Despite their vastly improved form in recent weeks, surely, no reasonable person would believe that The Eagles have a chance in hell of beating Freo this Saturday night.
Unless North somehow win beforehand (something which they haven't achieved in four months or so), a win would all but certainty cost the Eagles the number 1 pick in the draft and one of the most highly touted prospects in AFL history.
So, it begs the question, what is the incentive for the Eagles to win this game of football? In reality, there is none.. and because there is none, we can be all but assured, that unless disaster occurs, they won't.. even if they could.
I don't blame West Coast at all for any of this mess.. I blame the system. The system, which in instances like this greatly rewards losing and punishes winning.
Whether we want to call it tanking or something else, we need to stop pretending that these sorts of issues don't exist.
This really is a blight on the game and goes against the very essence of what sport should be about. Playing to win.
I believe we urgently need some sort of draft lottery system to be implemented and soon.
Unless North somehow win beforehand (something which they haven't achieved in four months or so), a win would all but certainty cost the Eagles the number 1 pick in the draft and one of the most highly touted prospects in AFL history.
So, it begs the question, what is the incentive for the Eagles to win this game of football? In reality, there is none.. and because there is none, we can be all but assured, that unless disaster occurs, they won't.. even if they could.
I don't blame West Coast at all for any of this mess.. I blame the system. The system, which in instances like this greatly rewards losing and punishes winning.
Whether we want to call it tanking or something else, we need to stop pretending that these sorts of issues don't exist.
This really is a blight on the game and goes against the very essence of what sport should be about. Playing to win.
I believe we urgently need some sort of draft lottery system to be implemented and soon.