Very little has been said of Don McLardy's comments reported in the press today in defence of the Melbourne Football Club at the time when it was supposedly tanking/list managing/experimenting etc. Some of his comments are at the foot of this article which covers a few other things as well -

Demons re-sign key players, Schwab

On reflection, I realised that there was one thing happening at the time which wasn't really considered by the experts who tried to analyse all of the moves during the Jordan McMahon game and that was that Melbourne had an horrendous injury list at the time.

Indeed, Brock McLean was one of many senior list players unavailable through injury. Below is our list from a thread on Demonland posted on the Monday after the game (Injury List - Round 19):-

Brent Moloney (groin) – test

Brock McLean (knee) – test

Jordie McKenzie (calf) – test

Liam Jurrah (ankle) – test

Jack Grimes (hip) – test

Stefan Martin (calf) – test

Jack Watts (hand) – 1 week

Paul Wheatley (quad) – 1-2 weeks

Mark Jamar (quad) – 1-2 weeks

Matthew Whelan (plantar fascia) – 2 weeks

Jamie Bennell (knee) – 2-3 weeks

Rhys Healey (quad) – indefinite

Austin Wonaeamirri (knee) – season

Brad Green (wrist) – season

Daniel Bell (shoulder) – season

John Meesen (foot) – season

Colin Garland (foot) – season

Sam Blease (leg) – season

James Strauss (shoulder) – season

Addam Maric (shoulder) – season

Based on this information, I would suggest that most "experimentation" carried out by the coach during the game on the previous Saturday would be acceptable and it's poor fact checking on the part of those who commented on the coach's moves to miss out on this aspect and to fail to comment on that aspect and how it impacted on team selection and placement.

I am not commenting here on the justification for making particular moves, rather that injuries played their part and were relevant when considering what happened at around that time.

We all know that supporters were conflicted between wanting to win and the club getting the best draft position but that is why what Don McLardy is saying is so important. We're in much the same situation today and I personally hate it as a supporter. The lottery system would certainly change things for the better for all of us.

Very nice analysis. Just one little problem. Dean Bailey said in his farewell media conference "I had no hesitation at all in the first two years of ensuring this club was well placed for draft picks".

How do you get "well placed" for high draft picks? By finishing as close to bottom as possible.

How do you finish as close to bottom as possible? By losing games.

If Bailey didn't coach to lose games, he should say so.

Hmm, lots of "tests" for our better players on that list.

What's the bet that none of them played ?

EDIT: Grimes did.

The OP said that was the list 'after the game', not before.

The answer to the OP question is ...

McLean was sitting injured in the stands, fuming at the moral injustice of Melbourne's on-field 'experimentation' and imagining what measures he could take to escape to a club with a history of fair and honest dealings in trading and drafting.

Dean Bailey said in his farewell media conference "I had no hesitation at all in the first two years of ensuring this club was well placed for draft picks".

How do you get "well placed" for high draft picks? By finishing as close to bottom as possible.

Errr... you can also trade for picks. Don't assume that it is that cut and dried.

This paragraph surely sums it all up, for MFC and for all other clubs who find themselves destined to miss finals. Frankly and clearly stated.

Add to that our injury list at that time - probably 10 or so of our best 22, maybe more, were MIA.

They would all be derelict and irresponsible NOT to experiment, blood youngsters, try new positions regardless of the peculiarities of the draft system that the AFL themselves have set up.

If they want a different system, with different incentives, then set it up and don't make retrospective decisions and judgements. Perhaps having the draft picks in reverse order for say teams 15-18 and then teams 9-14 would give those missing out incentive to still achieve in the "junk time" of a season.

"Were we focused on getting game experience into young players? Yes we were. Were we trying to develop our players by experimenting with different positions? Yes we were. Did we select young players sometimes ahead of experienced players to see what they were made of? Yes we did. Like many other sides, we are doing exactly the same thing today. We are managing our list in context to where we are in the competition."

An interesting take on the issue and on yesterday's game from Supermercado -

You take it where you can get it

Very nice analysis. Just one little problem. Dean Bailey said in his farewell media conference "I had no hesitation at all in the first two years of ensuring this club was well placed for draft picks".

How do you get "well placed" for high draft picks? By finishing as close to bottom as possible.

How do you finish as close to bottom as possible? By losing games.

If Bailey didn't coach to lose games, he should say so.

One little problem with your analysis:

Dean Bailey was a coach fresh out of work with one of the worst coaching records in AFL history.

He was also embroiled in a power struggle within the football department, and had coached a side to the worst loss in recent history.

How the hell would he ever get a job in footy ever again?

Through damage control and shifting of the blame, which consisted of saying:

"hey, I was just doing what I was told to do! If only I could get a job at a club where they didn't force me to lose - then I could really show you what I can do..."

What Bailey claimed he did may have been what happened; it may have not.

But the fact is that there is definite incentive for him to say that was how things went down, regardless of the actual truth.

That's one hell of an injury list. Actually, it looks familiar...

" . .Harley Bennell playing a jaw droppingly good game where he was best on ground by a million miles. This is the sort of kid who other clubs draft with high picks, while we're going around being permanently cursed because somebody shagged a witch in the home changerooms before the 1965 season."

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Great read Super!!