On the Couch - Brock talks about 'tanking'

[mrtwister 652]

We're like a kid that stole $10 from our mum's purse and spent it on lollies and video games instead a copy of Spider-Man Vol.1.

[Biffen 12,949]

I think McLean's behaviour is in bad taste. He is a Carlton player talking in bad taste against his old club. Why doesn't the tribunal rule apply in this case. that is not throwing a player under the bus. Why is he throwing the club under the bus. He knows this could put the club under scrutiny via the media and/or the AFL.

This is the second time he has done this. Bruise free football comments and now the tanking issue. He has issues with the club, a bit Sheedy like IMO

I'm not sure why he is making dangerous comments like this.

He didn't want the long term pain-he stupidly thought the "window" was opening.

[My TD 156]

But then ... why didn't tanking affect Carlton, West Coast, Collingwood or Hawthorn's culture in such a way.

Unfortunately there are no simplistic conclusions in this matter.

The thing that sh!ts me is that we get the tanker tag when Collingwood picked up both Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury in the 2005 draft at pick 2 & 5.

This is after 2 consecutive GFs in 2002 - 3.

After a poor start in 2005 they decided their season was done , didn't play key players and lost the last 11 games straight.

The only reason they didn't get pick 1 is carlton beat them to it.

Carlton managed to snare Murphy, Gibbs and finally Kruezer in the "Krueser Cup" during consecutive years from 2005-2007.

As for West Coast, like Collingwood , played in 2 consecutive GFs actually winning it in 2006.

Yet in 2008 are that woeful that they pick up Nik Nat with pick 2.

All this evidence against other clubs and yet it us who no-one disputes were/are totally crap are labelled "the tankers."

Edited July 30, 2012 by My TD

[demoniac 1,336]

Mike Sheehan jumped the shark tonight journalistically. Gerard, Paul and Mike really now need a journo to join them on the On The Couch so there is someone who has the smarts to ask Brock about the #Kreuzercup and the irony of his destination and what the difference was in the contract dollars and years offered by the Dees and Blues.

Will be interested to see how the 'footy socioligists' examine the cultural impact of tanking on Pies, Hawks and Blues.

Footy sociology is generally a lazy substitute for hard analysis.

Face it. The introduction of the 10 year rule in the early 70s heralded the end of amateurism and the beginning of the professional era. Since then only 2 clubs who did not have great facilities or a competitive footy department spend have won flags. North in the 90s and Port in 2004. We've been in the mix for 1 in every 13 flags since footy went pro. Long odds.

2012 marks the first year we've been back in the game. We've got elite facilities and a good footy spend. Does not mean we are going to win a flag but it does mean we have a far greater chance than we've had since the early 70s. That is the reality. Yep we tanked like the Pies, Hawks and Blues did but we did not have the facilities or the footy spend to enable us to develop the resulting high picks.

[MelbournePassion 7]

"You can't create a good culture by going out and experimenting and trying to get draft picks and lose games of football,"

Well thats what Carlton did for multiple years Brock, and they are still sitting outside the top 8 in the year where they were deemed to be a flag favourite. Cant stand the carlton football club

[Cheesecake 92]

We tanked.

We weren't the first, and we won't be the last.

But right now, at this point in time, we are the last. And that's why this issue won't go away. Why journalists still paint us, and not Carlton or others, as tankers.

There has been no benefit in tanking for the last few years. We can thank rule changes, and the AFL's franchise team love-in for that. If it wasn't for this someone else would have been in the gun, and we would have been forgotten about. The tanking chocolate wheel would have landed on someone else; the Lions, Tigers or Port, or someone.

This will die down. The AFL will do nothing. We'll improve and someone else will tank. Just give it a year or two.

[Damo 3,415]

Im hoping but assuming the BP accusation from Ben-hur is a joke.

Im fearful that the Riley accusation is true. I think it might be.

Im no lover of Mike Sheahan but he is disgusted in the melbourne football club and in his words 'the worst thing is, they are irrelevant".

He is spouting the same bile as many a true supporter does.

I would have him on board at MFC. How about that?

I believe there are a few supporters that are too objective and they take things too calmly. They are cold blooded.

Last Thursday was the 1st time in at least 35 years when I wasnt interested in who we picked. Ive sacked footy tipping too, cant bear it any more.

All the same it is going to get worse before the the draft. We have to wear it.

We need to have hope we will rise again but right now, im thinking that light at the end of the tunnel may be a light globe.

[stranga 328]

True or not, where does this [censored] get off making accusations against a rival club while he is still employed by another club? Isn't that considered unacceptable in AFL circles? Doesnt eddie constantly get flamed for doing similarly ? Absolutely disgraceful behavior. What has this game become. He doesn't realize he's just made a fool of himself and he's lucky he said it about us, the medias whipping boys, or else I reckon he'd be in a bit of hot water.

As far as I'm concerned this guy never existed at our club.

[deejammin' 2,374]

Wow, what a brave and insightful interview from Mr McLean. It really takes courage to come out and pot your former club when its at its absolute weakest whilst at the same time attempting to justify your own pathetic performance with the "I was forced not to try" argument. If you want to be a whistleblower, do it when you have something to lose, it gives it credibility. Also its only tanking if you had any chance to win in the first place. Its amazing to me that anyone would have a problem with experimentation with our list the year after a pathetic 2008. For those of you who think this tanking argument is legitimate go back and tell me which games we should have won, I was at all of them and I saw nothing to indicate we were capable of winning any game we lost. Trying our absolute hardest against RIchmond earlier in the season we won by 8 points, a goal after the siren 2 goal turnaround is far from giving up, FFS if we were trying to lose we did a bloody bad job of it. Warnock at FF had worked until Jordie Mcmahon had the highlight of his career.

What people here seem to forget is that Dean Bailey and Brock McLean have nothing to lose from coming out and claiming tanking. Bailey attempts to justify his pathetic coaching record, McLean attempts to justify his pathetic season and pathetic cash-grab turn-coat move. Go back and read the articles where he goes on about how he 'wanted to play because of his family connection'.

What this whole saga should have proved once and for all is that there is no point in whinging about priority picks, as they are not guarenteed success. Cheating means getting an unfair advantage, throwing the members of a pathetic team to different positions because they have been losing all season is not cheating, or tanking, its desperate measures for desperate times. Yet again an over-bloated football media searches for a way to continue to have shocking stories.

Edited July 30, 2012 by deejammin'

[Cheesecake 92]

I'm not convinced there is enough evidence to say that the effect of our tanking on our 'culture' has been the reason we are in our current predicament. Or, even one of several reasons.

As others have pointed out, many teams have tanked over the last decade, with varying results (the Pies and West Coast seem to have done alright). And there are plenty of other reasons that could, and in my opinion do, explain why we are where we are.

All we know for sure is that tanking has resulted in us receiving better picks. We may not have used these pics well, but they were definitely better. To say it has affected our culture negatively is conjecture. Unless you are inside the club, you'd struggle to have any idea. I guess Brock speaking out is some kind of evidence, but who knows his motives. It reeks of a guy wanting people to think he had a legitimate reason to bail on us like he did, and it wasn't just that he wanted more money, or saw the writing on the wall with Moloney and Jones overtaking him as inside mids, or wanted success and didn't have the cojones to hang around and make it happen at the Dees.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Cheesecake

[McQueen 17,867]

The whole thing was contrived and directed beautifully by those three floggers. I actually feel pity for Brock because he just took the bait so easily - the poor dumb cun*.

Mike Sheahan has got one of the most punchable heads on tele.

[Cheesecake 92]

Wow, what a brave and insightful interview from Mr McLean. It really takes courage to come out and pot your former club when its at its absolute weakest whilst at the same time attempting to justify your own pathetic performance with the "I was forced not to try" argument. If you want to be a whistleblower, do it when you have something to lose, it gives it credibility. Also its only tanking if you had any chance to win in the first place. Its amazing to me that anyone would have a problem with experimentation with our list the year after a pathetic 2008. For those of you who think this tanking argument is legitimate go back and tell me which games we should have won, I was at all of them and I saw nothing to indicate we were capable of winning any game we lost. Trying our absolute hardest against RIchmond earlier in the season we won by 8 points, a goal after the siren 2 goal turnaround is far from giving up, FFS if we were trying to lose we did a bloody bad job of it. Warnock at FF had worked until Jordie Mcmahon had the highlight of his career.

What people here seem to forget is that Dean Bailey and Brock McLean have nothing to lose from coming out and claiming tanking. Bailey attempts to justify his pathetic coaching record, McLean attempts to justify his pathetic season and pathetic cash-grab turn-coat move. Go back and read the articles where he goes on about how he 'wanted to play because of his family connection'.

What this whole saga should have proved once and for all is that there is no point in whinging about priority picks, as they are not guarenteed success. Cheating means getting an unfair advantage, throwing the members of a pathetic team to different positions because they have been losing all season is not cheating, or tanking, its desperate measures for desperate times. Yet again an over-bloated football media searches for a way to continue to have shocking stories.

Not sure I agree with the rest of your post, but this bit is spot on.

Edited July 30, 2012 by Cheesecake

[Mono 455]

The whole thing was contrived and directed beautifully by those three floggers. I actually feel pity for Brock because he just took the bait so easily - the poor dumb cun*.

Mike Sheahan has got one of the most punchable heads on tele.

Touche.

[dees64 104]

The people responsible if still at the club should resign! As this has done massive damage to our culture>

Whilst Brock may not be the A grader midfielder, to lose a player over this & hear him say that it was against his standards & the way he plays the game is an absolute disgrace & no doubt caused massive long term damage. Carlton tanked but they managed the process a lot better. The club needs to come out & either defend Or admit it.

[jnrmac 20,225]

And Carlton didn't Brock ????? Losing the last 11 games when they knew Judd was coming back home. Rd 22, 2007????

My God he is brainless. "I left Melbourne because they tanked" (so I could go to another club that was better at it!!!!)

[H_T 3,049]

There is a difference between trying to lose and winning not being your top priority.

I remember hearing Mark Thompson say that Hawkins was getting games, even though he probably didn't deserve them.

And even then, we sucked at it.

We had that game won at the final siren.

Clearly we had our priorities up sh!t creek.

[nomed 113]

He may come to regret that. Took the bait nicely when it was put to him by that man of absolute integrity, Mike Sheahan, who seemingly used Brock as a stalking horse on this topic.

Either McLean is some sort of malicious genius who seeks to wreak havoc on the MFC or Sheahan hooked him nicely.

Very clever journalism, lead McLean to say it, so you can raise a sh*tstorm in the media, then stand back and lay the blame with someone else.

I understand we are in a dark place as a football club, but this smells of a hidden agenda, we should be asking: who will benefit?

• Is it driven internally or externally?
  
• Is there a push on to change something inside the club, using the media to create a "crisis"?
  
• Is there a plan to destabilise and destroy the MFC, perhaps paving the way for relocation or merger?
  
• Is there an evil troika consisting Sheahan, McLean and Sheedy plotting revenge!
  

Edited July 30, 2012 by nomed

[H_T 3,049]

What hurts the club IMO is his quote that states: "I really felt for Bails, he was put in a really difficult position."

I hope what Jordie tackles posted doesn't come to fruition.

[stuie 7,374]

Oh Burnouts McLean you cheeky devil, you don't quite grasp the irony...

[dee-tox 4,835]

It maybe bad karma but Collingwood, West Coast and to a lesser extent the Bulldogs under Rhode did it. It is how it is presented to the players that is important.

Melb's problems can be laid fairly and squarely in the hands of recruiting and player development.

[baysidedave 246]

No mention of his current club doing the same and clearly no problem with it. Farcical.

what an absolute hypocrite, Carltank were the the worst out of anyone tanking, the guys a dipstick who will get delisted or if he stays will be on half of what they are giving him now.

[Sorge 9]

One of the myriad of reasons Cameron Schwab should get the lemonade and sass....... this was his blue print - and he had a masssive influence on both tanking and the recruiting strategy of outside runners instead of the footballers (like geelong and collingwood) - also overseen appointment of last two lemmings (aka coaches).

I agree must go.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Absolute storm in a teacup. We all know we tanked. And yes we all know it compromised the W/L record of Bailey but it would not have saved his skin LT. We werent the first and we wont be the last. And sorry all it isnt the root of all our evils. The AFL will not investigate it as its not in their interest and Demetiou has already made a statement about it. Nothing to be gained from that witch hunt.

Its says something about the state of the club and supporters that we get all hot and bothered about a 2nd string molasses paced journeyman whose greatest achievements were wheelies in the Trinity Grammar car park.

Redleg is right about the truth of McLean's departure. And I reckon he will be resigned at Carlton on possibly lower $$$. Dont want him at MFC.

And for all the Riley conspirators, lets remember that Riley as caretaker coach was encouraged by the Club to "win" in 2007 as it would be taken into account for his application for the open top job. And I dont know why there is a fixation on R22 of 2007. After beating a lamentable Blues at the MCG in Round 14 of that year we were never going to lose to Carlton in R22. The biggest problem for us was winning R19 against the odds against WB. That put us on track for winning 5 games.

Now back to the melodrama.....

[BAMF 4,430]

the truth is if Carlton didnt tank we would never have needed to.

[beelzebub 23,389]

Brock Mclean, youre dead to Melbourne

Sheahan, quite frankly youre a disgrace of a person fumbling at the mere morsel of a story in your so called retirement. As a once accountable and respected journalist you should be checking your balance before opening your mouth

Roos. Used to respect you. Now youre just some agenda driven media [censored].

Absolutely no persepctive to any of this, just someone's witch-hunt.