Brett Clothier obliged to investigate Melbourne's 'tanking'

[Cards13 9,117]

Non-issue.

Damien Barrett isn't know as the purple-headed warrior for nothing - it's because he's a consummate d%ckhead.

The likes of Lyon, Brayshaw etc actually call him Purple or The Warrior when he is on the radio, they have no respect for him at all. I have no idea how he could work in that environment and be able to look himself in the small mirror every day.

[mmc 18]

But he's right isn't he?

We have an ex-coach petty much declaring that he was an issued a directive not to win games of footy.

How can the ruling body let that slide?

The issue of tanking is not black and white- there are shades of grey. Merely because a club does not prioritise winning above development does mean that a club intends to lose the game, i.e. throw the result. And bear in mind that that is all DB said- that he played players in a manner which would further their development, which was the right thing to do by the MFC. He never said that he went out to lose games in order to secure high draft picks, rather that for the first two years of his tenure the club had asked him (and I'm sure he intended to anyway) place a higher emphasis on development.

I love it how the tabloid journalists so prevalent in this caper will embellish his comments to become an admittance to purposefully losing matches. It's just incorrect.

And if placing a higher emphasis on development than winning attracts the attention of the AFL integrity officer, then I can list numerous clubs who should also expect him to be knocking on their doors fairly soon- St Kilda, Collingwood, Hawthorn, Bulldogs and Carlton (who possibly blatantly tanked - in the true meaning of the word - anyway).

I also love it how the media will take every opportunity to sink the boots in to exaggerate the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in- Rohan Connolly, in an article about how the players need to accept blame, mentioned that we will post a loss this year. Wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the acquisition of major assets assuring the club's long-term financial security (i.e. Bentleigh Club) would it, Rohan? Not only did he go completely off the topic of his article just to get that little cheap one in, but he fails to mention WHY we will post a loss this year. But never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

[biggestred 4,815]

12 wins in 3 years people.

[Demon Dynasty 17,094]

I agree. All these media lunch time legends are sinking the boots in while we're down. Easy pickings. They forgot to add half a dozen other clubs, as mentioned above, who also tanked to get their picks. It's the system fellas. And we didn't create it. We just used and abused it as did everyone else who had the opportunity.

To all those media mega minds and supporters (many of whom aren't even members of the club they say they support) who are pushing this "MFC should be held accountable crap"......let me just say.....

UP YOURS YOU BUNCH OF WEAK PR^%#S!!!!!

[demonique 314]

None of it can be proved either way.

Total waste of time to investigate.

Honestly , many, many people would love to see the end of our football club, they are just so ready to kill us by a thousand cuts!

[Guest melbman]

Didn't Libba blow the whistle on Carlton's tanking?

Former Carlton assistant coach Tony Liberatore has accused the club of 'tanking' matches at the end of the 2007 season.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2008-03-13/carlton-tanked-liberatore/1071980

They can have a look at this one too while they're at it, although tanking doesn't actually exist under the reign of AD

[Sir Why You Little 36,635]

Former Carlton assistant coach Tony Liberatore has accused the club of 'tanking' matches at the end of the 2007 season.

http://www.abc.net.a...eratore/1071980

They can have a look at this one too while they're at it, although tanking doesn't actually exist under the reign of AD

Excellent Find there melbman....

[Little Goffy 14,001]

Isn't Melbourne the only club in the last ten years to ever get one more win than the cut-off for priority picks? (2007)

How beautiful it would be if we were also the only club to be penalised for staying under the line.

Storm. Teacup.

[pantaloons 2,019]

Tanking is such a BS issue. Absolute tripe. Teams have to some degree put the cue in the rack before season's end for longer than I can remember. So what exactly is Melbourne being accused of here?

Is it that we deliberately lost games in late 2009, or more specifically, the Richmond game? At that stage, we were a rabble and had hardly won a game in two years. The same people who accuse us of 'tanking' I'm sure are the same people who delighted in our ineptitude of 2008-09 and were more than happy to stick the boots into Melbourne supporters. You can't have your cake and eat it too. As for the Richmond game itself, it was quite laughable, but Bailey's moves that day were no more laughable than his moves TO BEGIN THE GAME on Saturday. How is Warnock at full-forward a stranger move than Jurrah on a wing against Bartel? At the press conference, Bailey mentioned that he'd always experimented with players in different positions. It was not an isolated strategy for one game in late 2009.

I just find the public fascination with 'tanking' ridiculous. It's not all draft-related either. Pre-1986, do you think that no club that couldn't make the finals ever decided to have a player operated on before the season finished? Or that it wasn't in the best interests of clubs to give kids a go at the end of lost seasons? It is simply necessary list management, player development, and proper decision-making. You didn't need to have the carrot of a #1 draft pick dangled in front of you to tell you it was not really necessary to play your best player with a broken hand for the final four games of the season if you couldn't make the finals.

It just staggers me that anyone, not least of all someone who is paid supposedly for their football knowledge and communication skills, could actually believe that what Melbourne have done under Bailey is punishable. Get over it, get a grip on reality, and have a look at the way clubs in Melbourne's position in any relevant sporting competition in the world conduct themselves.

[beelzebub 23,198]

The thing of all this also is, should anyone point the bone at us, then we need to point it back at all otherr clubs of the modern era who've benifited via 'developing' priorities, winning not necessarily being number one.

i.e let be club without sin cast the first brick.

we'll be waiting a long while !!!!!!!!!

[Grandson of a gun 276]

As per herald sun website, Anderson spoke directly to Bailey after the press conference and there is no issue or further investigation. End of story.

[pantaloons 2,019]

As per herald sun website, Anderson spoke directly to Bailey after the press conference and there is no issue or further investigation. End of story.

Good one. Just saw that myself too. Sanity prevails.

[Bates Mate 4,425]

I used to think Barrett was OK his is on Hutchy level these days

[beelzebub 23,198]

Barrett and Smith are muck rakers. Hutchy's sweeps up afterwards.

[Adzman 2,153]

Investigation will find that the club was actually just really crap. Really Crap!