Rodney (Balls) Grinter

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.

Charlie didn't really need any sense knocking into him, he's a solid player. Makes me wonder if we should consider him a target to poach to shore up our key backs down the track. The GC has been a good development club for the MFC in this area in the past.

Honestly, I think they are both done anyway, regardless. Once it's mathematically impossible for Freo to make finals, they'll just drop their bundle and play for draft picks - oh wait!! 😂🤣😂

Agree with @Jaded No More, Sydney are overrated trash. I often think a bad goals to points ratio is the mark of a poorly performing side. Yeah they can win it forward, but if it's not comming in well, the ball goes to low percentage positions and/or ends in alot of rushed behinds. Sydney were the most unworthy grand finalist in recent years, largely because the got a soft draw in 2022 an some extent of over performance with the immature list they had. They were lucky to get that finals win against us too, when we were fatigued and they got some good momentum from the umps to get them back into the game. Still I hope the Swans can dig deep and beat Freo to assist our death riding fun. Like you I can't see us getting anything better than 4th pick Jimmy. Let's face it, North don't have the talent, West Coast are finally wearing the consequences of riding a list that resembled Dad's Army for too long (Geelong, you're next) and everyone has been well and truely out tanked by Sam Mitchell and the Hawks before the season even started.

It's not what stands out to us mere mortals that our coaching team really care about though. I honestly can't say quite what JJ isn't bringing, but being a flashy standout player isn't what gets guys picked for the MFC these days.

AFL - if you are listening, I hate this stuff: TODAY ONLY! 20% off Level 1 seats for Hawks v Dees this Saturday at MCG. Book: https://brz.ai/26j0k Optout? Txt STOP to 0429692676 Ticketek: bit.ly/TKTHelp It's not a big game and no way will it be a sell out. So this attitude of the AFL (and/or the club's?) to seqeeze ever last dollar out of the die-hards that do attend rather than make available the preferred seating on level 1 for GA is just rubbish (to be uncharacteristically restrained in my use of preferred language). The AFL should focus on giving better value for money and attracting more people to games than degrading the experience for those that do attend unless they are prepared to pay more. Gil has also utterly failed in his notion of keeping food prices at a modest level, when two Powerades, hot chips and a few bits of chicken set you back $30. Particularly when Australia is facing a cost of living crisis, this rip off approach is misguided. I could be wrong, but I suspect that the early basis of the popularity of Aussie Rules was that it was a financially inclusive comunity gathering that people of all finacial satus could afford and participate in and a source of enjoyment and hope through depressing times financially. Don't kill the golden goose of the everyday punter in the outer.