Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Yeah, that Rd 1 night game was somewhat warm and humid, but from my recient experience somewhat the exception to the rule. My regular 20min walk from home to the station would usually result in beads of sweat rolling down my back at 6am in the morning in SEQ, due largely to the humidity and secondly due to it being near enough degrees even at that early part of the day.

I think that's largely the mentality we took in a number of games in the middle of last season until the pre-finals killing spree. I'm not sure if it was just conserving for next week once the games in the bag, or more of a focus and emphasis on making sure our defensive game is well tuned, but it seemed like a number of games last year that we effectively shut down the opposition in the last quarter, without attempting to put them to the sword when we probably could have.

As Goody remarked, the guys we had in down back held their own and got the job done.

I hear you Faulty. I've just moved back to Vic from SEQ ( have also traveled/worked a far bit in FNQ) and it's been quite a shock to the system. Cold mornings see me don jeans for the day, but then I'm sweating in them by mid arvo, but can't understand the life long Victorians saying how hot (it hasn't) got some days with like 0% humidity! Doing my head in!! Lol

Weid was pretty decient for most of 2020, when many said it was T Mac's cards that were marked an Weid would be our key forward from then on. It's Rd 1 VFL, I'm happy to give Weid the benifit of the doubt and see what he can do. It's a long season and who knows.

I think Weid spending some time in the ruck is good for getting him involved, physically fired up and attacking the ball with a bit of aggression.

Of course it's not. Lingers is 'a machine'.

So refreshing to be on this forum after a 2 - 0 season start. Entirely different mood to previous seasons when we could well have been 0 - 2 and jumping down the throats of each other and our players. The game scenarios we have faced this season, trailing to the Dogs and Suns and being challenged could easily have seen us loose the plot and throw the game in previous seasons, but now we have the confidence, poise and disipline to stick to our systems and grind out the wins in a clinical controlled way. In that last quarter we weren't dominant, but also looked pretty much totally in control. I love this winning feeling. GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!

While Tommy certainly isn't in smashing form, one not the things he does do well is get up the ground, provide an outlet target and contest. He rarely gets beaten 1 on 1, enables the team to reset once the stoppage occurs and I think that probably pretty important to our structure and game style.

Gawn is on the record as stating that he finds Witts to be a formidable opponent. Chol was also quite difficult at the centre bounces and looks to be quite the athlete, despite not being able to maintain the rage all game, although, I think most players out on the ground were just about spent at 3/4 time with the humidity.

Was just by accessing through several web browsers. Pretty sure web browser was up to date.

Trying to help out my old man, who has just reactivated Kayo and is getting Error Code 3007. Contacted Kayo several times and apparently they haven't been very helpful. Anyone got an tips/tricks? As a related issue, it's bloody pathetic that channel 7 appears to be showing the Port Hawthorn game in preference to ours. Got the premership and an attractive brand of footy, but seems the free to air networks still don't give us any love or respect.

Yeah it's possible, but unlikely when there are 17 other teams trying to climb that same summit. There have also been 5 different premiers since 2013, so statistically a little over a quarter of teams in the comp won a flag in that same period. It's not like the Hawks have totally bottomed out and got access to a bunch of good draft picks which would give them a better than average chance of reaching the summit again - another Clarko parting gift from the late season winning streak they went on in 2021. Asides from St Kilda, several other well resourced teams with one 'sucessful cultures' are currently without a premership in over 20 years (Adelaide, Carlton, Essendon) and Freo with a natural advantage for WA tallent retention/attraction haven't conjured a flag in nearly 30 years. Hawthorn could similarly be at the start of such a long drought. 20 years is a whole generation of kids growing up without the ultimate sucess and many of us know how that feels, we've lived it!

On a related note, an interesting article in the age a few days back: https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/fewer-picks-or-remnants-mitchell-s-rebuild-is-harder-than-clarkson-s-20220319-p5a647.html It's early days for Mitchell and who knows, maybe he is the next golden child, master coach that will take the AFL by stom, but he's been dealt a pretty dodgy hand to start with. Hawthorn are probably the modern equivalent of the MFC in respects to their dominance of the competition for around the last 30 - 40 years. No doubt pleanty of Norm Smith curse assertions to be found in a Alistair Clackson sacking thread and they may well come to fruition. For all the claims of Hawthorn's superior list and organisational management, look how badly they bungled recruiting over the past 5 or so years and how badly they handled Clarkson's exit. Even now with access to good draft picks, there's no gaurentees they can rise back into the eight, let alone premiership contention any time in the next 5 - 15 years. They are currently flush with funds and members, but that may not be the case after another 20 or 30 years in the AFL wilderness. Wouldn't take long for their piggy bank to run dry with lack of on feild sucess and escalating costs into the future. Can only hope the footy gods bring them 50 odd years of pain before tasting real sucess again. Maybe at some point it will be Hawthorn supporters that wished they'd voted for the merger, so the could at least have a 20mm hawk ar the bottom of the red V on a MFC jumper.

This was the one that most riled me. Was totally against the way the rule has been umpired for the past 10 years. When the deliberate rule was first bought in, they were so hot on it, that you would say Langdon would have definitely have been pinged, but in the time since, the rule has been relaxed to the point where if a player just strolls across the line it's just plane out of bounds, throw in, even though it's clearly the intent for the player to take it out. I think the umpires need to be given some common sense instructions, that if it's borderline/marginal free kick, err on the side of caution and play on.

My youngest got a No. 50 clash jumper at the start of last year. Looking like a good choice at the moment. BBB - go you good thing!

So much about this saga is a storm in a few cup. Don't know if it's been said before in this thread, but if anyone had a right to be lashing out at the media reciently over leaking of internal club machinations, it was Simon Goodwin Re the aledged doctor bulling episode and not Bevo for something trivial like a selection move. Look at the contrast with Goody's classy refusal to be drawn into a public slanging match through the media. Secondly if Bevo is playing games with naming someone on the bench that he never actually intended to start there (i.e. there was always an intent to swap him out for a injured player that was named in the side) surely there's actually an integrity issue there with the naming of the 22 in which the AFL wouldn't approve. I'm sure it's happened pleanty of times before, but to be so overt about it and then get all upset about being outed for it and draw more attention to the occurance really does make me wounder. It would be something I'd be wanting to hide under the carpet, rather than bring more attention to. Lastly, this whole episode had been so grossly over hyped it's not funny. I don't know how Bevo draws the link to player mental health, when as far as I can make out the media was speculation over a selection call and perhaps an on-feild/training performance or attitude related judgement, not as if the players private life was being trawled through in the tabloids. Equally Bevo's apology was over the top - yeah he had a bit of a slightly personal dig at Morris, but 'really' . Bevo made more of a fool of himself than of Morris. If lashing out at reporter's at post match press conferences is now a charitable donation worthy offence, the Salvation Army and others must be licking their lips at all the retrospective post match swear jar payments owed by Mick Malthouse and a few others.

Yep. It meant we needed the practice! Having the players get a bit of a sting from loosing, but not counting for premiership points was probably a good reminder and preparation as well.

Thought Brayshaw's efforts dropping back in defence were really good again tonight. He's become a really good reader of the play and state of the game like that.

I thought I saw Bowey limping off as he went towards the bench in the last quarter? Did anyone else see that, know what's happened? Really hope it was just all in my head.

Still yet to be seen how we'll go against the reigning premiers!

I think the umpires got good odds on backing a bunch of chokers to getup against us. Several of those decisions that cost us goals against were abominable 😡.

Even their cheer squad area looks space compared to ours

Take it in fellow Demons, we're about to raise the first flag in my lifetime. Amazing stuff. Can't believe it's true and so glad to be here for this moment. GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!!

Looking at the above vision again, I think Kossie was just 'a little' more subtle in the Trac GF goal play, although the intent and effectiveness were just as good.