Hi all,

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere? If so administrators please delete. Flanagan spent the 2009 season with the Demons.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/trying-times-with-a-team-that-wasnt-very-good-20121031-28k86.html

Well it was certainly a different angle on it.

But the last two sentences changes much of what was said before it:

However, this week's report that there was a tacit agreement among the coaching staff not to win games takes the matter to a new level. If proven, a grey issue turns into one that's black and white.

As long as other clubs are bought into this mess. And that's what it is.

A mess created by people within the AFL who just did not think it through.

The AFL are between a rock and a hard place!! So called tanking was rife. The AFL knew it and chose to do nothing for to long. This gives a perception of 'don't do it but its ok if you do we won't do anything. Given the gaming issues the AFL failed in its duty to properly address the issue and remove priorities far earlier. Ironically Flanagan says we were a poor side anyway. He implies WCE tanked and says openly that we were a poor team.

Given so many teams engaged in so called tanking with the AFL turning a blind eye (its not proven yet) we would have to be stiff to get a big penalty.

If it went to Court the AFL would look pretty incompetent under questioning why it did not act earlier to get rid of priorities.

Cheers Manny!

Genuinely feel a bit happier now.

More balanced, but he basically contradicts himself in the last 2 sentences. Even if there was a plan to tank, all the coaching panel did was move players around/out of position, or not pick players, something he says earlier in the article is not tanking.

Rather than reading the self-indolgent re-invention of history by some journalists, try this for more balanced article, the match review for the Melb v Rich game, R18 2009, thanks to contestedfooty.com, makes interesting reading

http://www.contestedfooty.com/2009/08/melbourne-vs-richmond-round-18-match/

balanced opinion in a footy section of a newspaper - wow. How unusual.

More balanced, but he basically contradicts himself in the last 2 sentences. Even if there was a plan to tank, all the coaching panel did was move players around/out of position, or not pick players, something he says earlier in the article is not tanking.

Rather than reading the self-indolgent re-invention of history by some journalists, try this for more balanced article, the match review for the Melb v Rich game, R18 2009, thanks to contestedfooty.com, makes interesting reading

http://www.contested...round-18-match/

Great article. I hope the AFL invetigators interview the writer. If this goes to Court he may well be called up as an expert witness for the defence!!

Great article. I hope the AFL invetigators interview the writer. If this goes to Court he may well be called up as an expert witness for the defence!!

If the AFL wish to impose sanctions on the MFC it will have to go to court - get real - how carp was the team for the last 3 years ? I mean really have we been tanking every single year for at least the last 4 years - NO we have just been rubbish pure and simple. I could see some sort of validity in this allegation if we had played finals since but FFS they have been carp since and in all likelihood will be bottom 4or5 next year too

Get real AFL, get real Caro, get on with life people

I hate Brock McLean.