Footy Classified Lifts the Lid on Carlton & Richmond's Tanking 2007

[binman 37,924]

To be honest i hope they don't investigate other clubs for tanking. We should just accept we were unlucky and move on. Who wants/needs any more tanking palaver saturating the footy news. It's not going to help us if another clubs gets slugged

I think most people know we were just one of several clubs who were not always trying to maximise the chances of winning in order to gain a benefit at a subsequent draft. Perhaps that's a positive, we're done and dusted on the issue - other clubs might be worried their turn might come. As another poster noted perhaps it even might help foster an us against the world vibe amongst the playing group.

On other clubs - there was quite a few comments by CW and on DL suggesting our management practices meant we had some very disgruntled ex employees and that this was a factor. This may well be the case. However there often seemed to be an implication that this was a peculiarly Melbourne thing.

Well i would suggest there may be more than one disgruntled ex Essendon employee and players for that matter (also some pretty angry current players).

Also IIRC a whole raft of Carlton employees were given the bullet when MM rode into town and were none too happy about it. There was talk of legal action, in large part due to issues such as unfair dismissal and how it was carried out (ruthlessly and without much, if any, warning) Perhaps Carlton are better at ensuring angry ex employees don't go looking for revenge. For their sake i hope that's the case or else they might find someone leaking inside info to some muckraking journalist.

St kilda seem to have their fair share of angry ex employees over the years - Grant Thomas, Stan Alves and Malcolm Blight immediately spring to mind.

In fact when its all said and done all clubs probably have their share of disgruntled ex employees so perhaps poor man management is the industry standard.

Edited February 21, 2013 by binman

[Redleg 37,555]

To be honest i hope they don't investigate other clubs for tanking.

I do.

[Carrot Top 947]

I do.

Aye. Prove to the world (or at least to me) that we didn't get slapped around because we were seen as an easy target.

[whatwhat say what 18,885]

Best episode in years.

[McQueen 17,862]

Funny that this is all coming out now after the event. Why couldn't it have been emphasised by the media six months ago? Six weeks ago even?

This whistleblower policy is going to unearth more Demons for the AFL. Let's see how selective they are in their investigations.

The cynic in me says very.

[Jesse Christ 2,884]

This is music to my ears. It will either restore my faith in the AFL or reinforce my hatred for a selective dictatorship and my victim mentality- which up until now is still justified I feel.

[jabberwocky 2,301]

The question remains that if an investiagation were held and thier senior coach of the time questioned would he be stupid enough to admit to leaving out players and ordering positional changes in order to lose a game to gain draft picks.

This point is lost on many.

[Gorgoroth 12,308]

Damn, I decided not to watch it cos I hate her. Might see if I can watch it somewhere over the weekend. Do channel 9 show old episodes on their website?

[Vim Fuego 10]

Great episode, for all of those that missed it, I manged to find it on Youtube;

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

That "journalist" would have interrupted and said, "don't be thtupid" because this is the way she thinks (and remember, she's a chief football writer):-

The AFL won't do anything. Write to ,your local member.

What's the point, they'll be out of work by the time this gathers momentum.

[low flying Robbo 979]

Thanks Vim, i look forward to watching it.

Maybe Jeff can replace Lloyd and put the hard questions to Caro when she gets back

[Jonesbag 487]

Big Jeff K, use to think he wasn't worth the time of day but after what he produced last night with his common sense and logic, it was fantastic television watching.

Hope CW gets the ass and this bloke stays on. He gets stuck right in and was refreshing to see him go into bat for the dee's against that balding muppet hutchy.

Viva la kennett!

[Jonesbag 487]

ps calling hawthorn soft was genius as well.

[45HG 1,539]

Talk about agendas, though.

Hutchy clearly saying 5 or 6 sides tanked. The Carlton and Richmond stuff has been well known, even spoken about here, for some time.

Yet all of it comes out after the findings are revealed? Why not 7 months ago when the investigation started?

I think Anderson smelt an easy target and a career boost. IMO we proved him wrong, career-fatally wrong.

[warren dean 193]

Riveting viewing last night. If you haven't seen it, make sure you do. Couldn't stand Kennett when he was Premier but really enjoyed his approach last night. Sensible, articulate and added enormous value. I think I agreed with just about everything he had to say.

[Whispering_Jack 27,959]

Despite the media's voracious appetite for tanking stories during the period in which Melbourne was under the gun, last night's revelations on Footy Classified were apparently completely missed by Fairfax Media whose chief football writer is apparently in Singapore (despite extensive research Demonland has been unable to uncover any AFL related activity there).

Meanwhile, over at the Herald Sun, they managed to cover Jeff Kennett's views on Andrew Demetriou's handling of the issues pressing the AFL these days but Nick Smart's (the name is surely an oxymoron) article ignored what Kennett had to say about Carlton and the others who "tanked" and how Melbourne and Connolly should feel discriminated against by the AFL - AFL boss Andrew Demetriou's time is up, says Jeff Kennett

I suppose Robbo didn't have the time to prepare a double page spread about the Kreuzer Cup and other eye opening games which Tony Liberatore spoke about in that damning interview which now takes on a whole new meaning.

Finally, last night's programme really highlighted how disingenuous the On the Couch panel were that night when they asked loaded questions about tanking to a Carlton player of all people and never asked the bleedingly obvious question!

Is the Carlton Football Club with all of its poker machines and powerful supporters really too big an organisation for the AFL and most of the media to confront?

POSTSCRIPT: Could someone please ring the Age and tell them that there's some footy on at Etihad tonight. I wouldn't want them to miss that too.

[jnrmac 18,944]

It would be ironic of Carltank were sanctioned because of this just after MM arrived. From memory the last premiership coach saviour for their club, Dennis Pagan, was cruelled by the salary cap cheating revelations not long after he arrived. Would stop MM in is tracks.

Couldn't happen to two better blokes (MM and DP) and a better club.

Cut em off at the knees.

[daisycutter 28,484]

It would be ironic of Carltank were sanctioned because of this just after MM arrived. From memory the last premiership coach saviour for their club, Dennis Pagan, was cruelled by the salary cap cheating revelations not long after he arrived. Would stop MM in is tracks.

Couldn't happen to two better blokes (MM and DP) and a better club.

Cut em off at the knees.

would be fitting for BP too

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,610]

I think the undercurrent of match-fixing and gaming licences is the most significant factor in the whole tanking debate.

I think Anderson naively instigated the witch-hunt of the MFC to the horror of the absent Demetriou. He could foresee the likelihood of "tanking" accusations mushrooming into match-fixing, and governmental gaming authorities becoming involved, with Carlton, Collingwood, Richmond, WCE, GWS, Hawthorn,Sydney , and Essendon all vulnerable to be implicated.

All these clubs(I presume) have gaming licences.

If MFC earns $4m, per year from these licences, I wonder what the big clubs earn!

The AFL would be fearful of a huge drop in revenue to the game if these licences were lost. That's why Anderson lost his job.

That's why McLachlan repeatedly parrotted the "party line" that MFC was NOT guilty of deliberately losing games.

I think the AFL will do its utmost to persuade gaming authorities to "turn a blind eye", which will have the side benefit of taking the heat off the Demons.

(punctuation edited)

Edited February 21, 2013 by Jumping Jack Clennett

[Jonesbag 487]

Rumour that cw has been sacked/walked from FC because of her spat with the lone wolf. Wonder what happened off air.

[McQueen 17,862]

The question remains that if an investiagation were held and thier senior coach of the time questioned would he be stupid enough to admit to leaving out players and ordering positional changes in order to lose a game to gain draft picks.

This point is lost on many.

No. The question remains that with the evidence available to the AFL, why has Melbourne been the only club investigated.

Outcomes aside, this is what frustrates me the most.

[old dee 22,843]

Lets get over this guys.

We knew seven months ago it was not fair.

There will be no other investigation.

Can we just worry about winning a game tonight and 7- 8 this year.

Please!!!!

[H_T 2,941]

Haven't heard squat about last night's episode in media coverage so far today.

It speaks volumes.

We're the patsy. And we've been bent over thanks to our own former disgruntled people and the AFL that Anderson said on outgoing that it was full of integrity, that he was leaving it in a better position.

What a load of sh!t.

McQueen - Melbourne is the only team investigated because it's the first real case the new integrity unit got their claws into; plus snitches came forward still bristling from 186 and having been moved on by an uncomprimising and ruthless Neeld/Mfc.

If you want other teams investigated thoroughly and have any findings; they need to talk to people with long held grudges who got their nose out of joint.

Or people who have spoken to Carlton board members....

[DeeVoted 582]

It took me awhile to convince myself to watch it, only because of the fact of seeing whats-her-face on TV. Then I found out one moron was replaced by other moron, (Kennett),who is the past has also taken some decent swipes at the MFC.

Well, what a surprise, clearly the best FC show ever. It is a must see if anyone missed it.

Footy classified and all other shows (including all major newspapers) should have covered this 7 months ago,I am on record as saying an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth wasnt the right way to go. The AFL would have been far better off, finding MFC not guilty on all counts, dismissed the case, stood up and admitted their flawed system was to blame. BUT let this be a warning to all, any breachments in future will be thoroughly investigated would be severely dealt with. Cased closed!

To me it highlighted a few things, I was surprised Kennett hadnt seen Libbas interview prior to last night, he was genuinely shocked.

Makes one wonder how many more people are not aware of past sins of other clubs, and reinforces my point of the media not giving outsiders all the facts of ALL other allegations from past seasons. We knew more than one club took advantage of the sytem, but until now, (the horse has bolted?) not one bothered to highlight any others involvement. The spotlight and heat was all on the MFC. (because of poor journalism)

What a breathe of freah air last nights show was, instead of some twisted old woman, bearing a grudge and giving only her personal views and opinions, that are all twisted and targeted to one club.we got to see an "outsider" (Kennett) give an insight to his thoughts, and shock when he was shown past statements involving a number of clubs. Kennett got back some brownie points with me after last night (although not all is entirely forgiven). It wasnt entirely on his thoughts that favoured our club getting a raw deal I liked, but listening to him, make some decent views and facts from anothers perspective, something we wouldnt have got if miss know-it-all was on the panel last night.

If Wisdom Wilson never sets foot on TV again, it will be a season too soon. Going on feedback she wasnt missed by footy fans. (if that isnt a hint, dont know what is). The show did let itself down, Lloyd should have ben interchanged with Grant Thomas, I thought Llyod was struggling early on, Thomas' views would have been the icing on the cake. Classic case of not fielding the best tean on the night, Tanking?

Dont expect this to go anywhere, the sacrificial lamb has been served on a platter and offered and to the footy gods, some still not content, but got most of her wishes. A botched investigation from day one, add a feeble cover up to explain away the verdict, and it has left many questions left to be accounted for.

Dont expect any response from the Age, The Tiges were mentioned in dispatches last night.

A great show, 7 months too late. pity.

[7-UP 107]

Rumour that cw has been sacked/walked from FC because of her spat with the lone wolf. Wonder what happened off air.

Don't think that's the case, Garry Lyon mention Caroline Wilson will be back next week in FC.