Rodney (Balls) Grinter

An oppo player I'd love of similar ilk to Rankine, but who is already mature and deliving on his potential is Charlie Cameron. The bloke basically carries the whole Lion's forward line. Watched him closely from behind the goals when the Lions thrashed Geelong at the Gabba this year and he's simply a player that knows where the balls going, when to time his run and go for it, has the athletic traits to get it and commands the respect of the opposition's best defender. His efforts tearing a realitively inexperienced, but capable Joe Smith a new one and keeping the Lions in the final against us were evidence of that. I'd love to see what he could do with a bit more freedom playing in a forward line that also had the likes of Fritsch, Kossie, Nibbler/Spargo, T Mac/BBB/Weid. Highly doubt he is anything like gettable for us though and I haven't really considered where he fits in age wise, just a bit of a fantasy pick, based on loving watching the guy play.

Exactly, this new article 'revealing Burgo's secrets' is regurgitating his philosophies that I'm sure he's discussed publically before. There must be some balance and nuance to his philosophy of pushing players through their injuries. For instance we rested Jack Viney for a substantial period this year to get him right for the remainder of the season. Similarly, I also seem recall us resting Christian Salem. In retrospect Jack Trengrove pushing his body on with his injured foot probably wasn't the best thing for his career. I think there is probably some key knowledge and judgement about when to keep pushing and when to back off that makes or breaks this strategy.

Not to mention being responsible for the brilliant passage of play that turned the game in our favour. Sensational one handed gather at pace, through traffic and perfect delivery into space for Fritsch.

Don't recall that so vividly, but the way they just so reliably won games and controlled games was as much about disiplined playing to systems, temperament and belief. I both loathed and admired them, because despite all the talent we had throughout the same era, in all that time through the 90s, we couldn't put together the same consistent performances over a season and big finals to bring home the silverware the way the Eagles did during that reign. Of course, juice probably also assists recovery and injuries, in order to maintain a fit list over the course of the season, which as we have seen time and again is also critical to sucess at the pointy end, so if those rumors were true, that would certainly put a different slant on thier sucess. As much as anything though, I'm guessing near exclusive access to WA tallent may also have played a pretty big part in their depth and sustained sucess though that period?

As much as I loathed them, I did respect the West Coast Eagles teams of the early 90s under Mick Malthouse. They were methodical/clinical in the way they defended and refused to conceed scores, but then when they'd worn you down, they could put your team away. And they generally delivered on the big stages of finals. I really felt that this year, that was us.

Love this highlights package from the MFC. Video editor did a great job, but probably had it pretty easy, with the man Salem providing heaps of quality material. Just look at the first play in the reel. Tackles, strips the player of the ball and then delivers perfectly to a teammate. Of course the package is finished off by his goal in the GF, which was a suburb and fitting way to punctuate his season. A man of near endless tallent, he doubles as the team hairdresser if I recall correctly from an interview with Steven May at some point.

Thanks @BDA - top interview. Interesting Billy Stretch's professionalism being such an influence on Clarry and more reciently Goody, with his 3 big rocks. Don't here Clarry speak at length so often. So many other great insights, but one of the others that really stuck out to me was the connection between Clarry and Gawn on the field, with Clarry pretty much instinctively knows where Max is going to put it off his ruckwork. Sort of reminds me of the way good onballlers I played with just knew where it was going, in a way I never seemed to be able to. The really interesting one was regarding Gawny bringing all the midfielders in to turn things around in that third quarter. Gawny seems like such a great leader that his players really respect.

So, I thought we were about to get a Gus & Gawn / Demonland Premiership special podcast! Come on guys, how about it?

Up here in sunny Queensland where not that many follow AFL, let alone the mighty Demons, one of my 6 yo son's PE teachers wears a MFC cap on pretty much a daily basis and has been since at least the start of this season. So since the start of this year, pretty much every time my son comes across this teacher in the school yard, he gets a big "GO DEMONS!!" from my son. Whitenessed this exchange first hand, when I was dropping off my son to class the other day ... it's a beutiful thing. Obviously, to be wearing a MFC cap on a daily basis, his PE teacher is a bit of a die hard Demons man. Got talking to this teacher a while back sometime mid/late(ish) in the season (heck of a nics bloke) and apparently one of his grandpa's played for the mighty MFC back in the day as well. He got a big "GO DEMONS!!" from me too, when I saw him in the week or so following our awsome premiership wining GF. As Binngers alluded to, it's great to be a part of this tribe right at the moment. All those years of pain have only deepened the bond and euphoria, we now share with our fellow Demons faithful.

We keep a winning culture together and I think it will be an easy decision. Never thought I'd say this, but while we're in the position we currently are, I'm bearly concerned about loosing quality players like LJ, because I doubt it will happen. By the time LJ is demanding absolute top dollar and ruck time, I think Max will be around the point where he's ok with accepting lesser roles and dosh. Let's face it Max has already immortalised himself in MFC / footy fofolklore. I think we are at greater risk of loosing some of the quality B graders like Rivers, Jimmy Jordon and possibly the likes of Hunt, whom might rightly think they could be a bigger name and earning capasity at another club. But when guys with some currency and capability like Melksham choose the option of slogging it out at the MFC over others where they might have greater opportunities, I think that says something.

With a premership medal around their neck!

Who would have thunk that. I have a new found respect perhaps even some love for Eagles and Dockers supporters. Who knows, maybe they are human after all!!

Not really sure that doll was needed Jontee. I think we've got Libba's measure. We have a Harmes and Jack! ...But keep your voodoo magic skills by the ready, just in case we need them.

The respectful and understanding way we supported Kossie when his mother tragically passed away before the season. Though he wasn't a huge scoreboard contributor on GF day, he still had a huge presence in the game, the preceding finals and season as a whole. I think having guys like Matty Wheelan and Nev around would have been a big help in this regard as well.

They just need to have a good afternoon nap. This is a big occation. Any MFC parent that doesn't let their kids go to this arn't a real supporter. My kids will be there with all their cousins. One day they will tell their kids they were there when the MFC unveiled it's first flag in 57 years. ...and any boss that sacks their worker for not turning up the next day is a bum!! 😜

Yeah, cool. I get that perspective too. Saturday afternoon would have been my preference, following that Friday night. Guessing the AFL and the club also have their eye on the TV audience. Not sure what the calculation is there Wednesday Vs Friday, but I'I'm guessing in their drive to Amercanize our sport and maximize cash, pretty much anything goes. I'm just hoping that things will return to a Saturday afternoon GF at the MCG again from 2022 onwards.

I'm actually not so sure about playing the dogs fist up, as I'd probably rather us both have at least 3 or 4 games under our belts Into the new season, to build both form and anticipation of the game, but I can also live with playing them first up in Rd 1. It's a no loose situation for us really though. We win the game and all MFC supporters will go home happy that we've unveiled the flag and got a win first up to maintain our dominance and kick off the new season on the right foot. We loose and it's like 'meh, we won the one that counts and we're the premier's. I'd much rather win mind you and should we subsequently loose games in the following rounds, a round one loss would be more consequential. Still, a big pressure game for both teams first up to kick things off.

You don't think we'll get 80,000 MFC fans to this game to watch us unveil the flag for the first time in 57 years? Sunday will be great for everyone who can make it, but I'd be going to this Rd 1. game if it was played underwater at Timbucktoo at 4:00am on a Monday morning.

Love your work Webber. Give me your work over a Picasso or Van Gogh any day of the week. This fine art should adorn the wall of the true Melbourne supporter.

Nah, we play that just as the dogs get onto the ground before the game. ...and after if we win too!

Now we are premiers, the sound of that song should simultaneously send a chill down the spines of MFC and opposition supporters for polar opposite reasons. Hope it becomes even more hated by the opposition than Ports never tear us apart or whatever it is.

That's true. I guess also if it weren't for short quarters and a horror 5 days or whatever in Cairns a few seasons ago, we probably would have made and presented well in finals last year and appeared less like we'd come from way back in the pack as well. As has been variously pointed out and stated by Goody, Max and others, our 2020 was actually pretty decient, bar a few finishing touches to the team's ethos and character.

Yeah, perhaps I'm being a little Chicken Little there. What's probably more likely is that MFC 2019, is just missing the 8, like the Hawkes of 2009. I could handle that, so long as we go on and did what they did subsequently. Of course, I'd really love us to go back to back, but it's such a big ask, I'd rather not bank it just yet. ...then again, maybe we could just jump straight to the Brisbane Lions style 'three-peat' straight up - to quote an infamous catch cry from a few years back "I'd like to see that!!".

Although, on this occation, at least Flash posted a bit of a summary and key quote.

Love just how fickle the media are. Start of last season they bearly rated us at all, had St Kilda, Carlton, Freo, Essendon and possibly Hawthorn surpassing us. Now all of a sudden we have a list that is setup to win multiple premierships. To be honest, I didn't exactly foresee last season would go as spectacularly well as it did, but I did think we had the core of a list that could compete for a flag over the next 2 or 3 years at least. Now all this incessant tyre pumping is making me nervous and I just hope we arn't about to get 2019 Mk 2.