Rodney (Balls) Grinter

I think St Kilda are having the equivalent of our 2019 season, except they never showed the same promise as us in 2018 and probably arn't quite as bad as we were in 2019 (yet). I'm actually find it quite satisfying how relatively bad they are going this season compared to the projected performance and expectations on us and then respectively at the start of the season. I personally never rated them particularly highly last year and never rated us so meekly, but that's probably somwhat due to my own supporters bias and lack of objectivity and a jealousy that a reciently struggling opposition team could have overtaken our development. On a similar note, I think it's interesting that Carlton have been rated so lowly this season. Despite not putting the runs on the board win wise, their competitiveness in games suggests to me that they could be much closer to becoming genuinely threatening that the rating given suggests. It's quite possible they cross a threshold in correcting a few deficiencies in the second half of the season and start reversing their fortunes. I haven't really watched enough of them and Harry McKay to from a substantial oppinion, but I was impressed by the gutsy effort of McKay to not only stay on the ground, but make an impact kicking goals against us when clearly significantly injured and in pain. Not that I really want them to do well, it's just a sense that I get. I honestly haven't been that surprised by our performance this season. The building blocks of the players mentioned by Connoly have been there a few seasons now and I'm just a little frustrated we didn't put it together like this last year, when we were pretty compeditive and should have/could have won games against Richmond, Geelong and the Lions, which would have created a much different story for 2020. Still to almost go 11 straight this season is sensational and I'm just hoping that we can continue to get better, dominate the second half of the season in an even more convincing manner and the carry that form, belief and killer instinct all the way to that one day in September.

Would love any of Jack Viney, AVB, Track, Harmesy, Hibbo or May to absolutely nail him in a final in front of a huge crowd at the MCG like 2018 against Hawthorn (Mitchell) and Geelong (Selwood & Danger come to mind). Keep your powder dry boys.

Was at that game as well and the Lions tactics and umpires lack of action were an absolute disgrace. Distinctly remember Charlie Cameron shepherding Max out of moving into position to mark several time in a way that was soo obvious, it's like the umpires were not even on the ground. Bet you they would have seen it if Max had have decked little Charlie though, which it exactly what big Maxy should do if that little runt tries it out again.

Yeah, pretty much. You find them in all the pokies and lawn bowls clubs down on the GC. ...starting to sound like I know these places too well. Cough cough.

Can't help but think - what a joke it is the way they name these sides. In: "-" And like [censored] Harmes will start on the bench after his game last week.

You know, they called it that, because most Queenslanders don't have the brain cells to read the word Beer.

Thanks for the well researched and collated stats. I think what all your stats point to is that T Mac's inclusion as an AA forward rotating off the bench is pretty well founded on the basis of his ability to contribute up the ground a bit further as more of a CHF type and not just inside forward 50.

And/or someone to develop into and replace Hibbard when he finally hangs up the boots. Not wishing retirement on Hibbo anytime soon, but it's got to be a possibility sometime in the next 1 - 3 years.

That set shot outside 50m was a decient roost. That's the complete opposite from what many on here was suggesting just 6 months ago Re the sort of players we needed. How times change. Though, I somewhat agree that for a guy we recruited to fill a backline depth venerablility most of his highlight real is in the front half. Looks like a capable enough unit and will be interesting to see what a few more months on an AFL list can do for him - best of luck Kye.

For me I'd say yes. Have noticed more and more as time goes on this season, that with T Mac, it's not just about the big marks and timely goals he so reliably nails inside 50, but his work around the ground and delivering inside 50 in particular is elite in my view. For a big bloke, he chases and tackles pretty good too.

As a fellow interstater, I wouldn't have been so disappointed if the game was played at the Gabba. Was the only up side to last season/year that I got to more MFC games than I have in many years. Watching us thrash those filthy Pies at the Gabba was a real highlight.

Just go nuts brother. Screem your lungs out and cheer our Demons on to VICTORY!! GO THE MIGHTY DEMONS!!

Got to say, I'm pretty pussed off with the NT govenment about them shutting up shop and then not paying us the $800k either. That contract can't have been very well written. Part of me is hopeful we could play it there again some other time and still keep the $800k, because I think we would financially need that fairly badly, but another part of me says that a potentially energy sapping trip to Alice is something we could do without and perhaps this is as good a time as any to say goodby to the mob of C U in the NTs.

Officially Giants Stadium: https://www.afl.com.au/news/624485/fixture-update-r12-blockbuster-finally-finds-venue-crows-pies-clash-still-tbc Not the worst result. I'm just happy it's on and not going to derail our fixture for now.

Agree with you here 100% BB Yep Hey and hasn't that gambling industry made a great contribution to the AFL and society in general.

Sorry, I just don't get this narrative of CW the elite footy journalist. Yeah, sure unlike Slobo, she can actually put a few words together which make meaningful sense in the English language, but that's hardly a high benchmark to overcome. I couldn't help opening her most recient article just to see what it was all about, but really it was just like lancing a boil. Full of puss about behind the scenes administration types that no one knows or gives much of a crap about. Her material would be better off in the politics section of the newspaper than sports. I enjoy my footy to get away from all that stuff and she contributes pretty much nothing that I want as a sports journalism consumer. Time that she goes the way of Mike Sheean and retires.

I see in her most recient bile laced offering, that she can't help but take another swipe at Melbourne Re 'the tanking affair'. [censored] off back to wherever it was you were hiding Wilson. How this person is considered a 'Sports Journalist' is beyond me. Would be better off doing tabloid crap for the Telegraph.

The whole reason for this thread is very un#positivelingers BTW

Don't fully get the lack of love for Baker. Yeah he's no #positivelingers (let's face it other than the man, who is?), but I think he showed good intent and attack on the ball when we played him late last year and again against North. If his Casey form is decient enough (mind you that's hard to evaluate with the lack of games) if we are not prepared to play him in scenarios such as this, you wouldn't think that fairs well for keeping him on the list. However I doubt that's the case, since he was promoted for the North game and an advantage of Casey not playing this week is that he'll be pretty fresh as opposed comming off a six day break that Brisbane will be.

The umpires haven't missed paying a bunch of marginal deliberate out of bounds against us this game have they? FFS ?????

Yep. I think that's it.

It's kind of an asides, in the context of tonight's game, but I've been thinking lately that Sparrow really needs to log some more time at AFL level. Jordon has been good, but I'm not sure he's that much better than Sparrow right now and I think we really need to rotate these two in and out of the team for some decient blocks of games for the sake of both their development and ready made depth for the team.

Just seen the news that this game is definitely going ahead and it's made my Friday. Can't wait to get through the rest of the work day and watch us slog it out tonight. Irrespective of what happened last week, my feeling is that our form hasn't been that great (i.e. we're not totally dominating games) so I'm not brimming full of confidence, but our ability to consistently rise to the challenge that's in front of us has me believing we are still in with a red hot chance. Hoping we learn some things from last week and our encounter with the Dogs pre-season. Really want the win tonight - hate these [censored]. Go the Mighty DEMONS!

Agree, great article. Has been a glut of this kind of article about us of late, so I didn't have high hopes of learning anything new, but this is loaded with intimate insights. The author must have had some great inside access and trust within those individuals, which had been repaid by the author with the absence of any real mud slinging, except perhaps with respects to Bartlett which is pretty inconsequential to the current context and I'm not really sure even he would have an issue with what is stated. I've had a good feeling about the sort leadership qualities refered to about Trac for a while now. Contrast this article to the one shown on the same page by Carroline Willson titled "AFL big boys club" (Or something like that). I've got no issues with Wilson not writing about the match day stuff, given it isn't her expertise and no doubt the exclusive male dominated aspects if the AFL is something which should be written about (by someone) but why she has to always be the one to focus on slinging mud 90% of the time as opposed to using her connections and journalistic tallents to write a ballance of interesting and insightful articles like this one is beyond me. I also find some irony in the trajectory of our team this season, compared to that of St Kilda. At the end of last year and start of the season so many 'experts' , both in the media and here on Demonland raved about how much further advanced St Kilda were as a team compared to us. It's quite possible St Kilda arn't as bad as there season is playing out right now either, but I've sensed a growing capability within our team over a number of years and it's amazing how many were prepared to write that long term growth/capability trend off on the basis of a few games against Sydney and Freo in a compressed fixture period. I still recall the wise words of Peter Jackson when he stepped down from his position, that sometimes growth isn't linear and that we should expect a few speed bumps along the way.

Oh yeah.