Caroline Wilson's descent into gutter journalism

[McQueen 17,864]

"Even losing heart in one final game for an earlier pick seems more forgivable than systematic planning, career-ending threats and a plan which seems to have dragged on for weeks leading into months."

Terry Wallace in 2009

Good find, Clint

[binman 42,972]

If I take my MFC glasses off, I feel the original few articles she wrote on this were fair and justified. Caro was relating info passed on by sources and she was right not to name them. Any good journo would tell you that you keep your sources confidential. A lot of what was written as well seem way too detailed to just pass off as he said/she said. Today's article however reeked of a vendetta against the MFC. You could just see the poison dripping from her pen.

The fact that she discounted the system that the AFL set up for compensation picks and the fact that other clubs were probably doing the same as the MFC was truly baffling. I don't think that it should leave the MFC guilt free in this scenario but surely it should be taken into account in whatever final judgement the AFL passes against the club IF it is found guilty.

The second shocking thing was that she was prepared to find us guilty right then and there. That to me shows that she is thinking with her heart, not her head or she feels the case is so overwhelming that she can speak with impunity. I think the arrogance and preachy tone of the piece was quite off putting. However her comeuppance may still yet come as she has left herself and her employer exposed to potential lawsuits and litigation.

The third thing that struck me was that she was almost wishing openly that the entire club cops a whack despite her assertion that there were people within it who were opposed to the strategy. That if, and I repeat IF, the club is guilty that should be taken into account. Unfortunately, Caro's blind rage against the club blinds her to the possibility that this would be taken into account if a penalty is handed down.

I always tried to give Caro the benefit of the doubt and I think occasionally that she is unfairly maligned because of her gender. People sometimes describe her in terms that a male journalist would not cop and it can reek a little of misogyny. However, for the time being, I can't criticize her enough. I now have a lot more respect for James Brayshaw as he has been copping it around the ears from her for nearly 3 years and he has remained incredibly measured in the face of her vitriol. For a guide on how to handle Caro, take a look at his Footy Classified interview from a while back. He never raised his voice, just recited the facts back to her calmly and called her out when she said things that were clearly untrue or if she had cherry picked certain parts of the truth to make him look bad.

Great post. The best i have read thus far on this tawdry topic.

I had no issue with her first couple of articles though they lacked any in depth analysis (in particular of the technicalities of the relevant AFL rules and the possible legal responses MFC might be able to pursue if sanction are applied - issues that i for one would be really interested in seeing intelligently explored by a journalist) , but the last one is a remarkably poor piece of journalism.

CW's gender is completely irrelevant and without getting holier than thou the tone of some of the posts i have read over the last couple of days is quite disturbing, particularly the number of rank personal insults. For me the focus should be on the standard of journalism (not on her gender). And her last piece has broken all the basic rules of reporting - it mixes op ed with fuzzy facts, it uses word such as fixing which have quite specific meaning completely incorrectly, it is poorly structured (with some basic grammatical errors) etc etc. But most of all she allows her own emotion to completely seep through and taint any argument she is trying to make.

Who is the editor? They're the one who should be held responsible because it should never have been allowed to go to print.

Edited November 3, 2012 by binman

[hoopla 418]

After attending round 22, 2007, and facing derision from the Carlton fans after the final siren, I lost any qualms I'd previously held about "list management planning".

I was hoping to hear some criticism of Carlton from the AFL after that, but it wasn't forthcoming .

That made me think...once you reach the point where you can't make the finals,it's OK to plan your tactics to aim for the best possible draft picks.There is the advantage then of giving young players experience that they otherwise wouldn't get, and the opportunity to try players in new positions. Though there did appear to be a hint of lack of ethics in this, it had escaped scrutiny for several years before with other clubs. We were being naive by not doing it.

I think our Club's administration must have felt the same way.

In fact, AFL clubs are supposed to strive for excellence. Could it be argued that we weren't doing our best to improve if we DIDN'T maximise our chances of optimal drafting?

Yes..... if you factor in the AFL's response to the Kreuzer Cup - you could certainly argue this

The real story of this Wilson driven malarkie goes way back to when a young Cam Schwab was working late in to the night at Punt Rd and had to give an interview to the new footy girl for the Age.

Source:"The Truth"

Wouldn't it be beautiful if there was such an article - and if it somehow came to the attention of a journo from the Hun :"Wilson's Personal Vendetta Sinks Demons"

[hoopla 418]

Good find, Clint

Terry Wallace in 2009

Yes Clint - very good find

That puts Richmond in the frame too, Caro.

[Demon Disciple 12,127]

Funny how one CW finds it less of an offense to tank only for .5 hour as opposed to a game or 2. This woman is full of double standards, a hypocrite. Her rage continues to blind her from sound logic and thought, removing whatever integrity she had (which, after reading a certain article recently over her thoughts on disabled people and sport, is non-existent). And she has the gall to label the MFC as shocking and awful!

Might want to worry about improving your own ways, before belittling others Caro.

[skills32 229]

If I take my MFC glasses off, I feel the original few articles she wrote on this were fair and justified. Caro was relating info passed on by sources and she was right not to name them. Any good journo would tell you that you keep your sources confidential. A lot of what was written as well seem way too detailed to just pass off as he said/she said. Today's article however reeked of a vendetta against the MFC. You could just see the poison dripping from her pen.

The fact that she discounted the system that the AFL set up for compensation picks and the fact that other clubs were probably doing the same as the MFC was truly baffling. I don't think that it should leave the MFC guilt free in this scenario but surely it should be taken into account in whatever final judgement the AFL passes against the club IF it is found guilty.

The second shocking thing was that she was prepared to find us guilty right then and there. That to me shows that she is thinking with her heart, not her head or she feels the case is so overwhelming that she can speak with impunity. I think the arrogance and preachy tone of the piece was quite off putting. However her comeuppance may still yet come as she has left herself and her employer exposed to potential lawsuits and litigation.

The third thing that struck me was that she was almost wishing openly that the entire club cops a whack despite her assertion that there were people within it who were opposed to the strategy. That if, and I repeat IF, the club is guilty that should be taken into account. Unfortunately, Caro's blind rage against the club blinds her to the possibility that this would be taken into account if a penalty is handed down.

I always tried to give Caro the benefit of the doubt and I think occasionally that she is unfairly maligned because of her gender. People sometimes describe her in terms that a male journalist would not cop and it can reek a little of misogyny. However, for the time being, I can't criticize her enough. I now have a lot more respect for James Brayshaw as he has been copping it around the ears from her for nearly 3 years and he has remained incredibly measured in the face of her vitriol. For a guide on how to handle Caro, take a look at his Footy Classified interview from a while back. He never raised his voice, just recited the facts back to her calmly and called her out when she said things that were clearly untrue or if she had cherry picked certain parts of the truth to make him look bad.

If you read this article in conjunction with earlier pieces you will find that it is disjointed and doesn't flow like her normal articles which says to me that she was under the influence of something when it was written.

Not that it matters much reporters are on the same bottom rung as real estate agents.

[bush demon 2,041]

As the Wilson Cup approaches the finals it seems that rivals Carlton, Richmond and Collingwood have dropped off the radar of the AFL and its chief attack dog. For some balance:

Dark artists drop the ball

I can't believe this is happening; the AFL engages in massive social engineering to secure outcomes in premierships and finals appearances for its franchise clubs and then sets in place a process where cellar dwellers are lured into early draft picks to achieve the same end. They then virtually condone practices apparently followed by teams such as Carlton, Collingwood and Melbourne to rise up the list.

[Dr John Dee 1,057]

Terry Wallace in 2009

Yes Clint - very good find

That puts Richmond in the frame too, Caro.

Be good if it did. But Wallace's admission is exactly what Wilson's comment about losing heart in 'one final game' attempts to exculpate. It's her 'little bit pregnant' defence.

[manny100 1,557]

Wilson discounts the AFL's role in all of this and says the only thing that the AFL is guilty of is incompetence of the CEO etc. Well you could say the same about the MFC, ie blame officials and not the club. The AFL knew or ought to have known that there were concerns over a number of years and yet they turned a blind eye. If i am in a team at work and my manager turns a blind eye to other team members coming to work late and one day i come in late and get the sack then i will see my employer in the AAT and i will be awarded compensation.

The AFL are in a very difficult situation and would not want the embarrassment of evidence and cross examination. I may lead to job losses at the AFL as well.

The AFL has taken measures to prevent this situation again and they would be best served if guilt is established to come to an agreement with the MFC regarding penalties to avoid wholesale carnage to the game it it goes to Court. Put it all behind.

[Dr John Dee 1,057]

I should have added that the 'little bit pregnant' defence applies in the case of any club suspected of tanking, other than Melbourne. The MFC is clearly pregnant, not because she can see the bump but because she knows who the father is. She's looking at you, Cam.

[Redleg 40,925]

Terry Wallace in 2009

Yes Clint - very good find

That puts Richmond in the frame too, Caro.

And Wilsons response to this is? Oh that's right the Tigers are her club and Schwab doesn't work there.

[Hannibal 5,814]

When one peels back all of the layers of speculation, innuendo, hearsay, etc. it seems to me that the only supposed smoking gun in this entire "tanking" investigation is the discovery of a scheduled meeting in a room known as the vault where it was apparently noted that winning games of footy wasn't in the best interests of the club from a draft perspective. Unless I'm mistaken that seems to be about the extent of it. Connolly's dry sense of humour on another occasion not withstanding. All of the other pieces of "evidence" are merely positional moves and a feeling from some former players that the club didn't want to win games, even though those players acknowledge that they were never instructed to under-perform. It all gets back to this supposedly clandestine meeting where perhaps 3 people present have noted that the club discussed the ramifications of winning. If there is stronger evidence than that it certainly hasn't been released. And merely noting that winning wouldn't help the club was merely a statement of fact and by itself doesn't necessarily amount to any breach of the game's laws, or intent to do so. It hasn't been reported anywhere that following the comments "winning wouldn't be in the best interests of the club" it was stated "and this is what we're going to orchestrate to ensure we don't". If those comments took place I'm sure it would have been reported and the contents of this meeting would be far more damaging. This meeting was also a common place meeting that was standard practice for the football department, which is at odds with the impression given in Wilson's initial article.

If the above comments are a fair representation of the investigation thus far it's little wonder that this matter hasn't been concluded in over 3 months. That's right, 3 months. If the evidence was any better it would have been leaked to Wilson and the club would already have been asked to explain themselves to the AFL Commission. There's an inference that there's a lot more to come out, but I'm not so sure. At worst I can see circumstantial evidence, which wouldn't be easy to prove, or penalise. But I'm no lawyer.

There's an overwhelming perception that the club will be heavily sanctioned and it's simply a matter of time. And while this may be correct I have a feeling that it's not as straight forward as being made out. Unless, of course, the real smoking gun happens to surface. Hopefully there are no incriminating emails that are about to be uncovered.

[dee-luded 2,959]

"At the end of an embarrassing week, it's worth pondering what the acquisition of a priority draft pick by Melbourne in 2009 and the recruitment of Israel Folau by GWS in 2010 actually achieved. Both were attempts at tinkering with the natural order and both have ended badly. If they share a common outcome, it is loss of respect.

More distressing for Melbourne is the likelihood of carnage. Evidence is mounting that during the second half of the 2009 season specific actions were taken by important figures at the club designed to ensure the team didn't win so many games as to disqualify itself from a priority draft pick.

The degree of evil in this, it must be said, is debatable. Obviously it is a practice that can't go unaddressed. Yet it's nothing like the corruption of horse racing or cricket or sports in which the use of performance-enhancing drugs influences outcomes. Self-interest was not at play.

In this case, a club stands accused of exploiting a bad rule by under-performing in what were meaningless games. It was acting in what it reasonably regarded - according to the rules - as its long-term interests. Many of its supporters sensed what was happening and approved of it.

Nevertheless, the idea that a substantial coterie could be embraced within such a conspiracy, without high risk of eventual disclosure, was totally amateurish and utterly foolish.

And it was indisputably against the spirit of sport.

But so was the rule relating to priority draft picks as it then stood. It didn't just invite but encouraged what has happened. The AFL's failure to change its rule at the first hint of the possibility it offered is also condemnable."

Read more: http://www.theage.co...l#ixzz2BAI97B9g

Article today in the Age by Tim Lane.

Bit more balanced than Wilson's invective.

and so is the other inequities that create an unbalanced playing field. Like the draw, the fixture schedule, not rotating anzac day footy, etc. all these have helped to build a competition which has grown out of balance.

With the aid of the VFL/AFL's actions,,,, & non actions...

the power within the VFL/AFL has caused favouring decisions which have continually favoured the bigger clubs, (for the so called good of the game).

Now the AFL is expanding, but whats changed elsewhere.

where is the balance going to come from?

Battling clubs who decide to fight back after decades of poor results & dying membership bases from playing too cleanly decide to role up they're sleeves & get dirty, then get attacked, like no others did.

[Sir Why You Little 37,038]

Wilson obviously runs her own gig in terms of what she writes.

Her article yesterday had little to do with current Football issues concerning the MFC.

It was a personal attack on individual people.

The Age is on the way out so the content of the paper is less important than what it was.

[7-UP 107]

Clock ticking for Demons

The writer of the article forgets to mention we had to have time for our defence too.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Wilson obviously runs her own gig in terms of what she writes.

Her article yesterday had little to do with current Football issues concerning the MFC.

It was a personal attack on individual people.

The Age is on the way out so the content of the paper is less important than what it was.

and maybe thats a part of it WYL, that 'they' are disappointed sponsoring us for little result, as paper media dyes in it's own pollution.

[beelzebub 23,376]

Clock ticking for Demons

The writer of the article forgets to mention we had to have time for our defence too.

just another fluff piece written by a tyre kicking wannabe.

The more I see of this lame sh!t the more convinced we'll be resolute wrt to defending ourselves.

The AFL and some elements of the 4th estate

might , or rather ought to be wary of the monster its provoking.

They might think theyre poking Lassie but it will be Cerberus they will find themselves contending with.

Edited November 4, 2012 by belzebub59

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

When one peels back all of the layers of speculation, innuendo, hearsay, etc. it seems to me that the only supposed smoking gun in this entire "tanking" investigation is the discovery of a scheduled meeting in a room known as the vault where it was apparently noted that winning games of footy wasn't in the best interests of the club from a draft perspective. Unless I'm mistaken that seems to be about the extent of it. Connolly's dry sense of humour on another occasion not withstanding. All of the other pieces of "evidence" are merely positional moves and a feeling from some former players that the club didn't want to win games, even though those players acknowledge that they were never instructed to under-perform. It all gets back to this supposedly clandestine meeting where perhaps 3 people present have noted that the club discussed the ramifications of winning. If there is stronger evidence than that it certainly hasn't been released. And merely noting that winning wouldn't help the club was merely a statement of fact and by itself doesn't necessarily amount to any breach of the game's laws, or intent to do so. It hasn't been reported anywhere that following the comments "winning wouldn't be in the best interests of the club" it was stated "and this is what we're going to orchestrate to ensure we don't". If those comments took place I'm sure it would have been reported and the contents of this meeting would be far more damaging. This meeting was also a common place meeting that was standard practice for the football department, which is at odds with the impression given in Wilson's initial article.

If the above comments are a fair representation of the investigation thus far it's little wonder that this matter hasn't been concluded in over 3 months. That's right, 3 months. If the evidence was any better it would have been leaked to Wilson and the club would already have been asked to explain themselves to the AFL Commission. There's an inference that there's a lot more to come out, but I'm not so sure. At worst I can see circumstantial evidence, which wouldn't be easy to prove, or penalise. But I'm no lawyer.

There's an overwhelming perception that the club will be heavily sanctioned and it's simply a matter of time. And while this may be correct I have a feeling that it's not as straight forward as being made out. Unless, of course, the real smoking gun happens to surface. Hopefully there are no incriminating emails that are about to be uncovered.

The allegation that Connolly threatened people with losing their jobs if the team kept winning is probably the most damning allegation so far.

[beelzebub 23,376]

The allegation that Connolly threatened people with losing their jobs if the team kept winning is probably the most damning allegation so far.

and that it was most likely a joke illuminates on whom the joke will resound !! Edited November 4, 2012 by belzebub59

[Junior 46]

I'd like to urge every Melbourne supporter to write to The Age condemning Wilson's attack on the MFC and her negative and aggressive style of writing in general.

It's not only damaging to the club, but to the sport as a whole. She belongs at the Herald Sun and this [censored] needs to stop. It's not benefiting anyone.

[Wells 11 5,401]

and maybe thats a part of it WYL, that 'they' are disappointed sponsoring us for little result, as paper media dyes in it's own pollution.

It also struck me as interesting that in the same week the papers saturated us all with the tanking subject, Falau quit the Giants. It got them through the heavy scrutiny that would have normally would have followed that event didnt it.

Whether that was the Giants acting independently and just being smart in their timing or the whole thing was somewhat more orchestrated is something to think about. Tippett goes through to the draft one week, and the door opens for the Giants to get him if they have salary cap space. The next week suddenly after 5 months of relative calm, the whole tanking story explodes with a series of probable AFL leaks and Falau quits in the middle of it. We lose face Giants save it.

I just smell a rat in there somewhere...

[Tony Tea 2,809]

Just found this on my facebook travels....Typical.

http://www.vexnews.c...lly-like-sport/

Caro is clearly mistaken. When she says "it's not really like sport" and "viewers are watching the coverage for the wrong reasons, ie to watch the sportsmen and women being injured" she is not talking about the Paralympics, or even contact sports like boxing, she is talking about motor sports.

[beelzebub 23,376]

Theres rats everywhere . Theres a plague .

[Tony Tea 2,809]

In fact, I did not mind the Paralymics this year, which flies in the face of my long held belief that "if it hasn't got a ball, it's not a sport (boxing excluded)."

[Roost It 1,434]

It also struck me as interesting that in the same week the papers saturated us all with the tanking subject, Falau quit the Giants. It got them through the heavy scrutiny that would have normally would have followed that event didnt it.

Whether that was the Giants acting independently and just being smart in their timing or the whole thing was somewhat more orchestrated is something to think about. Tippett goes through to the draft one week, and the door opens for the Giants to get him if they have salary cap space. The next week suddenly after 5 months of relative calm, the whole tanking story explodes with a series of probable AFL leaks and Falau quits in the middle of it. We lose face Giants save it.

I just smell a rat in there somewhere...

There's a few rats chewing at this carcass.

After a week of this I'm inclined to agree with Ben Hur that either the smoking gun doesn't exist or it won't be found.

It's been a [censored] week for the club but I'm beginning to feel that we're going to walk away from this minus a couple of employees and an AFL orchestrated "Fine" that will be imposed with a few stern words to show them puffing their chests. The [censored] that should follow us getting booked on this is something the AFL's don't want. Too many fat snouts at the trough. Corporates rarely if ever punish their own, it's way too intertwined.

I've lost what little respect I had left for the Age and have been appalled at the journalism of Caroline Wilson. I honestly thought she was better than that. Her last few have us guilty, convicted and sentenced without barely a mention of the 6 or so other clubs that have done this. It's not journalism it's a form of kangaroo court.

I think my "tipping point" just became a blur again.

To borrow a phrase from others

Go Demons Unleash hell