Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Future replacement for Steve May in a few years when he fills out a bit more potentially? Or even Tommy Mac/BBB? Hoping all the aforementioned have a fair few more quality seasons left in them yet, but given the reality of how long it take most big men to mature, I see this as some pretty schrude succession planning by the club to get an elite big man on board and start developing him.

Perhaps we should look at some tall bloke that works at a pizza place and smokes a few durries on the side? Last one of those we drafted turned out all right! Elite indicators apparently. Don't know why they don't include those activities at draft camp?

Lol

I think the most entertaining and interesting watch out of all this is the video of Jason Taylor and the recruiting team going through their options and then locking in the picks, like the ones for the Jackson, Picket, Rivers 2019 draft and the Bowey, Laurie 2020 draft posted reciently on the MFC website. Fascinating and inspiring watching, but I don't think that gets released anywhere near the actually draft night, so best we get is a rap up from JT and pretty much bank it that whatever her tells us about the players is what we'll see running around in our best 22 over the next few years. In JT we trust.

Demons - 21 14 (140) Doggies - 10 6 (66) Great song selection by the G man. If that was not putting on a show with theatre and pazazz on that last Saturday in September, then I don't what is!

Baby hands

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/11/17/why-brownlow-medallist-likes-where-the-bulldogs-are-positioned/ Seems like Gerard Heally agrees with you Ray. Interesting if you read the article that the Demons finally won over Gerard, as I got the feeling that for most of the season, he was a non believer in us and was backing the Doggies in to win the flag, which I guess in a way was not an entirely unreasonable position given our previous track record of folding in times of pressure and it wasn't really until late in the home and away after that amazing finals series that we really flicked the switch and went from just a super solid defense side, to one that could also totally dominate good sides offensively consistently as well, within the same game.

Richmond and Geelong hung on in 2020 because of shorter season and shorter quarters. Yes, I can understand if the Tigers 2021 season was a down year, a bit like our 2020 season that followed 2019, but I think the key difference is that in 2019, we predominantly had a list that was maturing, where as in 2021, they had a team that was predominantly aging. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Richmond are better in 2022, but I don't expect they will be the top side. I guess the real test will also be of us if we can maintain and/or our game, even in the face of increased injuries which will likely be the case, given the near dream run we had injury wise in 2021.

Something we know that Jason Taylor, Goodie and Co. value highly and we've seen the rewards of again and again.

I'm not really a monachist, but I just want to know when the club will officially announce that JT has been nominated for a knighthood. Could get the her majesty out here for her birthday game against Collingwood to do it in front of a packed MCC. I'm sure the old timers would love it! ...she barracks for the MFC you know! 😜

I somewhat forget if they were particularly bad terms that he left on, but was great to see Shane Woewoden in the rooms after our win. Not only that, but that he had his 2000 GF jumper on, was a nice touch I thought. I'm a bit of a tragic sentimentalist when it comes to things like this, but I do like the thought of Woewy Jnr pulling on the jumper for us as well.

...and support Essendon of all clubs - FFS. Are well, if it were true, I think they've been well and truely hit by the karma bus with all the great success Essendon have had, drugs scandle and all!!

After some hesitation, I bit the bullet and ordered one of these the other day. I was really wanting one with all the players celebrating, but the best version of that one was sold out and I couldn't bring myself to purchase the version with Perth Stadium in the background, because (And absolutely nothing against our Perth based supporters etc) part of me still resents the game being played there and so many of us not being able to make it. Perhaps if/when we win one at the mighty G, I'll get one with it all over the background. In the meantime, the thought of the above one arriving sends me to a happy place every time I think about it as it captures some truly beautiful moments of that one day in September that we've now finally been a part of in my lifetime! GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!

Apparently the Bulldogs players may not be with you there? https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/melbourne-demons/afl-news-2021-melbourne-vs-western-bulldogs-perth-nightclub-fight-days-after-grand-final-campbell-brown-podcast/news-story/3160b2546fce467d3971aa3b8493c407 https://www.google.com/amp/s/7news.com.au/sport/afl/club-responds-to-claims-demons-players-targeted-bulldogs-in-heated-nightclub-clash-c-4354283.amp ... but who cares. At least now the Bulldogs are free from desire right 😜😅🤣

...BTW, I think I recall Jacko scoffing at the suggestion he could also have worn a Bulldogs scarf to the GF, due to the short time he played there post being let go by the MFC!

While no where near in the same stratosphere as the two aforementioned, I've often felt that Gary Lyon and Jimmy Stynes have been served up the rath of scorned Demons faithful for the lack of imeediate sucess back when they put their hand up to contribute to the club's administration. So happy for the amazing way both were embraced and included in our premiership glory. Barring guys like Jimmy and Robbie not being able to be here, I hardly think it could have played out better, if only perhaps Maxy Gawn could have been involved in that little calibration with the Stynes family, but I'm sure he would have if it weren't for bloody COVID. I really loved that post match interview with Alan Jackovic with Garry in the rooms. It was clear from that and numerous others I've seen or heard him do over the years (the Demonland podcast is a ripper) that Jacko both still bleeds Red & Blue and has a great empathy and kinship with us supporters.

The others not mentioned in this conversation so far are Joel Smith and somewhat ironically Adam Tomlinson. ...of course, the other answer which I also think has some validity is everyone on the MFC list needs to have a big preseason if we are to push to make another grand final / back to back flag.

Would be good to see what these guys could do, but I think time and possibly tallent are more on their side than some of the others we have, who probably really do need to prove themselves at the MFC or look elsewhere. Guys like Weid who is more of a prized big man would probably find a second club willing to give them a second chance regardless, but I suspect that Baker and Bedford would need to really shine with whatever opportunities they get at senior level, just to be considered elsewhere, if they can't crack getting a semi regular game for us.

In retrospect, I'm glad that Ball didn't have any interest in us, as I thought he was kind of meh at Collingwood and to be honest, I never really noticed him at St Kilda either. But then again I don't remember watching either side that closely at the time, so maybe he was actually a better player than I'm crediting him with. My perception in retrospect is still that there was way too much hype over his move than it really warrented. He wasn't anything like the Judd to Carlton kind of impact. Does also make me think just how important the connection that players build with their team mates is to their output and contribution to team. Probably a skill within itself for established players quickly adapt to their new role and how to best work together in a new environment and something that the gun recruits we have acquired in recent years, such as Lever, May, Langdon and Brown have clearly mastered.

Yep, to think that we had an 'avalible' forward line comprising the likes of Bennet, Lyon, Jackovic, Schwartz, Pike, Smith, Farmer, Lovel, Yze around the same time, amoung others I'm probably forgetting, what tallent. I rated Prymke's potential at the time as well.

Again, we were ahead of our time. I think this was the genesis of future picks.

Just ahead of your time. While not exactly a crowd favorite here on Demonland at times, little Charlie Spargo goes pretty darn good in the No.9 I think! Who were you thinking with 19 post Johnson's retirement? Was it Darren Bennett or Paul Prymke perhaps?

I've been progressively going through my DVD collection and replacing some of my favorites with Blu-Ray, because on a hi-def big screen TV, I find the picture quality is chalk and cheese and once you see things in hi-def, standard def looks kind of crappy. I do have a 4K TV and have some titles in that, but most of the time, I probably don't think that makes a huge difference. Rewatching the most import game played by the MFC in my lifetime in anything but hi-def would definitely agitate me.

Fox footy usually does that interview thing with the premiers about their season from recollection. I've never bothered to watch the whole thing for other teams, but I'm thinking just that show could be pretty decient. Dispite our 2020 season following it's release being somewhat of a flop, I thought that the "To Hell and Back" series was pretty well produced. Surely the MFC have got a stack of behind the scenes footage and can do a few post GF follow up interviews that will get packaged up into a quality product for us long suffering die hard to lap up?

I only got part way through before I got distracted on other things, but thus far actually pretty impressed. Like the part about the MFC players generally engaging with the umpires in a focused and disiplined way, without needless carry-on. I'm sure he has to watch what he was saying when singling out praise for the MFC players in this way, so as not to be perceived as favouring us, but what he said was pretty objective and general in nature in many ways and, I'm guessing Ray was also sending a bit of a message to the rest of the comp - your conduct on the feild and behaving in a professional manner towards the umpires is an ingredient towards becoming a premership side! Thought his insights into his junior umpiring days was also interesting. Built a bit more respect for him out of what I've heard of the interview this far, but still got to say that he does grate on me the way he seems to carry on out on the feild and creates the attention around himself, rather than just getting on with the game.