And this is all coming from someone who still thinks tanking is a good idea.

Tanking has resulted in numerous premierships in the AFL and major sports around the world.

Tanks don't kill people. Imbeciles kill people.

My poor old elder Brother thinks this might be the end for him. If the sanctions are harsh he'll lose all hope. To have a meeting with 10 club officials to outline a system of trying to lose is laughable. It was always going to come back to haunt us because people leave clubs all the time. Why the need to have so many involved ?

Brock McLean won't be welcome back at this club even when he's 80.

You have to wonder wtf they were thinking.

It won't be the end for me, but for the first time I feel sick in the guts about this issue and what might happen.

It never ends with this club. Blue sky lasts for about 6 minutes.

Yes, it's called a penalty.

Just because it's a 'penalty' doesn't mean the AFL can ignore concepts of reasonableness and appropriateness when applying it.

Taking pick 4 off us is the easy option, it makes a statement, and it looks tough. I'm sure they'll in fact do more than this. But I don't agree with it, not because I am a Melbourne supporter who really wants pick 4, but because I don't believe that taking it off us is an appropriate penalty for what was done 3 years ago by (potentially) people who are no longer affiliated with us.

Fev worte about Carlton tanking in his book. But because of who he is the afl arent taking him seriously. Libba said how they used to say tankyou as a joke and 2 days later he changes his story. I can see Neeldy storming into Camerons office or Don and demand an explanation. Thtis guy doesnt need to cop any more stick this year.

Brad Miller playing in the midfield comes to mind. That was a ripper.

I wish i had a copy of the SEN call of the Richmond game. It was quite amazing. K.B. was speechless as he finally realized Tanking was actually an issue.

Now rp you may not agree with my arguements here, but when the coach of the day looks down the barrel of a camera and says it happened (in a diplomatic way) Please do not tell me strategies were not put in place to give the club the best chance to win no more than 4 games in each of 2008-09 seasons, thus gaining priority picks.

That is the point. A dozen other clubs have done the same thing and the AFL knowing that, have said that tanking doesn't exist in AFL and that it is list management and have condoned it. As Patrick Smith said today, if the AFL condones something, then the clubs can feel confident that what they are doing is ok.

Remember that time we played Colin Garland in the forwardline in 2012 against Essendon and it cost us the game?

That is the point. A dozen other clubs have done the same thing and the AFL knowing that, have said that tanking doesn't exist in AFL and that it is list management and have condoned it. As Patrick Smith said today, if the AFL condones something, then the clubs can feel confident that what they are doing is ok.

trouble is though that the AFL did not put this to bed when Dean was sacked. It has continued to fester in the background....

Total incompetence by the people running the club at the time. Anyone really think we can go on with the same people now? and who in their right mind would give a 3 year contract extension this year? and how involved are members of the current board and who is overseeing the interests of us the members?

I'm beyond totally p...... with this and will leave it there.

Interpretation of "tanking" is the whole key here. Massive legal ramifications not only for Melbourne.

It's not an "attack" on Melbourne by Wilson. More a big story and rightly so.

From what I have heard Melbourne will escape this. Wilson's line about Bailey being concerned about losing his job etc is speculative. AFL are on shaky ground with that one.

As a closing comment and this will obviously raise feathers. Bailey had us playing reasonable football considering the list and the limitations and pressure put on him to experiment.

Total incompetence by the people running the club at the time. Anyone really think we can go on with the same people now? and who in their right mind would give a 3 year contract extension this year? and how involved are members of the current board and who is overseeing the interests of us the members?

I'm beyond totally p...... with this and will leave it there.

This is a poor comment. Nothing has been proven. All must be tested. Media is not court.

In my opinion the AFL have completely lost the plot on this issue.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - it is the prerogative of any club's administration and/or coaching staff to implement any tactics they see fit within the rules of the competition in order to do what they feel is the best way for the club to achieve future success.

Don't blame the journos. Blame the people who feel the need to make some kind of response to appease the journos, and to the ex-players (Brock McLean) who make statements that actually revealed nothing the whole football world didn't already know.

The whole thing is absolutely laughable in my opinion.

Apparently stated on 3AW that Pick 4 will be taken off us? Taken with a grain of salt at this stage but worrying times.

Interesting, found guilty and sanctioned, without the investigation concluding and without the Court challenge that would clearly follow such an event.

Caroline Wilson's Tigers are not squeeky clean on this.

But first and foremost, the AFL should be investigated for gross incompetency and hypocrisy in all this. They set the rules and clubs have responded accordingly, the most blatant example in my opinion being Carlton at the end of the 2007 season (Kreuzer Cup). Did they consider "investigating" that one? Will they now?

Here's my list of suspected 'tankers' for the AFL to investigate, and it's just quickly from memory. Fill in all that I've missed:

2004 Richmond

2005 Collingwood (early player surgery, the Pendlebury/Thomas draft)

2004/5? Hawthorn

2006 Kangaroos (early "medical management")

2007 Carltank (Kreuzer Cup)

2008

2009 MFC ("player experimentation")

2010 West Coast

You left out Freo who dropped half their team to lose and get Haselby in the last round. You also left out the Dogs who dropped Croft for the last game after kicking 5 goals the week before to get a lower draft pick. Need I keep going.

A Court challenge would destroy the AFL and go on for weeks, airing more dirty laundry than the game could stand.

Tanking has resulted in numerous premierships in the AFL and major sports around the world.

Tanks don't kill people. Imbeciles kill people.

I was referring to myself with the tanking is a good idea bit.

You left out Freo who dropped half their team to lose and get Haselby in the last round. You also left out the Dogs who dropped Croft for the last game after kicking 5 goals the week before to get a lower draft pick. Need I keep going.

A Court challenge would destroy the AFL and go on for weeks, airing more dirty laundry than the game could stand.

Lets not forget Freo dropping half their team against the Hawks in Launceston, lose by 100+ points, only to back up the next week with all their stars back in the line up and beat the Hawks in an EF.

You left out Freo who dropped half their team to lose and get Haselby in the last round. You also left out the Dogs who dropped Croft for the last game after kicking 5 goals the week before to get a lower draft pick. Need I keep going.

A Court challenge would destroy the AFL and go on for weeks, airing more dirty laundry than the game could stand.

works for me

I will say however, the silence coming out of our club is deafening. Surely someone would come out and defend the club, surely. I don't care if Don re-iterates that we'll strongly oppose any penalties, something must be said.

3AbolsuteWankers

This whole thing reeks of an over zealous AFL media with too many journalists and not enough genuine stories to cover. It's the biggest little story I've ever seen in any sport.

If Melbourne is going down for this, it must go down like Tony Montana. While I will be disgusted to the brink of conjuring up repugnant tweets to the AFL that will have ASIO knocking at my door if we are sanctioned, I would be even more livid if we just copped it on the chin. This is not an issue specific to Melbourne.

You left out Freo who dropped half their team to lose and get Haselby in the last round. You also left out the Dogs who dropped Croft for the last game after kicking 5 goals the week before to get a lower draft pick. Need I keep going.

A Court challenge would destroy the AFL and go on for weeks, airing more dirty laundry than the game could stand.

absolutely Mr. Leg. The AFL are wide open on this if it goes to a court of law...

I was referring to myself with the tanking is a good idea bit.

Sorry Hazy!

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...

The biggest worry here is the punishment Carlton copped.... so lets hope if we're found guilty that the AFL realize we've already punished ourselves with horrendous drafting with the picks better than they could have done by taking our picks off us!!

I will say however, the silence coming out of our club is deafening. Surely someone would come out and defend the club, surely. I don't care if Don re-iterates that we'll strongly oppose any penalties, something must be said.

the club has to carefully consider what to say, if anything, unlike us posters. It is a mistake to respond instantly every time the media says jump.

In my opinion the AFL have completely lost the plot on this issue.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - it is the prerogative of any club's administration and/or coaching staff to implement any tactics they see fit within the rules of the competition in order to do what they feel is the best way for the club to achieve future success.

Don't blame the journos. Blame the people who feel the need to make some kind of response to appease the journos, and to the ex-players (Brock McLean) who make statements that actually revealed nothing the whole football world didn't already know.

The whole thing is absolutely laughable in my opinion.

Good post.

A few things.

- When did this 2009 meeting take place?

If the meeting was, say, between rounds 12 and 14, when Melbourne sat on a grand total of one win and were out of the finals hunt, what does it then get interpreted as? There was no hope by that point of Melbourne playing finals, so getting some 'experimentation' in and testing players for different roles is probably useful by that point.

- Were any members of the administration involved?

While Wilson 'alludes' to Schwab being 'involved', does actual presence at the meeting require the sanction or is it just being at the club?

- What are the ramifications for other sides?

Carlton 2007, West Coast 2010, Collingwood, Hawthorn. Cases to answer.