Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Agree. I'd think Viney himself would be somewhat embarrassed for the credit given to him in that play. He's just in the right spot to shark the ruck takedown and then full on fumbles it forward. It's not like he's busting skulls or in an other way really out musseling anyone to create a path for others (in that play). Harmes gather, burst and delivery in that play are sublime. I think Max is on the record as saying it's the best kick of Harmesy's career and I recon he's right. (Harmes is actually somewhat underrated for his capasity to deliver in clutch moments. He delivered another similar great pass to Kent inside 50, who goaled and sealed our first finals in 12 years again WC in Rd 22, 2018). Conversely Kossie's magic body use to clear a path for Trac that starts up the BANG BANG BANG isn't spoken of enough. It's almost as impressive as the Trac goal in my view. A masterful football moment from Kossie. That's not to discount Viney's general never say die attack on the footy throughout the rest of the GF, which was sensational, along side the likes of Brayshaw, Clarry, Trac and many others that day.

The other moment involving May that I've heard quoted (actually in the other Fox doco) is apparently in the middle of the BANG, BANG, BANG goal scoring tsunami, Steve May is saying to the mid feild "Ok, let's shut it down and make sure they don't score again before three quarter time". Oliver recalls that he turned to Trac and they were both like 'NAHHH, let's keep pushing'. Love the bulls we have at the club all over the field that complement each other. The intense defensive mindset of Lever, May & Co down back lets guys like Clarry and Trac do their thing and go hard offensively when it's on.

Spot on. I'd go further and say that it's not just our fitness strategy, but our whole game style that demands players train a near match intensity, so preseason is no different - as the old saying goes train like you play so you play like you train. The days of playing half strength teams in practice matches are long gone. The only team I can think of that sucessfully won a premiumership by mollycoddling a significantly aging list through to a premiership was Geelong back in 2011. They've tried to run a similar strategy every year since and look where it hasn't got them.

Definitely agree with all of the above. The one thing Hibbo won't be though is a MFC player for the next 3 - 5 years. IF Smith can finally get a run of luck and keep his body in one piece, he could be. If it's line ball between Smith and Hibbo, I'd be playing Smith most times and keeping Hibbo in the back pocket as depth/reserve. Smith is only going to develop better game sense getting more game time and his form suggests he too good for Casey and is only really going to develop that to the point needed playing seniors. Having now won his premiership medalion, I'd think Hibbo would be mature enough to understand the club's needs, handle the situation with class and focus his attention on helping develop the next generation at Casey if that's what was asked of him. Could always bring Hibbo in fresh to nullify Dusty for games against Richmond as well.

I wasn't really that surprised at all. If you look at how we've approached practice matches under Burgess, the empahsis is on approaching it as if it were a home and away match and not about excessively rotating players to ease them into things. I forget what the squad numbers are for practice games, but as far as the MFC is concerned, it's almost as if it a squad of 22 players and additional emergencies to avoid risks with niggles and injuries that develop during the game, that you would take during the home and away, but not a practice match for no points. Players not fit enough to run out the 4 quarters, don't play starting 22 or even make the squad. While I think there is a desire from our supporters (myself included) to see others given a go at the top level to see where they're at, that's not the priority of our coaching group who are in the mindset and process of fine tuning the team for Rd 1 already. Absolutely love where we are at in this respects - win Rd 1, get on a roll and set up our season like last year. No more 0W, 3L or 1W, 4L starts to the season that have us scraping just to make finals from Rd 6 onwards.

During my nightly lullaby rewatching the GF 3rd Qtr last night, I noticed that Kossie tackles the Dogs player, imeediatley before it spilled to Bowey before he chips over the top to Brayshaw who kicks the goal that puts us in front and after which we never looked back and never looked like losing the game. There's also the fact he should have been paid a free 20m out straight in front in the 3rd for having his head ripped off. As you said it so eloquently, playing the team game, not the highlights reel. Kossie was huge in the GF. Did exactly the sort of stuff that won us the premiership, as did guys like Gus and Viney who busted their guts out, took the hits and kept on comming back for more and more when the chips weren't going our way.

🤔 He is a free agent from what I understand 😁

Would love to see a few wooden spoons dotted along the yellow (Hawthorn) part of the chart and for the membership lines to cross sometime in the future!

I included / signed my mum up this year as part of the family membership I have, so there is one more genuinely new member onto the tally. What's even better is that she was originally an Essendon supporter, so is proof that conversion therapy can work!! Incidentally I've also moved back down from Queensland, so now a full member again, not an interstate one and looking forward to getting to many a game this year a the spiritual home of footy and the MFC, the mighty G. My kids are going to love the atmosphere there when it's packed with Demons supporters, with the team taking down the opposition.

Agree. Taking the ground in Rd 1 when we unveil the flag should be a nice feeling for Tommo too.

You think it would take that long?

Wonammeri did end up playing some good footy for NT Thunder I think it was in the NEAFL (Basically QLD/NSW combined state league) as few years ago.

I do genuinely feel for the individual, but I'm not sorry that Essendon will be deprived of a bloody good player.

So do I 😊

It's got a bunch more premiership players in it than any we fielded in 2019 😁

Easy up there Brock McLean! 😁

Yeah, but it wasn't declared, it was hidden and only came out years later. Like I say it was a grubby affair. The word slimy also comes to mind, with Sheedy also up to his eyeballs in it and I think it's a far reflection on him as well. I remember how smug Sheedy was announcing he'd just stolen $cully from us. Can't stand such clinical business analogies being applied to sport, the two arn't an equivalent. No one invests in shares simply because they like the company colours or corporate logo. Loyalty and the way players treat a supporter base are a valuable commodity in sport and $culley absolutely trashed that with his conduct at the time. To be fair, the AFL was also partly to blame with the way they set the rules up. To be honest, while I was disappointed to loose all of Farmer, Rivers, Frawley and Howe, I'm not as filthy on any of them as I am on $culley, because of the service they did give us amd way they conducted themselves about leaving us. As bitterly disappointed as I was about loosing Scott Tompson to Adelaide (particularly after watching the elite player he became), I can understand his desire to more closer to family and that was a considered risk Melbourne took when they recruited him. I could have gone much harder and cruder on $culley, but I somewhat refrained.

I even like what Eddy has to say in this video. His quote that the game became the "Slaughter in the last quarter" was great. Actually quite like Brad Johnson as a comentator. At times he says some 'dumb' sounding things, but generally I find that his analysis of footy is intelligent, knows when to lighten the mood and have a laugh, but the thing I like about him most is that he always seems to come across really humble, respectful and not full of himself.

...which is also a segue back to the Luke Jackson situation. In his captains diary, Max details quite alot how having both himself and LJ within the team is enhancing both their games and how Max himself has learnt from LJ to keep moving and stay involved after the ruck contest. Equally, I've only ever heard LJ say great things about working with and learning from Max and the respect he had for him was clearly evident. I remember at the time he was recruited how so many people were questioning why Melbourne would use such a high pick on another ruck, when we already had the best in the competition and how that might work out over the longer term. But it's worked out brilliantly. I almost pitty opposition teams comming up against us over the next few seasons if LJ and Gawn can take their games to another level. In seasons gone by I noticed a substantial drop off in our momentum in games when Max was rested on the bench for short periods, but now the opposite is true and how other teams will deal with how/when to rest their main ruck in this scenario is such an asset to our team. I'd be thinking that LJ will want to be a part of this kind of arrangement for years to come and I've got little doubt that the MFC will repay the deeds and faith that LJ has given the club, when the oppertunity to reward him financially arises.

Reminds me of what a grubby affair the whole Tom $cully defection was (literally and metaphorically, since Graeme 'Grubby' Allan was up to his eyeballs in it). Won't ever forget or forgive all that. Spare me the sob story about what a rabble we were off the feild and how $cully just wanted to be part of a sucessful culture, it was mostly just about the $$$$. Our current captain stayed and became an important cog in the rebuilding of sucessful, selfless team culture, hoisted the cup and has a premership medallion that's worth more than the millions $cully got paid and I think there's something in that.

It's legit where the Freo Dockers have their training base, which makes alot of sense, due to their reputation of having alot of top half back flankers. ...P.S. it's actually pronounced more Coburn, but don't let that stand in the way of having a good giggle!

Doing Chariots of Fire style beach runs with the Premership cup held high.

I'm starting to get a bit worried about all this. My sister's freinds brother Phil is in Cockburn (the suburb or Perth) works as an admin assistant to an estate agent was saying the other day that a they had a buyers agaent who was saying he worked for an AFL player of one of the successful East coast teams inquiring about property in the area.

As you point out above, it's not just about how a clanger is defined, it's about the situation and where on the ground the clanger occurs. Clarry and Trac probably have mostly forward half clangers, as opposed to back half clangers leading to turnovers that open you up and get you scored against. In that sense, our excellent team defence this season pretty much gave Oliver and Trac a licence to be attacking and turn it over more often in our forward half, without it really hurting us, because we were already so well setup down the line defensively that we'd more often than not win it back. Must also build pressure on the opposition when Trac and Clarry can be so attacking without suffering substantial consequences for turning it over. Eventually the dam wall breaks and you get the BANG, BANG, BANG!!