Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Well, this is kind of ironic for me personally. I live in Brisbane and just yesterday I was looking at our fixture in terms of lining up dates against the games and realised that I'd double booked myself by committing to a boys camping weekend on Fraser Island for our Metricon Gold Coast game. Guess I don't feel so bad about it from that perspective now, but disapointed for all the other Demons fans this screws around. At least I got to see us thrash Hawthon and take care if Geelong at the MCG earlier this year. And bigger picture I also realised there is a public holiday in Queensland the Monday following what should be grand final weekend, should we make it.

If I thought Hunt would be a regular contributor to the team this year, it was as a quick forward (speed forwards in the new MFC lingo). That he has been able to adjust his game to playing back in defense where alot of people thought he had deficiencies and he hadn't played much for a few years, is a real credit to him. Would be great if he could up his game that little bit and kick us a few extra goals every now and there off a back flank. He had a fair crack at one from outside 50 on the boundary last night and nearly bought it home. He's really quite a good kick for goal, so I think providing a few goals here and there ought to be well within his capability. Would also be nice to see Goodwin shuffle the magnets every once in a while, when we are struggling to kick goals and throw a guy like Hunt or May forward to see if they can kick a few breakthrough goals, but I feel that our philosophy this year is more about prioritising predictability within the team and the players as individuals, so I'm not sure it's that likely to happen right now. It could be something which happens more frequently when the team has imbbeded the confidence/belief, knowledge of how each other plays to a really mature level, like what happened with the really good Hawthorn, Geelong and Richmond teams over the past few years. I think this actually represents another level our game could go to.

Are you talking about that handball over the top to Trac in the goal square? If not, that was another great example of top notch disposal to setup a player. Jimmy made it look easy, but I think it would have actually be quite a difficult hand pass to execute under pressure. I think it may well have been beyond some other lesser players in the past and we would have missed the target with Trac and he either fumbles the ball over the line or ends up getting tackled and we don't get the goal.

Let's hope so!

Awsome to see. If his body had held up Trenners could have been a good captain. But gee Big Maxy is a great one. Loved hearing him respond to a question from the Eddy or someone on the Fox Footy panel, when he was interviewed post match. The conversation was about how Kossie had seemingly pulled himself out of a form slump and got himself up to put in a great game against the Power and the question asked of Max was "What did you say to him as captain to get him up for the game?". Taking absolutely no self credit, Max deflected the premise of the question and proceeded to talk with words to the effect of what an incredible contributor Kossie was to the MFC and how great his performances were and how he had been so amazingly reslilant in the context of the family tragedy that he had been through at the start of the year and how it would be great for him to hopefully get to spend a bit of time with them over the weekend as well. In the same interview, Max had a bit of a laugh at himself for getting his head sat on in that screemer the Port bloke took on his head, then had a rye dig at Jake Lever for pushing the Port player up there and a laugh about it with Steven May. His work ethic and commitment on the track are elite, his onfield performances are amazing, his work with the media helps elevate the marketability of the MFC and his social and emotional connection with his teammates is sensational and his leadership has us playing the best, most disiplined team first footy that I've ever seen from the MFC. He totally respects the MFC history and great players and personalities. Hard to think of a better MFC captain that we've had in a long time. Another diamond in the rough. Congratulations on 150 games big Gawn dog.

[censored] I'm enjoying watching the big T Mac play this year. Clunking big marks all over the ground, kicking clutch goals at big moments in games left right and centre. Probably one of the most underrated and little noticed aspects of his game externally in the media is the drive he provides from wing-half forward and the connection then achieved with our other deep forwards. Just love the way he takes a big strong mark, then gets back quickly, brushes off the man on the mark and then drives it deep into an open forward line with a pretty much perfectly measured kick to the advantage of our other forwards pushing back. Fritta, Kossie and Trac must love it when they see him mark in these situations. He must have an insane metres gained and goal assists for a big bloke. How T Mac ever became so bemoaned riles me. I hardly think you could ever fault the desire, workrate, attitude and team ethos of big Tommy. Love the competitiveness, aggressiveness and passion he playes with. Getting in the face of Travis Boak after kicking that goal last night was gold. Would pay people to remember how he looked gone for all money over the last couple of seasons when they write off the likes of Weid and BBB.

Is that even possible?

I love Clarry, but seriously he would have to be about the worst set shot for goal we have. Just about the last bloke I'd want to kick for goal in a klinch moment. He use to be all right. I don't know what's happened here. Just hope his saving up the one he actually kicks to win is a big final or something.

Liked Hunt's game again tonight. He has been really desperate, tough and effective with some of his defensive play. Has had a few off games, but overall would have to be putting in one of his most consistent seasons. Hibbo pretty good again as well.

How about Kossie's. The wife might that even more. We're Charlie ducks and weaves, Kossie dances and sings with the footy.

Finding this win very satisfying. In years gone by, we would have been Port Adelaide, a team that are compeditive most weeks, but not good enough to beat top 8 / top 4 sides. Not this year. We just seem to be able to find that extra gear, intensity and have that extra level of poise against the better teams around us on the ladder. Once we get a lead of 10 - 20 points up, we just seem to be able to control the game and hardly let sides back in. I did like that even though Port had periods of midfeild dominance, we were able to absorb that onslaught once again, without being hurt big time on the scoreboard.

6. T Mac 5. Trac 4. Kossie 3. May 2. Salem 1. Petty

He's not exactly setting the world on fire and leading the VFL goal kicking this year either is he? That said, I'm happy that we have Majak on the list as ruck/KPP depth and also denying our opponents of that. Also happy for the guy that he's still able to be a part of an AFL club and who knows what the future holds in terms of a potential senior call up at some stage. If it were to happen, I'd be rapt for him and hope he covers himself and the MFC in glory, but it's not looking like the fairy tale right now.

I actually get a sense that we are not travelling all that badly as people might think. GWS can be flakey (like loosing games to Hawthorn), but on their day can also be quite a formidable foe and I actually think they are a bit of a sleeper to make and then impact the top 8. Also look at who our much rated close opponents have played and the results in recent weeks. The Bulldogs were hero's for 'smashing' West Coast by 55 points, but looking at West Coasts performance against Sydney last week, can you really rate the Bulldogs win against them that highly? Bulldogs only beat North by 19 points at their last outing too. While I'd like us to be more dominant and in better form, I think the reality is that it's a pretty close competition, so achieving that is a tall ask. What we hace been able to do this season is to win more consistently than most other teams and importantly beat all of those teams closest to us on the ladder. The game against Port is another important test, but if we can find a way, then it opens up some breathing space within the top 4 and sets us apart from another genuine contender again. As hard as our draw on the way home is, in my mind we simply have to find a way to finish top 4. Without that, we have no genuine oppertunity at the premiership and it's just another wasted season.

I haven't really got that much of an aversion to Trac's planking grumbles, but I must say that the more of them I see, I'm really not a fan of these 'miked-up' video snippets the club does. I think they come across a bit cocky and arrogant in the videos. To be clear, I don't really have any issues with the players behaving the way they do at training as shown in the videos, as it's good for camaraderie and team spirits to have a good sense of humor and fun at training at the appropriate moments. It's just that I think it's quite different to have a bit of a private joke and laugh with your mates than to broadcast it to the world. No doubt the club wants some content for the website and fan engagement, but personally I think there are better ways.

I wouldn't mind seeing that at all, but Geelong were rubbish last week against the Lions and if they dish up the same again tonight, it could well be a 15 goal Bombers win tonight too. A win win situation an alot of ways really.

I'd like to see that too. Mumford is a dog. Doesn't give a rats about playing footy, just out to plod around the park, collect his pay check and hurt blokes. If he's a chance of playing I'd actually rather that we rest Gawn and let Majak loose on him. Could be more beneficial for us, for where our season is at. Get Majak a taste of the game at AFL level again and preserve Max for the pointy end.

Sean was a family favorite player in our house growing up as kids in the 90s. Had a few of those Demon plush toy things, which mum stitched home made numbers onto the backs of, one of which proudly wore the number 27. Was one of the few players in the league who could 'do a job on' Garry Ablett and keep him quite when both players were in their prime. Mind you I think Ablett kicked a few bags playing on Sean as well. Life was so cruel to the MFC through that era, taking some of the nicest guys in footy like Stynes, Wight, Broadbridge, Bailey... but it hasn't got the Reverend yet!

I feel Jonesy's value to the team has been fairly undervalued at times on this forum. Yeah he hadn't been kicking many goals off his own boot or racking up huge numbers, but I feel he often played an important hand in our attacking chains that resulted in goals. He has both that strength, experience and skill to hold onto the ball longer and dispose of it to a good option in space that I'm not sure I've seen in Sparrows game just yet. I've been happy to get games into Sparrow as I think he's both earnt it and needs some more games at the top level for the sake of his development. But I'm just not sure that he is damaging enough to help take our forward line to the next level. Feel like we need to get one of Jones, AVB or Melksham back in there soon to start embedding some better forward connection for finals.

What all this shows is that Essendon had to rely on sensational, low % goals and every marginal umpiring free kick to keep them competitively in the game. We controlled the game through our superior defense when they had the ascendancy (thanks to May, Lever, Hunt, Hibbo & Co) and were able to break down their defense and punish them on the scoreboard when we had the ascendancy, despite the lack of a clearly dominant permanent forward on the night - it's what good teams do and marginal ones can't do consistently. That's the lay of the land right now Bombers supporters. Suck it up and shut up.

6. Clary 5. May 4. Lever 3. Gawn 2. Hunt 1. Salem

Sure some of Petty's decision making and disposal have been a bit iffy. No question aboy that from me either. But this is a guy who isn't an experienced player and so that's to be expected. I'd much rather give him the experiance and exposure now than in the burning lights of finals. Would we prefer Oscar Mc Donald be our third tall down back?

Welcome back Jack Viney - captain ruthless.

Providing the opportunity to get more games into Harry is the silver lining to Tomilinson's ACL injury.

I would have said it was the other way around actually, but the it's kind of like picking which is the better dog terd isn't it.