Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Well, unfortunately it didn't last season, because all three were down at once 😥. I think Daw would have got a game and done a more than serviceable job if that were not the case though. For you option 2, you forgot to add that the two development ruckman get to be mentored by and learn from the best two rucks in the game. Gawn was an understudy to Jamar when he was the games best ruck for a few years and not to forget that Gawn also says he learnt alot from sitting in the coaches box and in the stands with players while recoving from knee reconstructions. Gawn also somewhat developed on a parallel path with Spencer and Fitzpatrick for a while, so I think your second theory has much merit and hopefully there is another champion ruck in this next batch somewhere too!

Click bate headline OD - bump! 😂 Actually I think the story is old news isn't it? (I'm not going to repeat the details of the story I'm thinking it refers to).

About the most posted videos of any of our recruits as well.

All fugazi. The only way to really rank a draft is 3 or 4 years after the event.

And/or frees up Petty to play key forward at some point.

Great news. Just hope he gets a decient run of games at some point next season. Was absolutely robbed of an opertuity to have a crack at senior level last season when the AFL dubiously suspended him for accidentally falling in the back of an opposition player 🤦‍♂️🤬🤬.

I'm sure it's been bought up before, but Richmond station badley needs to be bought into the 21st century. Build a new station with better MCG access and a new training and social facility for the MFC above the railway lines like Fed Square. Throw in a few apartment blocks if you like and the pollies can go to town on creating more open public space, houses for people and most importantly a proper home for the MFC.

Few key position players are ready to go from juniors. Jesse was somewhat of an exception. A bit of a man-child. Unfortunately at times, it almost seems like he stayed that way with some of his dummy spits on the feild.

Both definitely better options than the David Schwartz post reco diet!

I'd more be face plaming that you referred to him as a defector. Yeah Weid left the MFC, but I think it was a move that all parties were comfortable with based on him getting a fresh start and likewise for us and Schache, with the Bulldogs. Weid was going nowhere at the MFC for the past 2 seasons. Hardly a defection.

Don't disagree with any of that, but Bell's claim that he'll be a great key forward isn't really utilising those tallents. If Freo do try to use him in that key forward capasity, it could actually destroy his development. I think their actual coach Justin Longmiur is smarter than that though.

Lucifer, bit of a correction required here. Springfield is only around 30mins from Brisbane CBD and 45mins from the airport in good traffic. Speaking from somewhat of a biased perspective here, having lived near the Ipswich CBD (which is closer to an hour from Brisbane), but I think the overwhelming negative commentary around this venue is a complete disservice to the opertuity it also presents for exposure of AFL in the broader Brisbane area. The Gabba is a pain to get to from Ipswich and the western side of Brisbane (hopefull this might get better once cross river rail project is complete and the Gabba gets it's own well connected railway station), so having the Brisbane Lions training facility and social club in Springfield is a real boon for AFL and growth of the game in the side Western of Brisbane. Ipswich, Sprinfield and it's surrounds are big population growth areas of Brisbane and have reasonable and growing senior and jnr partisipation for both men and women's game. Having the AFLW GF to launch the opening of the ground should be an awsome publicity for the facility that money probably couldn't buy. I don't see much of an issue with the 8,000 capasity or whatever it is. Realistically AFLW games rarely draw more than this and playing in front of a capasity crowd at this venue would be a better atmosphere than playing in a 3/4 empty Gabba, Metricon or Marvel IMHO. As an asides, to highlight the potential for AFLW to grow the game beyond it's traditional base, I have a Qld born and bread rugby mate (who coincidentally lives in Springfield), who has followed AFLW this whole season to the extent of attending many home Lions games, because his daughter is into the AFLW Lions team.

Yep, not smart for players and senior club officials to be taking public swipes at opponents. Sure Justin Longmiur isn't real happy about Bell's comments. It's not quite a Lingger's moment, but for a senior official to be making it, it's not that far off either.

I don't think the narrow kick to the pocket forward 50 entry game that we played for the first 3/4 or 2021 and alot of 2022 is the destination in our game style. For alot of the back half of 2021, Goody and the coaches spoke about working on the attacking part of our game (or the phase when we were in possession or whatever the lingo is these days). The lead up into finals 2021 and that finals series, we played a far more effective attacking game when we had the momentum and I think that is actually the game style we aim to play. Of course you also need the toops to play it and back half of 2022, we had no T Mac etc. The recruiting of Hunter is another sign we know we need to correct our entry and that's the type of game plan we are really targeting. That said, it is also a key plank of our game style to kick to the forward pocket, retain the ball and defend from within our forward 50 that helps keep us in games even when we might not be in our best form and help us win games more consistently and set us up deep inside the top 4 in genuine positions to win premierships. After having watched some great attacking MFC sides over the decades, I'll take the one that finished with home and away ladder positions of 1st and 2nd, including a premiership over consecutive seasons than the ones that would scrape into finals, but always behind the 8 ball to actually get into the GF, let alone win a premiership.

I did pick this thread to continue, partly as a bit of a stir, but I'd be making the is he worth the money thing as more of a judgment on Freo than Jackson. Personally, I'm happy to take Dogga sincerely that it was mostly about going home. Neither can I really blame him for taking the he extra money or Freo for offering for that matter. I think when clubs wrestle a player away from their current club, there is often an element of paying them a bit overs to get them over the line to make the switch and their club as the preferred destination. I suspect Melbourne generally play this game as much any other club. Mostly Bell's call on Dogga as being a great contested mark/key forward is somewhat over blown. I'm not denying that Dogga wasn't a good mark for us, as he was capable of pulling down some good screamers around the ground on the odd ocation using guys as a step ladder and also took the odd mark for us inside forward 50, but I don't think his marking was on anything like the same level as Gawn's. Dogga being the second decoy option inside forward 50 is a very different option to being the main goto guy getting double or tripple manned by key defenders when you're the man. Will be interesting to see if he steps up or struggles with that sort of pressure and attention. Maybe he's the sort that thrives under external expectations, but I actually think Bell has done a disservice to Dogga by putting even more pressure on him in this regard.

And won the premiership that same year. And BBB kicked 3 in the GF. The ball wasn't bombed to him that game and our game plan isn't just bombing it in every time. If there isn't a quality option on then yes it's about retention, but if we're on and the option is on, then we're hitting targets in good goal scoring positions.

So Peter Bell thinks Melbourne underutilized Dogga and that his best role is in the forward line as a contested mark beast! https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/fremantle-dockers/afl-news-2022-luke-jackson-fremantle-traded-from-melbourne-contract-game-plan-where-will-he-play-sean-darcy-peter-bell-interview/news-story/ba5714fefa8b95830f2b9dd11ba671c4 Good Lord. Peter might want to have a look at Harrison Petty's mark as a forward late in the final against Brisbane before he commits to Jackson as Freo's new key forward now that they have no Lobb.

And then an away game against them once they do, so we can thrash them in front of their 10 die hard supporters. We owe Hawthorn that pleasure particularly.

Definitely this. Sorry, I could hardly give a [censored] about how much prime time our sponsors get or don't. If they get the ultimate prime time of Grand Final day and all the subsequent promotional opportunities that come from a premiership, they should be pretty happy with that. Our supporters that have rocked up week in, week out for years deserve to be looked after more than a bunch of corporates that have been on the ride for just the last few and will jump off whenever it suits them.

Really hope he does get signed. Always makes me pleased to see our delisted or frindge ex-players get a chance at another club.

That one incident got so over exacerbated it's not funny. I think it was more just a case of lack of awareness of the player bearing down on him than him actually torching Trac. Fritta was in an easy goal scoring opportunity himself and 99 time out 100 he kicks that goal. In another scenario that plays out he hand passes to Trac who fumbles and then we'd have the same comentators accusing us of lairising and claiming Fritta should have taken the shot. It was at a point of the season where we were just going off the boil and alot of comentators were loving the oppertunity to have a chip at the side for whatever reason.

Actually think BBB is alot better once the ball hits the ground than many give him credit for. Yes he looks awkward, but in my view he has brilliant footy sense that means even when he misses the mark, he knows where to go to put himself in dangerous positions to stay in the contest and be useful option in chains that end up in goals, whether he's the one kicking them or some deft tap ons to others. Don't think he would have been the leading goal kicker in the league over a period of 3 years if he was a one trick pony and couldn't do stuff off the ground. I also think he's an absolute asset and great teacher for guys like JVR in this respect.

Agree, but then I'd actually like to see that done too on occasion. If we're behind early in the last and need to kick a bunch of goals to get back in the game with a forward line that's struggled to kick goals all game, then I think pinch hitting either of these guys up forward would be worth a shot. I recall that game 2020 (against Freo I think) when we through May forward, he kicked a succession of goals and we nearly pinched the game back. Maysie can be an absolute weapon on his day up forward. Would have got us into finals that year had we got over the line. But overall I agree that Petty to FF is too much robbing Peter to pay Paul. We'd only be that injury to May away from swinging Petty back down the backline and at the same time taking away or key forward and destabilize both ends of the ground. Disco could be a solid option down back one day, but I'd be very surprised if he's close to Petty and May's standard just yet - give the guy a few years to build his game and body like we did with Petty.

Looks like he's working on that impresive tan of his too!

Glad to see Tipungwuti is comming out of retirement to play for Essendon again. It's a win - win I recon. Footy lovers get to see a freakish talent in action again and at the same time, he'll probably help get Essendon's competitiveness up there for a few years to help them avoid getting better draft picks.