of say 5 - 10 years. Allow clubs to trade players against their will. The AFLPA needs a clip behind the ears. The notion of free agency and restriction of trade shouldn't really apply to sporting codes the same way as they do regular employment. How long much longer will people tolerate the unevenness in the competition before they start giving up on following it? Forming of the VFL/AFL commission and having it create an enviroment where any team could succeed, was viewed by many to be a cornerstone of the sucess of the Aussie rules code in Australia for a number of years, but I think that ethos is significant floundering with each successive CEO that views running the premier league and code as a whole as a business more than a sport. ...rant over ... for today!

Incidentally, I read a recent Fox Footy season preview/ladder prediction (yeah, I know about the 50th such article of the off-season so far) and it made the comment to the effect that we'd gone heavy on the draft, as due to not being one of the bigger clubs, we wouldn't be able to attract qualuty players until we'd showed we had a significant base of players/performance to do so. Pretty much an admission that free agency and equalisation measures aren't working / don't mix. Anyone can be critical of the player contracts we handed out in retrospect, but I really think that needs to be balanced by the issue that we aren't really on an even playing field, with some of the big clubs far more able to attract and retain either for unders or with the aid of out of cap payments. My view is that our department made the right calls at the time and that other factors (Gus, Trac severe injuries) and player management issues wrecked what could otherwise have been a golden era. Just think of the backlash if our stars had have walked elsewhere in 2022/2023.

Was thinking that too. Maybe some of our players might find themselves as being on some board of directors as well? (I guess part of that could include share offerings as bonus/incentives - the possibilities are endless).

Early days, but what about Mihocek and Steel? They look like good pick-ups. Also surely it's also other football department minds like Alan Richardson etc that contribute to uncontracted and traded player selection?

And incriminate himself? Pfft like that's going to happen.

We just need to start paying in farms like Geelong do.

Also noting that Chandler is in the side ahead of Jeffo - ouch!!

In case anyone wants to know more about the lush surrounds of Nar Nar Goon:

Didn't Max have a similar scare in a few preseason's and was back playing again fairly early in the season, if not Rd 1? I'm thinking that Max's timing may have been much earlier in preseason compared to Luker and I know probably all injuries are different, but it gives me hope that Luker will be available to debut, start building his game and impacting for the team sometime in the first half of the season, rather than another wasted year on the sidelines. Until then, I'm pretty confident we have some good forward options in JVR, Mihocek, Fritta, Melksham and Co. Mihocek in particular looks like he could provide us with a great goal kicking avenue deep in attack.

Agreed, although we have plenty of key back depth, I'm not sure that we have many back there that could provide the same niggle factor as AJ and that might be an advantage against some key forwards that might be susceptible to being thrown off their game in this way. Would rely on AJ also being sufficiently accountable as a defender. Could also provide some ruck coverage in defence if we're not playing T Mac. In summary, don't think he'd be my first choice defensive option, but worth evaluating there in case we think it's called for in the circumstances.

There seems to be a bit of a naritive that this is St Kilda's game to loose. I don't buy it. We were like what 40 points up at 3/4 time in our last outing against them, with a team that wasn't playing as cohesively as we look to be at the moment. If we get in that position against them again, they aren't coming back from it.

There was also one against Brisbane in 2023 where the lights went out in the last quarter as well. Thinking that was storm driven as well: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.afl.com.au/news/887706/lights-out-brisbane-lions-ko-max-gawn-less-melbourne-demons-in-the-dark/amp

Agreed. To me, it's not so much his being available for Rd 1 that matters, it's more about him getting a break and oppertunity to debut at AFL and build his game further and hopefully develop as a potent forward option for us, to eventually take over from guys like Melksham and Mihocek. This injury has the potential to disrupt that to either a minor or significant extent. If he's not available for Rd 1, so be it, but my main concern is that it doesn't become season ending or take a massive chunk out of his season.