Caroline Wilson's descent into gutter journalism

[Waltham33 409]

We can't even lose properly.

Sums up the football club perfectly.

[rjay 23,970]

The AFL KNOWs it created this mess. it took some evasive action in regard to killing off the priority picks etc. Taking away the carrot. it will also understand ultimately, if ever push came to shove and it went to court, a place where the AFL doesnt control what is considered fair or right then it would be seen to have been at minimum complicit and worse instructive to the whole malaise.

It doesnt dare invoke the wrath of Collingwood or Carlton. It may even be uncertain currently of the beast we'll call for the moment "an awakened Melbourne". it knew the previous version but will have misgivings over the lack of resilience of this newer one.

Vlad will know, as would Adrian, if they light this fuse...they have no control over the fall out. I cant see them bringing a match to his.

If the AFL thinks this is hurting their image, the thing most important to them then they will take action, we are in serous trouble. The only way we can avoid sanctions is to go to the AFL with the heads responsible and involve them (the AFL) in the decision for replacements, a legal battle with the AFL will only hurt us and draw the matter out further. A quick resolution helps both parties.

The issue is not going away and has gone way past the justification of list management and or development.

The board have been absolutely derelict in their duty to oversee the governance of our club. If it is correct that Gary Lyon had so much influence that they turned around the decision to sack CS then that just beggars belief.

Go to the AFL today with the heads of the key players, CS & CC probably TH and ask for assistance to pay out contracts unless their actions can void those contracts. No more time to be spent on this and let the playing group play football without another pre season/season being derailed.

[Sir Why You Little 34,705]

It started back in 2008/09 when the strategy was put into play.

yes but the door was opened during Bails last presser

[mjt 640]

So you're still squibbing and now you're playing the man and not the ball because you've lost the contest. Pathetic.

Face it, the current administration can't even lose properly. They are a bunch of ex-jocks and liniment sniffing groupies that are way out of their depth and they are ruining our club.

Continuing to apologise for the current admin isn't standing up for the club - it is the opposite. You've never been able to separate the two.

i agree with what you say, but im not sitting here smiling about or getting off on it like you are, go follow another club.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

yes but the door was opened during Bails last presser

He was first interviewed after the Richmond game. And nothing happened He was interviewed after the dismissal and nothing happened. However the orchestrated effort through that boofhead McLean set the ball rolling

And MFC are paying the price for the appalling manner in which they sacked Bailey.

[beelzebub 22,269]

He was first interviewed after the Richmond game. And nothing happened He was interviewed after the dismissal and nothing happened. However the orchestrated effort through that boofhead McLean set the ball rolling

And MFC are paying the price for the appalling manner in which they sacked Bailey.

yeah.... theres no agendas...no conpsiracy !! lol

You can extract foot when ever..lol

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

After you have taken both of yours out.

The agenda issue isnt irrelevant. The current disposition of MFC is.

[mjt 640]

He was first interviewed after the Richmond game. And nothing happened He was interviewed after the dismissal and nothing happened. However the orchestrated effort through that boofhead McLean set the ball rolling

And MFC are paying the price for the appalling manner in which they sacked Bailey.

he lost a game of footy by 31 goals, maybe we should have bought him a gold watch and sent him on his way.

[stinga81 210]

He was first interviewed after the Richmond game. And nothing happened He was interviewed after the dismissal and nothing happened. However the orchestrated effort through that boofhead McLean set the ball rolling

And MFC are paying the price for the appalling manner in which they sacked Bailey.

Also paying the price for having a shizen vault and burning a heap of bridges.

[Nasher 33,133]

I'm impressed with this club's ability to lurch from one crisis to the next without missing a beat. I'm finding this very, very tiring.

[diesel 420]

I don't think people are grasping the issue that the AFL cannot have an adverse finding against Melbourne without ending up in Court, either by Melbourne or more significantly with the betting agencies.

Another point, the concept that a club (which is a business) cannot act on strategies to improve its position over its own time frame is also perhaps a legal matter to be argued. It is totally reasonable that an FD would sit down and discuss its position in the broad context of playing list personnel and draft picks. It only becomes an issue in realtion to bettig if that information was acted on through placing bets. This is the WHOLE issue as I see it. Not tanking per se, whatever the AFL or legal worlds definition of that is?

Of course given the caliber of the investigators I don't doubt that some of the people involved may have shot themselves in the foot. Also given The Age has also chosen to humiliate Demetriou as part of this story I don't discount that he may want to extract some sort of revenge against us, somehow?

[Hazyshadeofgrinter 80]

i agree with what you say, but im not sitting here smiling about or getting off on it like you are, go follow another club.

I'd rather my own club stayed in existence thanks. Would my conversion to the Pollyanna faction assist with this do you think?

[Longsufferingnomore 1,484]

What I want to know is how did Caro get a copy of the Agenda for the "meeting". Which one of the eight is the dirty dog. We can cancel out CS, CC, TH, DB and JM and that leaves Prendergast, West and Wellman. Now lets see who of that lot has the least to lose and is likely to be the most vindictive. Hmm only person who shat on us while he was with us and continues to do so now. I wonder if there is any connection with our friend Brock.!

[Dr. Gonzo 22,540]

You don't need to be a genius to see why Bailey would choose to lay his barbs about tanking but its still a low dog act. It was to be expected i guess but he will forever be a piece of sh!t in my eyes. McLean is dog a hypocrite...

If Mahoney has rolled over on us then he needs to be shown the door too..

Exactly - the crime isn't in undertaking a strategy to ensure we got a compo pick in 2009 - the crime is in rolling over and spilling your guts to the AFL inevstigators. Low dog act by those no longer with the club, absolutely incredulous act by anyone still there (Mahoney). Anyone still at the club who has dogged it needs to be shown the door NOW. I am absolutely furious that these idiots would come out and lay bare what everyone at the time was the best strategy in the long term interests of the club - you want to know why we have been targeted and not Carlton, Collingwood, WCE, Richmond etc etc - it's because loose lips sink ships and these idiots have not an ounce of loyalty or integrity to back up their actions while at the MFC. Liberatore & Fevola no longer work or have anything to do with the Blues but when questioned on their comments they went to ground. Our ex (and current it would seem) employees [censored] their pants and spill their guts. I am dumbfounded and disgusted and the club needs to come out swinging on this, no way should we cop these scumbags taking a dump on the club like this.

[Jonesbag 487]

Brent Moloney is the second player

[Dr John Dee 1,057]

Kiss this year's draft goodbye if pick 4 is taken off us, without a full hearing according to the rules of natural justice. This has been a selective inquiry without any right of testing the statements by the victim and the ability to call its own evidence.

An injunction will stop the draft. Can't see it happening. I can however see us getting fined in a messy situation where no other club is then examined.

The whole workings of the AFL would be up for examination in a Court case.

The most important thing that's been said about all this so far. Wilson doesn't need to adhere to natural justice, she can leap to whatever foregone conclusion she likes on the basis of whatever incomplete information she's got.

At this stage, I'm more interested in where she's getting it from. I presume someone in the AFL is leaking ... but is it accurate information or is she being used for some other purpose? I can think of a few without descending into conspiracy theories, the most obvious would be about trying to put the frighteners on other potential witnesses.

They only have three statements about the vault so far it seems. What about the other seven? If they've got a different story to tell, the investigation might prefer to exert a bit more pressure on them that can't just be exerted in an interview. All this incontrovertible 'evidence' of tanking that's suddenly upon us could well have a touch of desperation to it.

Maybe that's a vain hope, but Redleg's point remains: there's a long way to go even to get to the courtroom door, and the AFL is likely to do anything it can to avoid ending up there.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Dr John Dee

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

I believe that Caro based her story after coming across the agenda papers from the Vault meeting. See attached pdf for more info, or for ease of consumption i've copied the text for this post.

Excuse my ignorance, but is this real or a joke?

[olisik 4,060]

Brent Moloney is the second player

No surprise their.

I had a feeling it was him, what a way to leave the club he supported growing up in a kid, by burning it.

[Longsufferingnomore 1,484]

Brent Moloney is the second player

Why am I not surprised. The two dummies together. Not a skerrick of brain power amongst the two of them.

[Sir Why You Little 34,705]

Bailey is a complete mongrel dog - you don't think it's a coincidence that he was chosen as coach? It is clear we opted for Bailey over others available because his philosophies regarding rebuilding aligned with those at the club. Makes more sense why we didn't go for Sheedy. To think otherwise is naive.

some of what you say may be correct. But i still don't consider him a dog.

He was told to coach in a certain way and was paid accordingly.

The dogs were higher up. They have hung the members out to dry. Not Bailey.

[Age 381]

A question I have is that if the AFL comes down on us hard and takes our draft picks off us, what is to stop them taking the Viney pick off us? We are worried about losing pick 4, but could lose that too. People will argue that they wont take the father son off us but if they go really hard, wouldn't surprise me if we lost this also.

Hopefully I am wrong, but with the year we have had, probably more than likely.

[Lucifers Hero 37,227]

Bailey is a complete mongrel dog - you don't think it's a coincidence that he was chosen as coach? It is clear we opted for Bailey over others available because his philosophies regarding rebuilding aligned with those at the club. Makes more sense why we didn't go for Sheedy. To think otherwise is naive.

Ah...check facts here Doc. Connolly was one of the applicants for the job. He and CS were groomsman at each others wedding so if they wanted someone 'who sang from the same song book' it would have been CC as coach. The dumbest thing we ever did was make the unsuccessful applicant (CC) boss over the successful (DB). DB never had a chance.

[rpfc 27,591]

I have been very adamant about the fact that nothing would happen vis-a-vis the Clothier Investigation.

But I didn't account for one thing - the AFL losing control of their investigators.

Tanking needs a narrow and deep definition for legal purposes. Telling players to lose would sum up that definition.

Every other thing that clubs have done, and will do, in losing seasons is not tanking. You can't prove it and as long as the 22 you send out there are trying to win you are safe because when it comes down to it - that is all that matters.

If the Commission wishes to make an example of us we will blow this up in the courts.

F___ them.

We are no-one's patsy.

[rpfc 27,591]

Excuse my ignorance, but is this real or a joke?

It's neither...

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

It's neither...

So it's fake? On iPhone so it's hard to navigate around and get any context.