A former Melbourne sponsor says a senior Demons official boasted about securing top two draft picks

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

yeah i boasted to all my mates too. i boasted because as horrible as it is being one of the worst sides in the comp, at least you get the advantage of the draft system going your way. Between 08/09/10 we were just a shocking football side and consequentially we got some high draft picks. That's how it works. The persecution we are copping over this is so completely illogical and unjust I really can't believe it. Maybe in an alternate universe if we got those picks and went on to win a bunch of flags I could understand folks wanting to get in our faces. However the facts are that we were a terrible side and we still are, if it wasn't for the new sides we'd have been dead last this season. We got one priority pick, so effing what, we got the same draft assistance as every other struggling club, that's why Marc Murphy, Naitanui and Dustin Martin are at their respective clubs. Knowing that collingwood drafted Thomas and Pendlebury at pick 2 and 5 in the one year, and have since won a flag, yet somehow we are the ones under scrutiny really makes my blood boil

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

I think, and I say this as someone with no hidden agenda or any bollocks like that, IF the club is guilty as defined by the AFL's terms of what 'tanking' is, those behind it need to be moved on (if they are at the club) and all involved need to be given a one year ban from the game. That is if tanking is defined as the act of actively coaching and selecting players so they are set up to fail. If tanking is defined exclusively as directing players not to give their best effort, and really THIS would be an indictment, we are home free because there has been no indication that anyone at the club intimated this should happen. However, those at the club who did advocate the former strategy need to be run over the coals as this should never have happened.

What staggers me about our list management in 2009 is that no-one really bothered to consider the possibility that maybe the list could improve to premiership standard without the need of a priority pick. Sure, there was probably the need for a few more first round draft picks (and a few more senior players to give them some time to develop properly) but it was entirely possible to build a good squad using what we had supplemented with a few more players. Geelong hasn't had a number one draft pick since Stephen Hooper. Sydney hasn't had one since Darren Gaspar.They have both been able to rebuild their list via the draft without bottoming out. No one also seemed to consider as well that a culture built on the back of failure, however you wish to define it, might not be healthy for the long term psyche of the playing group.

mate you are a representative of a portion of our supporter base that I wish would just go away. Everyone in the country knew that we were going to stay down in 2009 and reap the maximum draft benefit, that's what every other club does every year,Talking about the Cats and Swans and whether a club should be taking high draft picks just makes you look like an absolute fool. What was your opinion on the situation in the latter parts of 2009, I have no doubt whatsoever you very much looking forward to snaring picks 1 and 2 and getting some quality talent the same as every other club does in that situation. Now, three years later you come out with your revisionist garbage, purely because the media is instructing you to do so. If you can direct me to a post you made in that year that was in protest of bottoming out, I will shut up. What exactly are you saying anyway, that as a club we should have tried to win an extra game, as if they weren't trying every week, we were just a bloody awful side that got regularly pumped! That's what the draft system is expressly set up to do, is to give talented players to struggling clubs. We as a club are guilty of absolutely nothing and accordingly we deserve no punishment. I really cannot believe there are people like you out there that seem to react firstly by bagging the club and agreeing with these media idiots, instead of standing up for the complete and utter injustice that is being perpetrated against us. Get your head straight and get behind the club.

[Guest]

mate you are a representative of a portion of our supporter base that I wish would just go away. Everyone in the country knew that we were going to stay down in 2009 and reap the maximum draft benefit, that's what every other club does every year,Talking about the Cats and Swans and whether a club should be taking high draft picks just makes you look like an absolute fool. What was your opinion on the situation in the latter parts of 2009, I have no doubt whatsoever you very much looking forward to snaring picks 1 and 2 and getting some quality talent the same as every other club does in that situation. Now, three years later you come out with your revisionist garbage, purely because the media is instructing you to do so. If you can direct me to a post you made in that year that was in protest of bottoming out, I will shut up. What exactly are you saying anyway, that as a club we should have tried to win an extra game, as if they weren't trying every week, we were just a bloody awful side that got regularly pumped! That's what the draft system is expressly set up to do, is to give talented players to struggling clubs. We as a club are guilty of absolutely nothing and accordingly we deserve no punishment. I really cannot believe there are people like you out there that seem to react firstly by bagging the club and agreeing with these media idiots, instead of standing up for the complete and utter injustice that is being perpetrated against us. Get your head straight and get behind the club.

Let me just say the feeling is mutual on the 'wishing you would just go away'. There seems to be a pretty good portion of posters on the 'Land who connect their brains directly to their rectum and let the invective fly as soon as they see something they don't like. Your post is the equivalent of a two year old stuffing Duplo blocks into it's ears and screaming at the top of it's lungs 'DO NOT LIKE!'. Say whatever you like about whether the club is guilty of tanking (whatever that may be), but you must be pulling my leg if you are advocating in any, way, shape or form the recruiting strategy of that year worked out.

Instead of a curry and a beer, I think you might need a bex, a cup of tea and a nice lie down.

[Barney Rubble 1,576]

I personally don't think we tanked under the very vague definition.

But at the end of this year when our ex Captain played his last game at the "G"

A very close member of his family who was "very emotionally charged" come three quarter time, let everyone know within earshot, exactly what she thought of the club.

It didn't take mathematics to put one and one together to realise she wasn't going to let it end there.

Disgruntled family members can be more destroying than disgruntled players.

Especially if someone significant is within earshot.

[Choko 493]

Oy morons.... back off and read the story before calling someone a scumbag!

He put a comment in his biography of Jurrah, which was released a long time ago. He did not accuse anyone of anything. Put down the keyboard. Read the story

[Guest José Mourinho]

There were just excerpts from BHM's book that were hardly damning.

Poor effort by the HS.

And laughable to say Jurrah was benched when it looked like he'd steal the game... then in the next sentence mention it was a 48 point loss.

[Hulett Packard III 166]

MELBOURNE'S benching of Liam Jurrah in Round 22, 2009, could form part of the evidence against it in the AFL tanking inquiry.

Jurrah's mentor and biographer, Bruce Hearn Mackinnon, said yesterday he could not fathom Melbourne's treatment of the exciting forward.

This is in the herald sun. i think they are getting desperate for more news and try to interview anyone. Now Jurrahs mentor is waying in. Give me a break. What next. A players dad sying my son was benched.

When Melbourne does this, it's tanking and off with its head, but when Carlton takes Fevola off when he's kicked six goals and really could win a game for them, it's time to bury our heads in the sand.

Jurrah actually had a poor tank and struggled with too much exertion. A wise coach would have preserved his players energy levels. That's what the interchange is for.

[What 18,810]

Oy morons.... back off and read the story before calling someone a scumbag!

He put a comment in his biography of Jurrah, which was released a long time ago. He did not accuse anyone of anything. Put down the keyboard. Read the story

Oy

Jurrah's mentor and biographer, Bruce Hearn Mackinnon, said yesterday he could not fathom Melbourne's treatment of the exciting forward.

[Whispering_Jack 30,673]

I have two things to say to Bruce Hearn McKinnon, the mentor of Liam Jurrah:-

• Et tu Bruce? and

• I well remember Ron Barassi when coaching North Melbourne, taking Malcolm Blight off the ground after his forward kicked the most amazing goal from an impossible angle in the forward pocket. I always understood this to mean that Barassi was trying to teach his player to be more team oriented and to pass the ball to players in better position to score goals.

I know he had a different motive but we can now add North Melbourne to the list of clubs that tanked and never got investigated for doing it.

[Choko 493]

Oy

Jurrah's mentor and biographer, Bruce Hearn Mackinnon, said yesterday he could not fathom Melbourne's treatment of the exciting forward.

He said what yesterday? It is stated in the article that he said yesterday essentially what he had already put in his book. Is he not meant to stand by what he put in his book when presumably he is asked?

[hoopla 418]

MELBOURNE'S benching of Liam Jurrah in Round 22, 2009, could form part of the evidence against it in the AFL tanking inquiry.

Jurrah's mentor and biographer, Bruce Hearn Mackinnon, said yesterday he could not fathom Melbourne's treatment of the exciting forward.

This is in the herald sun. i think they are getting desperate for more news and try to interview anyone. Now Jurrahs mentor is waying in. Give me a break. What next. A players dad sying my son was benched.

This ridiculous - the rest of the media are obviously circling for a few scraps

Carlton took Fev off in the last quarter of the Kreuzer Cup - and he himself has said that the team wasn't interested in winning. If that's not even worth a question by the AFL Integrity Officers, how can LIam's benching be worth a headline?

Actually LIam didn't look completely match fit that day. I've been worried that the fact that we picked him in the 22 in the first place might have been taken as damning evidence against us . At least it now looks as if we are safe on that one. Phew.

Edited November 4, 2012 by hoopla

[Biffen 12,947]

I personally don't think we tanked under the very vague definition.

But at the end of this year when our ex Captain played his last game at the "G"

A very close member of his family who was "very emotionally charged" come three quarter time, let everyone know within earshot, exactly what she thought of the club.

It didn't take mathematics to put one and one together to realise she wasn't going to let it end there.

Disgruntled family members can be more destroying than disgruntled players.

Especially if someone significant is within earshot.

Yep -we missed out on Juniors twilight years and gave it all to Sheeds .

People fail to remember how long it took Junior to become a good player and how many games we put in to him to make him that good .

His disposal was atrocious till the end .

STFU JNr and family-it's done .

[Guest José Mourinho]

Uh... Sure he didn't mean Green?

It doesn't matter who he means.

We have to just accept that it's a natural human reaction.

I doubt a family member's biased opinion will really be used as evidence to indict the club on this matter.

[Dr. Gonzo 24,303]

Yep -we missed out on Juniors twilight years and gave it all to Sheeds .

People fail to remember how long it took Junior to become a good player and how many games we put in to him to make him that good .

His disposal was atrocious till the end .

STFU JNr and family-it's done .

Pretty sure he was talking about Green...

[rpfc 28,779]

Everyone just STFU about players and their families.

They will be the savior here. We never told them to tank a game and that is that.

I don't care if they want to vent about treatment - we do it all the time about the treatment of the club by the players.

Move on.

[Supermercado 2,802]

Any 'evidence' about R22, 2009 should be considered next to the fact that we were 4-17 playing a team who were 19-2. In what world were we ever going to win that game?

[dee-luded 2,959]

All good points neatly summed up in #6 "The AFL got the priority pick thing wrong, the lesser evil for them will be to amend the rules and incentivize winning games over draft picks via a lottery".

Unfortunately Wilson and her media mates have already done significant damage to the MFC - and the AFL

I'd like to take that a step further, and say the culture of bottoming out, was born of necessity, because back in the 70's & after the power clubs were white-anting clubs best players with wads of cash in brown paper bags.

The poorer clubs with no way to the top constantly found themselves short for talent & perennial bottom dwellers.

Come the 90's & AFL expansion, & clubs were going to the wall,,, or interstate.

Do or die.

With supporters more educated, & wise to the ways of the materialistic world, Supporters started to demand more from they're clubs to achieve success at all costs, as the way our education has taught us over the last 30 something years is, "winning is the only thing"...

this leads our footy dept' heads to do whatever to climb up from the bottom in as quick a time as possible.

The VFL 'cultural hangover' of the 'powerful', & the also ran's,,, has strongly contributed to the despair & impatience of supporters, & the 'pushing the recycled envelope' as it where, to achieve.

This was the reason the draft was brought in in the first place, but as usual, it wasn't made strong enough, so the Power clubs could not exploit the system & maintain they're ill gotten gains.

Here & now we see the washout of nearly 50 Years of inequity trashing the footy brand we love.

Cannibalism is becoming the last weapon of competitiveness.

Where to after all this?

[Grimes is Great 183]

Hearing our first 2 picks gone from this yr's draft.

Source: Afl assistant coach.

Make of it what you will. Maybe incorrect, but sad if true.

[Biffen 12,947]

Has Caro Wilson decided the punishment before we have had a decision on the alleged crime?

WOW!

[Sir Why You Little 37,133]

Hearing our first 2 picks gone from this yr's draft.

Source: Afl assistant coach.

Make of it what you will. Maybe incorrect, but sad if true.

if true this is when the legal proceedings begin...

[Guest José Mourinho]

Hearing our first 2 picks gone from this yr's draft.

Source: Afl assistant coach.

Make of it what you will. Maybe incorrect, but sad if true.

It's highly unlikely that before the AFL Commission has even met to make a decision, that the penalty has been decided and then leaked to an assistant coach at another club.

All this tells us is something we should already know - people within AFL clubs gossip and make up stories too.

[mjt 640]

if the AFL say we're guilty at their next meeting, are we given time to defend the charges?

[ILLDieADemon 804]

We where at the bottom of the ladder for two years in a row, how else are you ment to sell the club?

P.S I really hate Broke McLean.

[Curry & Beer 5,444]

Let me just say the feeling is mutual on the 'wishing you would just go away'. There seems to be a pretty good portion of posters on the 'Land who connect their brains directly to their rectum and let the invective fly as soon as they see something they don't like. Your post is the equivalent of a two year old stuffing Duplo blocks into it's ears and screaming at the top of it's lungs 'DO NOT LIKE!'. Say whatever you like about whether the club is guilty of tanking (whatever that may be), but you must be pulling my leg if you are advocating in any, way, shape or form the recruiting strategy of that year worked out.

Instead of a curry and a beer, I think you might need a bex, a cup of tea and a nice lie down.

good one Seinfeld

yeah whatever buddy, your insight is appreciated, we can't have enough people around here saying we've done things wrong in the past, again, would like to show me your post from 2009 that said we shouldn't be getting high draft picks. I am sure you were advocating that on draft night the club should have just passed on pick 1 and 2 on the grounds that we shouldn't need them as we are building a stronger club. That would be brilliant list management wouldn't it

[Hannibal 5,814]

Hearing our first 2 picks gone from this yr's draft.

Source: Afl assistant coach.

Make of it what you will. Maybe incorrect, but sad if true.

You make it sound like you were given an inside tip just received from an assistant coach at an AFL club that the Dees will lose their first two picks. But it could be you said, "what penalty do you reckon Melbourne will get if found guilty ?".

If you're going to post a comment like that you need to provide the context.