Rodney (Balls) Grinter

Yeah, but it's not like Daniher was outstanding throughout that period either and I'd argue that some of the fundamentals with T Mac like his goal kicking have always been better. Was there a MFC player in 2019 that wasn't terrible? I also don't think T Mac was all that bad last season. He was almost at a point where he was finding his form back again and then he got his eye poked out in that game and that was his season gone after falling out of fashion/favour with the selectors.

As I was watching the replay of the game again today, I couldn't help but think what an oppertunity Brisbane let pass them by last year when they assumingly (along with many others) passed up the oppertunity to sign up T Mac and instead chased and got Joe Daniher. I suspect they would have got T Mac on a fraction of the coin and looking at the respective output of the pair, I know who I'd rather have. Watching Daniher again yesterday reinforced to me how atrocious his goal kicking really is and what an asset T Mac's is. Just take for example that shot that Daniher had where he tried to screw it round with a banana from 45m out on the boundary and ended up completely shanking it. Compare that to T Mac absolutely nailing his set shots under pressure week in, week out. These are momentum/game changing moments. So glad we got no bites for T Mac last season and he's still at the club, producing his career best form again.

Totally. With Sammy at the moment, I also get the impression that it's somewhat a confidence thing and he could be one good game away from really turning it on and getting his mojo back to the level he was at last season. ...or he could be five games away, I don't really know. If it's the route the coaches/selectors decide to take at some point, I don't really think it did him any real harm to have him run around in the two's last year and build his confidence back there (hopefully the COVID pusses off). I think it's also possible that in a few weeks time we could (hopefully) face a selection dilemma of squeezing Langdon and Viney into the side. In this instance, I wouldn't have an issue with Sammy being dropped without BBB in the side. Our forward line functioned pretty well for the first ~6 games of the year with just T Mac, Jacko and Fritta as the main tall targets and a structure like that might even be our best option as we approach finals. In this instance I think we'd look to play Harmes, Trac, Viney forward a bit more and that could certainly work.

With the crazy eyes!

Love them. No issues at all, I think that add great colour to the crowd. I'm sure that someone on here could confirm, but I think they belong to the Demon Army (or were at least instigated by them) and were found to be a great way to include members. On the basis that they are used in the Demon Army, I don't think there'd be any real objections to them from the other people sitting around them ( i.e. other members of the Demon Army ).

Some ridiculous truth in that last part. Ex footballer type comentators trying to concoct a moment of drama to entertain their audience for a few moments, because they can't think of anything actually useful or integent to say, like perhaps just getting on with calling the game. Having watched this incident again a few times, I'm pretty much in total agreement with you. Was so incidental it should not have even been a free kick. Sparrow doesn't elect to bump (he's more back towards him than side on) he barely even shepard's as opposed to just trying to position himself in the area to contest the ball or be in a position to receive it. I'm not even that sure he was aware Rich was there. It's hard to see that it was even judged head high contact as an infringement on Sparrow as it's Rich running into his back.

Totally agree. But there also comes a point with his current form where you need to ask, is it doing the right thing by him and the rest of the team to keep playing him without an appropriate level of performance from him. Personally I thought the noise that we just had to play him due to his VFL form or risk loosing him to another club was pretty overblown. If he wanted to walk to join a weaker team for more money and oppertunity, then best he be gone. I personally didn't and still don't get the impression that was a significant risk on behalf of Weid. I personally think he's more invested in the team and sucess than to shophimself around at this point. And he'd played what 3 or 4 good games at Casey without getting a call up - hardly despiration stakes kind of stuff. Despite his lack of dominance, I also though Ben Brown's performances at both Casey and AFL level were serviceable and at his best, he's an outright gun of a forward, so I'd have no issues with him being promoted back up to senior level. Similarly, I very much get the impression that BBB has the kind of level head and maturity that if he has to improve his game at Casey and bang the door down for the next 6 weeks, that he'd take that on the chin and just get on with it and do whatever he could to get himself right. From seeing what both BBB and Weid are capable of (mainly his solid form last year for Weid), I think it's somewhat just a matter of confidence and the challenge of an injury interupted start to the season that both these guys are struggling with and have reasonable faith they will turn their fortunes around with further game time. Where ever this ends up, I think the MFC is in a great position to have such good depth and competition for key forward spots.

Yeah ok. Fair call Jnr. ...but you know what I meant. ?

Agree, with the minor addition above. Some had us as winning the flag in 2019, but we all know what a false dawn that was. I'm just hoping that we can maintain the rage, stay healthy as a list and get even better throughout the remainder of the season.

Loving his work. I have been really happy and impressed by Petty's efforts to step up and into the role played by Tomlinson. He's not quite a Tomlinson clone, just because of their differing physical attributes, but still contributing to the backline/team defense that's allowed us to maintain such good stability down back. He looked a little shaky for a few weeks and still has the odd brain faid moment where he shanks it out on the full or something, but overall I think he's brought himself back up to backman at AFL level. Starting to take some big strong intercept/contested marks and get involved in good chains of play as well.

I did think it was somewhat ironic that one of the times he did clunck it well last night, was in good goal scoring distance and at a key time of the game in the 3rd qtr (when we would have really valued a goal), it was a touched ball and th mark wasn't paid ?

I think it somewhat depends what you define as improvement. My take is that pretty much all of those mentioned have more or less recovered form to be playing as what is similar to their previous peak levels of performance. The real improvement has come in the across the board collective belief, maturity and consistentcy of the team.

As is Dogga Jackson

Sounds a bit like they are playing a bit of 'bruise free' footy up there at the Lions these days? ?‍♀️

Ooooooozee

Or Chocho

Also noticing that we have turned around our centre square clearances since that horrible game in that respects against Sydney. The combination of Clarry and Gawn were great at winning out of there in the second half and Gawn seems to have got his radar back, with some great knock downs straight into the hands of our on ballers.

Really glad that Harmes is back playing good footy in the guts. Nullifying dangerous opponents, while breaking lines through the centre square and providing some great drive of his own. There were a good number of people who were writing him off as an ordanary player who no longer had a place in the side. Clearly an asset the way he's playing at the moment.

Not sure he's the right guy! ?

So glad the boys turned on a good show for you @It's Time and all the other Sidaney based Demons diaspora. Shouldn't have any voice left after that.

GO the MIGHTY DEMONS!!! I enjoyed that win even more than convincingly putting away the Bulldogs last week. Clarry, Trac, Gawn, T Mac, Spags, Kossie & May were truly awsome in that second half, well supported by many others, as is now the Melbourne way.

Actually I should get on board with the sponsors product and get on the Furphys a bit more often. It's a decient enough drop.

Hey, for a while VB was a popular up here in the land of the banana benders, but I probably prefer Coopers myself these days.

Think it might have been played with a possum skin back then.

Rivers has got that good half back flankers knack of adventuring up the ground to slot through the odd sausage roll. Loved that huge bomb on the run against the Crows.