Message from the President...

[norwood_demon 196]

I agree that this is a beautifully-crafted statement. Strong, firm, unemotional & factual. It is a gentleman's invitation to a "duel with lawyers at 10 paces". The legal departments at the AFL & some newspapers will be recommending some more caution on these "tanking" allegations.

[binman 43,747]

The legal departments at the AFL & some newspapers will be recommending some more caution on these "tanking" allegations.

CW mustn't have got the memo from her boss.

[Blinkybill 276]

A fair bit of denial in this thread.

The statement was designed with one purpose. To delay the investigation finding beyond the draft. I doubt it will work, but hope it does.

[Dee Fan 3,247]

A fair bit of denial in this thread.

The statement was designed with one purpose. To delay the investigation finding beyond the draft. I doubt it will work, but hope it does.

I think the AFL will be keen to extend this past the draft date, it could be a nightmare for them if they want to penalise us in this draft should they find us in breach of regulations.

We've spent the money already.

[old55 23,687]

A fair bit of denial in this thread.

The statement was designed with one purpose. To delay the investigation finding beyond the draft. I doubt it will work, but hope it does.

A fair bit of pessimism from you.

"we should confess to the AFL ..."

"we should take our punishment ..."

"I doubt it will work ..."

[beelzebub 23,382]

Excellent statement from Don McLardy and the Melbourne Football Club making it clear we're not going to be tried by the media.

It would be appropriate for all of our posters to read it and appreciate what it means.

As a lawyer, I give 10 out of 10 to the legal team that helped put it together.

as a lay person id be thinking there wrre essentially two aims in wording the statement as was.

Firstly to simply convey to us some acknowledgments and suggest the lay of the land.

But, and again its only an unqualified appreciation , i sense from the crafting it suggezts to me we are like a gunfighter having been called out. We in the street , we've planted our feet and removed the strap from our holster. In other words its game on but know we arent mucking around. You draw we're going to shoot back and we wont be aiming to injure!

I take it WJ that was a statement of position as much ad any communique to us members ?

In more simple terms " dont f*#k with us, we're just not in the mood anymore !!"

[Blinkybill 276]

A fair bit of pessimism from you.

"we should confess to the AFL ..."

"we should take our punishment ..."

"I doubt it will work ..."

One person's pessimism is another person's realism.

[keep13alive 78]

One person's pessimism is another person's realism.

Another,don't we have enough already

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

One person's pessimism is another person's realism.

just a case of "dead men walking"

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

Take your pick. Dead men or dead club?

[Deecisive 1,709]

we are only hearing the juicy pieces that drive mob rule and newspapers. The stuff that makes headlines, any investigation needs to take all the facts and interview everyone fairly, players will also be able to put the other side of the story on the table, i.e. were not told to loose, encouraged to play well, win, etc... If all goes well will not see the results of this investigation until after the draft. I doubt that we can be banned from the drafts until some findings have been made. Obviously our legal team will be having discussions with the AFL, to ensure that they are aware that we could go to court on this. Given tanking is not clearly defined and that this could drag in other clubs it is probably not where the AFL wants to go. But they have to be seen doing something. I would hope CC and CS would be penning their resignations now and anyone else involved in this sorry tale of incompetence. The fact that all players were still going out there trying to win demonstrates that players/MFC was not tanking. As for playing players out of position, not sure you can cite this as proof of trying to manipulation a loss, could also be seen as an attempt to get a win. I wonder if the AFL will lend us the money to pay the heavy fine they will probably chuck at us. I just hope out of this that Carlton and other teams are also investigated a lot harder as I dont subscribe to CW's theory its ok to loose the last game at the end of the year to get draft picks.

[Pates 9,660]

I think it was important for the club to make a statement, but not go on the defensive at the issue that's being dealt with. The way it was used in The Age article is exactly why the club has been so silent, because you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you make a statement it can be manipulated to sound incriminating or defensive, if you don't then the media says stuff like "the silence is deafening".

This made our position fairly clear that the club wants the investigation to be conducted by an independent and fair judiciary, not a trial by media as CW would like.

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

Good post Deecisive. The story goes a little deeper than this. But basically what you say gives us a nill all draw which can be claimed as an away victory. Not happy for some (cs&cc)) but ultimately for the better good for our club and the game.

Edited November 3, 2012 by america de cali

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Neeld has made a statement by ridding the club of the last of the rotten core of the playing group, the group that went out on strike and allowed our club to be humiliated by Geelong. If there was a policy of playing youth over the supposed leaders and senior players of the club, then this day showed why it was the right policy.

Now after bludging off the club for years they are crawling out of the woodwork to try and sink the club by giving their version of events to lowlife journalists. Not only that we have sad and bitter ex board members that are also giving their version of events to the same lowlife journalists in an attempt to win their positions back. That ain't going to happen.

Our football club is like a family, you can disagree with your family but ultimately you stick up for your family you don't betray them.

Only a dog of a person would do that.

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

Only a dog would call our players rotten to the core to excuse the failings of incompetent administraters.

Edited November 3, 2012 by america de cali

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Only a dog would call our players rotten to the core to excuse the failings of incompetent administraters.

Read what I said [censored] "the rotten core".

As for you, you fit nicely in to the second group, don't worry about running again.

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

Read what I said [censored] "the rotten core".

As for you, you fit nicely in to the second group, don't worry about running again.

Sorry, but teams are moulded fron all sorts. No such thing as a rotten core of players. It all comes to leadership from above. Read the Northey era. No name players gelling themselves into a competative team around the time the great Robbie Flower was just a crippled shadow who used to be a champion in a lame duck team for over a decade.

Edited November 3, 2012 by america de cali

[Dee Fan 3,247]

Sorry, but teams are moulded fron all sorts. No such thing as a roten core of players. It all comes to leadership from above. Read the Northey era. No name players gelling themselves into a competative team at the time the great Robbie Flower was just a crippled shaddow who used to be a champion in a lame duck team for over a decade.

There are gutless players that fold when the pressure is applied and there are gutless, faceless men, who love the trimmings of power and resent being stripped of it. You are the epitome of the gutless faceless man that snipes away until he destroys all those that try to build.

You and your mates left the club on the path to nowhere and quite rightly you were turfed out by those that could right the ship but getting the club back on top doesn't matter to you it's all about getting your position back and to hell with the consequences. Your mob are not welcome and your attempt to destroy the club will fail.

[John Crow Batty 8,878]

Hallelujeh to CS and CC. Bless their littlle red and blue cotton socks. No thanks.

[keep13alive 78]

What did you do to improve our position

[beelzebub 23,382]

Only a dog would call our players rotten to the core to excuse the failings of incompetent administraters.

Its quite typical of some to misappropriate words or add them to change a context.

Well done.. you fool no one...yourself except perhaps

[Deecisive 1,709]

It wont be long before Caro and the AFL will be questioning Melbourne as to why they played Cale Morton so often, as they may perceive that as another sign of tanking?

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

Sorry, but teams are moulded fron all sorts. No such thing as a rotten core of players. It all comes to leadership from above. Read the Northey era. No name players gelling themselves into a competative team around the time the great Robbie Flower was just a crippled shadow who used to be a champion in a lame duck team for over a decade.

A simplistic comment.

[Norm Smith's Curse 2,602]

A fair bit of denial in this thread.

The statement was designed with one purpose. To delay the investigation finding beyond the draft. I doubt it will work, but hope it does.

And a fair bit of stupidity. Do you have irrefutable evidence that Melbourne tolds its players not to play to their best in particular games? Does one or two statements that are alleged to have been made by one administrator at the club (reported in two newspapers without any source quoted) constitute irrefutable evidence that we tanked? Denial would suggest that there is clear evidence and that we are just ignoring that evidence. What we are actually seeing however is accusations being made about comments being made and then based on those alleged comments, conclusions being drawn that they are enough to convict us of 'match fixing' as one article suggested.

An article on the AFL's own website suggests that the investigation will almost certainly extend beyond this year's pending draft. According to the AFL's website the worst draft-related penalty we can receive is our picks being reduced to four of the last picks in that draft - meaning we would still get Viney.

However, if we take a step back and ask the follow questions I think the whole thing becomes a little clearer:

1. Why is the investigation allegedly being conducted so rigouressly this time and not last time?

2. If betting agencies are so concerned about having MFC held to account for tanking, why did they only suspend betting in the Kruezer Cup and why are they satisfied that that game was not thoroughly investigated?

3. Who are Greg Denham and Caroline Wilson's sources? Is it an AFL source as with the Misfid saga? If so, how does the AFL rationalise there possible leaking of two stories before all facts have been put on the table in the context of their claims for integrity?

4. Is there any truth to the rumour that the AFL believe MFC's current administration is 'too big for its boots' considering it relies on AFL handouts to survive and that it needs to knock it down a peg?

5. is there any truth to the rumour that the AFL have already told the club that we will be held for bringing the game into disrepute and that we must suffer for the sins of the many as a way to demonstrate that the AFL's integrity has not been compromised for some time?

6. if the investigation has been going on for four months, why is only now that revelations are being leaked?

Edited November 4, 2012 by Norm Smith's Curse

[monoccular 17,573]

we are only hearing the juicy pieces that drive mob rule and newspapers. The stuff that makes headlines.............

Yes.

As far as I know, and I must admit to not reading all of her venomous dribble, she has selectively failed to quote a respected figure, Junior who categorically denied that we tried to lose games, nor the great Jimma who expressed very clearly the dilemmas posed by the AFL rules, but denied trying to lose games.

It appears that she has some deep seated and personal bitterness towards all things related to CS, apparently dating back to his time at her beloved Richmond, and she is single mindedly attacking us as part of her feud.

She is certainly jot conducting this vendetta in a professional and even handed manner.

My "Age" subscription is also being cancelled, and will remain so until the MD or Editor in Chief offer an explanation and apology for their employees outrageous vile campaign.

Edited November 4, 2012 by monoccular