Herald sun investigation into dees tanking saga

[Stevi_Tigers]

So apparently hitting the papers tomorrow.

Mod edit: Dont post the whole article. A paragraph or two, with a link thanks.

 

[Tulip]

Doesn't seem to be an investigation at all, really. Just a public telling of what the AFL uncovered. Doesn't bother me as a Dees fan too much, given this was all covered seven years ago and the Dees copped a whack for ('not doing') it, but it seems pretty bloody cruel to Dean Bailey's family to have him and the story that took over his final years back in the papers - even if it puts him in a favourable light.

 

[Silent Alarm]

This story is about as relevant as a newspaper in 2019.

 

[CH Jazz]

Shameful and confirmed what we already know. But why rake up mud after all these years when a central figure is dead. They deliberately tanked, got the picks, tore the heart out of the club and set themselves back a decade. Move on.

 

[Captain Morgan]

It amazes me to this day that the demons were found not guilty but they still punished people for it. This is up there with the Essendon saga as evidence that the AFL are corruptible and manipulate the landscape to suit what ever environment they want to construct.

Sad for the melbourne players and fans having to endure that culture and organisational bias for many years. Takes ages to get rid of a losing culture, just ask Richmond .

 

[markm106]

Did Sandra Sully deliver this news?

 

[Topkent]

There isn't a punishment the AFL could have given that was worse than what our supporters went through during an after the tanking period. We were horrific for near on a decade, didn't develop any youngsters an didn't trade in anyone.

Everyone knows we tanked, mind you we weren't the only ones

 

[Topkent]

It amazes me to this day that the demons were found not guilty but they still punished people for it. This is up there with the Essendon saga as evidence that the AFL are corruptible and manipulate the landscape to suit what ever environment they want to construct.

Sad for the melbourne players and fans having to endure that culture and organisational bias for many years. Takes ages to get rid of a losing culture, just ask Richmond .

It's all in the wording mate. If they say guilty it's a match fixing issue an the sports companies would have ended the AFL for good.

 

[RUNVS]

I highly doubt anyone who was involved in this is even at Melbourne anymore. I also think from memory the guy Melbourne got for tanking is gone too.

 

[mike123]

It amazes me to this day that the demons were found not guilty but they still punished people for it. This is up there with the Essendon saga as evidence that the AFL are corruptible and manipulate the landscape to suit what ever environment they want to construct.

Sad for the melbourne players and fans having to endure that culture and organisational bias for many years. Takes ages to get rid of a losing culture, just ask Richmond .

Could be worse, they could have been relegated to the VFL and have two premierships taken off them whilst being found not guilty.

 

[Blue1980]

Well we pretty much knew what was going on.

How Cameron Schwab kept getting high powered jobs despite basically being s**t is completely ridiculous.

Seemed Melbourne assumed a direct coalition that ranking = premierships.

My club and others had I am sure towards the end of a season that it would be difficult to win an extra game, but Melbourne seemed to make it some who club wide directive for basically all of 2009.

 

[Topkent]

I highly doubt anyone who was involved in this is even at Melbourne anymore. I also think from memory the guy Melbourne got for tanking is gone too.

Yeah no one. Only 2 players an they are Jones and Jetta who are the last 2 players from us you would accuse of tanking.

 

[Blue1980]

It's all in the wording mate. If they say guilty it's a match fixing issue an the sports companies would have ended the AFL for good.

Yep, opened up another can of worms.

Mind you it wasn’t like people didn’t know about tanking by 2009, anyone betting on Melbourne in those times would of been rather moronic. Odds were adjusted accordingly because of the perception of the tanking.

 

[Substance]

This story is about as relevant as a newspaper in 2019.

Yep, too late for this. People won't care, so the AFL will shrug.

 

[Blue1980]

Yeah no one. Only 2 players an they are Jones and Jetta who are the last 2 players from us you would accuse of tanking.

Players were never directed, it was all the wacky positional moves, players sent for surgery, use only 50 rotations v an awful Richmond and still need Jordon McMahon to prevent you from winning etc

 

[Topkent]

Yep, opened up another can of worms.

Mind you it wasn’t like people didn’t know about tanking by 2009, anyone betting on Melbourne in those times would of been rather moronic. Odds were adjusted accordingly because of the perception of the tanking.

Yes a handful of teams had a go at tanking just the *******s at Melbourne went next level on it.

Both Melbourne and Carlton supporters know that once you put that losing culture into motion it takes ******* ages to get out of it.

 

[Topkent]

Players were never directed, it was all the wacky positional moves, players sent for surgery, use only 50 rotations v an awful Richmond and still need Jordon McMahon to prevent you from winning etc

Yeah exactly I just know some moron will try an link Nathan Jones to it but as a Dees supporter who has watched Jones play he isn't capable of not giving 100%
Kade Simpson if you will

 

[Topkent]

I highly doubt anyone who was involved in this is even at Melbourne anymore. I also think from memory the guy Melbourne got for tanking is gone too.

Watts, Scully and Trengove all came in the tanking years..

 

[richoatthedisco]

I'm astonished none of you can see what this means.

Gil knew. And covered it up. If it were any organisation other than the AFL, I would be adamant he would be gone. But it is the AFL. He'll probably give himself a bonus and go on holiday.

 

[VL3OJ]

The only thing this shows is how much a boys club the AFL is. Policing the clubs that bring in the money must be a difficult tight rope to walk and the key issue is that there was a significant upside for clubs near the bottom which was the AFL's own making. Melbourne were not on there own.

A bit like trying to sweep the supplements saga under the carpet early in the piece and thus it should be the afl getting reamed rather than Melbourne.

The question I have is ... Why now? What has happened to release this to the Hun?

 

[Blue1980]

Yes a handful of teams had a go at tanking just the *******s at Melbourne went next level on it.

Both Melbourne and Carlton supporters know that once you put that losing culture into motion it takes ******* ages to get out of it.

Yeah losing culture for us wasn’t created by tanking, we were truly awful with a s**t list before the last 5-6 rounds of 2007, which is really the only period tanking would apply. Then we rose and improved between 08-11, and played finals.

It was well after this period we became s**t again and the factors largely awful recruiting and a s**t football department.

Melbourne did go next level with it, before them it was more if clubs happened to be in the situation later in the year they would make decisions which made it less likely to win.

Melbourne seemed to be making everyone in the club follow a direction of not wanting to win games and threatening people.

Regardless of this, the AFL should never have had priority picks structured based off wins and losses.

 

[Blue1980]

Yeah exactly I just know some moron will try an link Nathan Jones to it but as a Dees supporter who has watched Jones play he isn't capable of not giving 100%
Kade Simpson if you will

A very small minority.

I’m also not dumb enough to think that if only happened with Melbourne in 2009 or us in 2007.

Could name at least half a dozen sides going back at least to the infamous freo haselby game v geelong in 1999

 

[Topkent]

Yeah losing culture for us wasn’t created by tanking, we were truly awful with a s**t list before the last 5-6 rounds of 2007, which is really the only period tanking would apply. Then we rose and improved between 08-11, and played finals.

It was well after this period we became s**t again and the factors largely awful recruiting and a s**t football department.

Melbourne did go next level with it, before them it was more if clubs happened to be in the situation later in the year they would make decisions which made it less likely to win.

Melbourne seemed to be making everyone in the club follow a direction of not wanting to win games and threatening people.

Regardless of this, the AFL should never have had priority picks structured based off wins and losses.

Losing culture isn't just tanking, it's playing all of your draft picks to 'develop' them while your club accepts that it will lost some games. Geelong an Hawthorn don't do 5 year plans now at the bottom. They have a single season outside of the 8 an they have an inquest. That same attitude was not at our clubs.

 

[richoatthedisco]

Melbourne seemed to make it some who club wide directive for basically all of 2009.

"We can't afford to win more than four games. It would be irresponsible."

A very senior Melbourne person said that to a club employee, in 2009. How do I know? She told me.

Players were never directed, it was all the wacky positional moves, players sent for surgery, use only 50 rotations v an awful Richmond and still need Jordon McMahon to prevent you from winning etc

Even if McMahon had missed, Melbourne would just have thrown the game against Freo two weeks later, instead of winning by 10 goals.

 

[Topkent]

A very small minority.

I’m also not dumb enough to think that if only happened with Melbourne in 2009 or us in 2007.

Could name at least half a dozen sides going back at least to the infamous freo haselby game v geelong in 1999

It was a disgusting time in AFL footy. There never ever should have been an incentive to lose