Brian Waldron

[SaintsSeptember]

Bookies have moved to remove the temptation. Its not really betting on sport anymore once you look at this sort of thing.
Can you make a bet whether Rudd will get his health package through the senate? Whether Andrew Lovett goes to jail? How many people die in car accidents this year?

 

[Malifice]

I wouldn't worry. It'll be the market covering itself. I know this is how the Storm thing started but for the Sainters to be stripped of points or future points I'm sure any rorts would still have to be taking place this season.

Why?

Stripping draft picks for the next few years of compromised drafts would be a slap on the wrist for any current top 4 team.

I reckon stripping premiership points is the most likely and appropriate punishment (should there actually be anything behind this of course) outside of $$ sanctions.

The article suggests some punter put $110 on the saints at 1000/1 for the spoon. Thats $110,000 if he's right.

No wonder theyve suspended betting.

 

[Kildonan]

I disagree with this too. Carlton were punished for things they did in the past along with what they were still doing. The same should apply to all clubs.

The penalties would be determined according to the current situation of the club. A club which is not in contention for the flag would not suffer greatly for having premiership points taken off them, but they would be more greatly punished by having future draft picks taken off them.

I do agree that a club most likely would only be penalised premiership points in a year that they were determined to have cheated, but there are other ways to punish a club than just points, fines and draft picks ...

 

[u396]

Why?

Stripping draft picks for the next few years of compromised drafts would be a slap on the wrist for any current top 4 team.

I reckon stripping premiership points is the most likely and appropriate punishment (should there actually be anything behind this of course) outside of $$ sanctions.

The article suggests some punter put $110 on the saints at 1000/1 for the spoon. Thats $110,000 if he's right.

No wonder theyve suspended betting.

Assuming the Saints had previously cheated the cap or breached player payment agreements precedent would suggest fines and exclusion from (or from rounds of) the drafts. I think the reason the Storm were excluded from accruing points this year is the fact their players were being paid an estimated 700k above the salary cap.
While i appreciate they are different codes with different admins, I think for the AFL to start stripping points it would have to be found that a team were unfairly advantaged this season by exceeding caps etc. not that at some time in their past certain players were paid more than was allowed.

On the ineffective nature of stripping draft picks: I think an inability to renew, replenish or restore a list by being excluded from drafts would both hurt a team for a breach while also aiding those clubs who haven't breached.
I do agree with coming drafts heavily weighted to assist the expansion sides a penalty would need to be more extensive than missing the first round or two of a draft. All rounds maybe?

 

[Kildonan]

All teams are required to turn playing personnel over so no matter what - so they will have to replentish - it's just a matter of when - i.e. after the first round, or after the first two rounds, or after all clubs have already taken all the picks they desired.

 

[thecotch]

Lets look at it from a cynical point of view.

If Waldron was rorting the books at the Saints

1) The Saints will have to be as dumb as Carlton who presented the wrong books to the AFL, or the Storm who didn't have the brains to hide the second set of books.

The Saints have had five years to hid the evidence.

Now lets look at it dispassionately.

Saints have been audited by the AFL on numerous occasions and have been given the all clear.

AFL has a different setup to the NRL and it is easier to keep players (due to the draft) than it is at NRL where players walk out mid season to other clubs.

Waldron left in 2004. The admin, the majority of players, the whole coaching staff, and admin are completely different.

Even if (and it is a HUGE if) the Saints breached the Salary Cap in any way, the penalties would not be harsh, mainly to the Saints dignity.

But it was 6 years ago when he left, and it will be a remote chance that the Saints did anything wrong at all.

Even if Waldron came out and stated that he cheated at the Saints - his reputation is trashed beyond repair and his word will mean nothing.

Anyway, thats my take.

I struggle to understand this bit. What relevance does it have JB?

 

[Joffaboy]

I struggle to understand this bit. What relevance does it have JB?

Because

1) The books have been audited once before nothing at all was found and anything thoat would be found will be minor

2) The issue was over 6 years ago and the admin,coaches, and most of the players are different.

 

[CaptainHodgey]

This thing has turned into a witch hunt. I wouldnt be too concerned

 

[Persevering Saint]

I volunteer to give up our 2003 first round draft pick.

I'm more worried about the repercussions for the discussion around one of our early 2002 picks. This is going to create a whole new stream of dung from Robert Walls' mouth about how, "y'know, Brendan Goddard could've gone to Carlton, if not for the salary cap penalties..."

 

[gandaal]

Normally I'm pretty harsh on Carlton trolls (well any trolls really), but today I reckon your lot are entitled to look at the St Kilda involvement with Brian Waldron and wonder if we should be investigated. I am sure we already have been as all clubs would have been looked at after Carlton were found out.

I would be mortified to hear that anything untoward had been happening at my club, after all the pontification and criticism I have given to cheats, cheating and Carlton fans in particular (many of whom were avid denialists of their club's cheating).

Sadly - your troll provides the best evidence that we haven't been cheating - our lack of success and, as I alluded to earlier, before Waldron left we were mainly a team of kids - we would have been lucky to reach the minimum payments in 2001/2002/2003 and our kids started to achieve some success in 2004. By 2005 many of these kids could now bargain for a decent contract, but by then Waldren had already left for the Storm.

While you haven't had the ultimate success St Kilda has been reasonably successful on field with its positive win/loss ratio during and after Waldron's CEO reign. Maybe you didn't reach the top because Thomas was no Bellamy... but that's just speculation without foundation. What we do know is that St Kilda made a number of high profile signings during Waldron's run as St Kilda CEO. That isn't proof of any cheating but given what's come to light recently it should be a good enough reason for the AFL to have a closer look at the books during that period.

 

[bubblegoose]

bitter dribble from a low dirtbag

The Age is reporting that the AFL will take another look at the Everitt contract from around that time. Spida says he's owed $100k.

It's amazing how the media can start dishing it up, out tomato sauce on it & w***ers crawl out of the wood work from all over to chow down.

 

[Kildonan]

While you haven't had the ultimate success St Kilda has been reasonably successful on field with its positive win/loss ratio during and after Waldron's CEO reign. Maybe you didn't reach the top because Thomas was no Bellamy... but that's just speculation without foundation. What we do know is that St Kilda made a number of high profile signings during Waldron's run as St Kilda CEO. That isn't proof of any cheating but given what's come to light recently it should be a good enough reason for the AFL to have a closer look at the books during that period.

and we welcome that.

AFL checks Waldron at Saints
CAROLINE WILSON
April 23, 2010

St Kilda CEO Michael Nettlefold said he welcomed any investigation. ''The St Kilda Football Club works closely with the AFL on its total player payments and in that regard we don't have any issues. If the AFL wants to look at anything at any point in time they should do so.''

 

[sainter]

and we welcome that.

AFL checks Waldron at Saints
CAROLINE WILSON
April 23, 2010

St Kilda CEO Michael Nettlefold said he welcomed any investigation. ''The St Kilda Football Club works closely with the AFL on its total player payments and in that regard we don't have any issues. If the AFL wants to look at anything at any point in time they should do so.''

Absolutely.

I must say I started to panic at uni earlier today when I received a number of text messages telling me that betting on the wooden spoon had been suspended after a number of bets on St Kilda.

That's how it started yesterday!

Seriously, I'd be flabbergasted if we were guilty of any salary cap related matters during a period where we weren't particularly successful. To me there doesn't seem to be a reason to be even close to the cap.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

I was just thinking about chucking a buck or 2 on us for the spoon yesterday...

 

[Axcellence]

Here's another.... I now know where my membership money went...

http://www.theage.com.au/rugby-leag...ice-affair-forced-boss-out-20100423-tj93.html
Inter-office affair forced boss out

CAROLINE WILSON

April 24, 2010

BRIAN Waldron's sudden and unexpected departure from St Kilda took place not because of any perceived salary cap problems but because of his divisive and intense relationship with a female staffer who became his partner....


The then married Waldron constantly denied he and Medwell were having an affair. Medwell, a former publicist with the Australian Cricket Board and one-time partner of Sydney Swan Troy Luff, joined the Saints as an event manager in 2003.


She was rapidly promoted to the position of commercial operations boss and received as part of her salary a BMW, which she reportedly left in a Moorabbin car park after being removed by the Saints board the following year.

.....
Waldron left several weeks later, telling staff he was joining the Melbourne Storm. Butterss, already at odds with his former close friend and then coach Grant Thomas, lost the confidence of key administrators when Waldron - who was also a close friend of Butterss' - was afforded a generous payout from the cash-strapped club.

 

[Caesar]

Pretty sure you completely misinterpreted what I was saying,

 

[Final Siren]

I was just thinking about chucking a buck or 2 on us for the spoon yesterday...

And that's exactly why the odds plummeted. With the Storm, it was a few people with inside information. With St. Kilda, it was ordinary people hearing on SEN that Waldron used to work for St. Kilda, noticing they were $1000 to win the spoon, and thinking, "Hmm..."

 

[Kildonan]

While you haven't had the ultimate success St Kilda has been reasonably successful on field with its positive win/loss ratio during and after Waldron's CEO reign. Maybe you didn't reach the top because Thomas was no Bellamy... but that's just speculation without foundation. What we do know is that St Kilda made a number of high profile signings during Waldron's run as St Kilda CEO. That isn't proof of any cheating but given what's come to light recently it should be a good enough reason for the AFL to have a closer look at the books during that period.

If you examine the era when Waldron was at St Kilda, we did not have a positive win/loss ratio at all - he was at St Kilda between our our two most recent peaks of on-field performance.

...

In 1997 we won the minor premiership and just lost the GF.

(We also played in finals in 1998)

1999 Waldron is employed by the club as General Manager of Football Operations. He arrived with an immaculate resume.

At this stage the club's on-field performance is in decline (the Watson era).

Late in 2001, after the Blight sacking, Waldron is appointed CEO of the club.

The club finished last in 2000, 15th in 2001 and 15th in 2002.

In 2003 we finished 11th as some of our recent recruits began to contribute on the field.
(Trish Medwell is employed by the club as an event manager)

In 2004 we won the preseason comp and had the 10 match winning streak. Eventually we were narrowly defeated in the preliminary final by the premiers. Our kids were now recognised for their ability and performance.

(Waldron lost the confidence of the board and his administration over Medwell's rapid promotion and generous package).

Waldron departed St Kilda in late 2004. (several weeks after Medwell was sacked) (former Saints president Rod Butterss told Waldron his position was no longer tenable due largely to his favourable treatment of the club's commercial operations manager, Trish Medwell.)

I believe that we would not have had very many problems keeping payments under the cap prior to 2004 as our player list was filled with youth.

After the boys began to prove themselves they would be in a position to negotiate more significant contracts - most of this would have occurred in the latter part of 2004 or later.

In light of the Carlton salary cap breaches, all clubs have been investigated for similar breaches. I feel confident that these investigations were performed properly and that we had nothing to hide.

Waldron was present for all of the worst patch in our recent (on-field) history.

Most of the bracketed comments were added for historical relevance

Inter-office affair forced boss out
Date: April 24 2010
Caroline Wilson

 

[Squizz]

Here's another.... I now know where my membership money went...

Despite not being a popular opinion (although that's never worried me before ), the article symbolises why I respect Caro. Rarely pulls a punch, typically spot on the money (although yes, she has misses too), and often divulges information which clubs have been desperately covering up). Doesn't bother her to be disliked, as she genuinely believes in her material. Can't say the same for her colleague (who is "Lame").

 

[Doctor Moffet]

All sounds very concerning. Gee, you just can't help but wonder. I'd be pretty apprehensive if I was a saints fan. Hope you guys hold tight though and nothing bad comes to fruition.

 

[Kildonan]

All sounds very concerning. Gee, you just can't help but wonder. I'd be pretty apprehensive if I was a saints fan. Hope you guys hold tight though and nothing bad comes to fruition.

What sounds concerning?

Wonder away - but it has all been checked thoroughly - by the AFL and also by one of the most prestigious auditing firms in Australia.

We have nothing to be apprehensive about !

Thanks for your concern - but move along now - nothing to see here.

 

[Hammers_Saints]

Is this the first time in history that a team has been favourites for the flag and the spoon at the same time?

 

[Squizz]

All sounds very concerning. Gee, you just can't help but wonder. I'd be pretty apprehensive if I was a saints fan. Hope you guys hold tight though and nothing bad comes to fruition.

I'm just hoping Collingwooood supporters will stop posting dribble on our board.

All sounds very concerning? I'd be more concerned for Alan Divak's jelly legs.

Gee, you just can't help but wonder. You can't? Wonder how long until someone from Collingwood makes an arse of himself? Too late Doctor Muppet! (refer Dick Faulthouse thread).

I'd be pretty apprehensive if I thought it would be a good idea to post on an opposition board with "concern" and "wonder" and "apprehension".

 

[stfan]

All sounds very concerning. Gee, you just can't help but wonder. I'd be pretty apprehensive if I was a saints fan. Hope you guys hold tight though and nothing bad comes to fruition.

Ah yet another disgenuine Collingwod Troll shedding crocodile tears wbale tht hop against hope that we get disqualified so that they can at bast get 4 points against.

Well bad luck there is nothing in it. The AFL went through the books years ago....and so we be their again to get the 4 points against on the field next time we play.

 

[na exa]

life amazes me sometimes


here we were as a club , expressing concern, wonder and apprehension for that bunch of emotionally shattered cabbages

ie ...

and here they are paying their respects to our non worries.


how cute .

thanx doctor muppet.
xx