"Melbourne are continuing to turn down the offer, I strongly believe that they will definitely take it to the courts if it goes against them"

I wouldnt be adverse to such

All I know is we play our first NAB Cup game next weekend and I'm getting foxtel installed on Tuesday. YAY

What would we be fighting for? We would have shown all and sundry that we'll cop any shite thrown at us. Better to take a stand and say this is the line. If we lose, we lose. At least we had a go.

Go DEES!

If we wanted to live and die by our principles we shouldn't have tanked games of football. Bit late now to start going on about standing for something and putting on all this false bravado about protecting our name and integrity when in 2009 we were perfectly happy to cheat (for the record I supported the tanking and still would put in the same position again - but then I don't go on about taking the AFL to court to preserve some intangible "pride").

If we wanted to live and die by our principles we shouldn't have tanked games of football. Bit late now to start going on about standing for something and putting on all this false bravado about protecting our name and integrity when in 2009 we were perfectly happy to cheat (for the record I supported the tanking and still would put in the same position again - but then I don't go on about taking the AFL to court to preserve some intangible "pride").

Congrats, Dr Gonzo wins the AFL Inaugural Medal of Integrity with Oakleaves

Latest Wilson chapter:

Demons' lame-duck excuses

Does not look flash

"It is understood that Melbourne will be charged in the coming days and

almost certainly by Friday. One expected charge is bringing the game

into disrepute. Connolly will be charged as will former coach Dean

Bailey, but Fairfax Media could not confirm whether CEO Cameron Schwab

would also be charged."

That Flamin COW

Beat me by that much.

She's back and in a big way. What a ?$()@$

Latest Wilson chapter:

Demons' lame-duck excuses

Does not look flash

"It is understood that Melbourne will be charged in the coming days and

almost certainly by Friday. One expected charge is bringing the game

into disrepute. Connolly will be charged as will former coach Dean

Bailey, but Fairfax Media could not confirm whether CEO Cameron Schwab

would also be charged."

That Flamin COW

She is actually a moron. Thanks for another baseless slur on the club with zero new information, Caro.

And in Wilson's biased mind, what was Richmond's lame-duck excuse for doing similar (as even admitted by TW)???

Nothing new in there, simply more nasty and biased opinions from The Age which seems to be hoping to twist the AFL's arm and have MFC charged. Vindicating all Wilson's anti-Melb vitriol.

Charges of draft tampering and - for Bailey - not coaching to his utmost have also been looked at.

Cheap shot. I wish someone would "look at" charging her with tampering with due legal processes and natural justice.

She certainly displays no awareness of legal processes or of the 'rule against bias' in natural justice.

she literally has no idea.

Didn't she say the same thing on last week's footy classified? And before?

I think it's a completely accurate article in its depiction of the whole debacle.

lets take this apart.

1. a lot of other clubs did do it. and are on record (terry wallace). this is not a defence against the charge as such, but is certainly worth pointing out.

2. evidence gained by indimidation is inadmissable.

3. a joke is not an order or a directive. it is also not intimidating.

4. melbourne is not too weak to be punished.

5. there is NO EVIDENCE. "players out of position" - every club forever has done this. it is called development. "players fumbled" - we were terrible.

the end.

You not what they say, vote Labor spell Centrelink.

was that as clever as it looks?

I have no reason to doubt what Caro has stated abut the expected charges, nor do I resent her expressing her opinions and judgements about us.. If they are upheld by the Commission, the AFL will have lost me forever. The whole affair is a joke that ridiculous that I would laugh if it wasn't so serious.

Verballed?

No idea miss

You talkin about the Jordie McMahon game?

Sorry Luv, not a clue?

Talk to me lawyer love?

'is names Ray.

Serious words there maam.

Impeccable sources and all wif Brock and AFL family , Adrian Anderson,and all.

The Ol' MFC, the Vault , the bookies , the draft , drugs, money,corruption, sex,rape,violence,skullduggery,carcrashes, bad tatts, vindictive journalism?

Not in our game miss.

Not on your Nelly.

It's a family game Mrs Wilson.

"The Demons have engaged former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein to lead their defence and their view is that they have a very good case. Perhaps in legal terms they are correct even though their stated excuses are so so flimsy, irrelevant and in some cases childish."

That's gold. Legally correct but hang 'em anyway. What a troll.

I hope it burns that witch to know that CS is off the hook.

Latest Wilson chapter:

Demons' lame-duck excuses

Another poorly thought out lightweight opinion piece that demonstrates by how far she misses the point.

The Demons have engaged former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein to lead their defence and their view is that they have a very good case. Perhaps in legal terms they are correct even though their stated excuses are so so flimsy, irrelevant and in some cases childish.

So never mind that you are innocent until proven guilty and never mind that you have a very good case "in legal terms", Wilson has pronounced us guilty before the charges have even been laid.

To Wilson's feeble mind we need to do away with the legal system altogether. That way we can send people we don't like to the gallows as they do in backwater dictatorships or to remote prison camps without trial as they did regularly in tyrannical regimes.

Welcome to Wilson's Gulag Archipelago.

"The Demons have engaged former Federal Court judge Ray Finkelstein to lead their defence and their view is that they have a very good case. Perhaps in legal terms they are correct even though their stated excuses are so so flimsy, irrelevant and in some cases childish."

That's gold. Legally correct but hang 'em anyway. What a troll.

I hope it burns that witch to know that CS is off the hook.

i guess a legally correct defence is a flimsy one. lolz

Nearly all this information was around at the time but neither Caro nor any of the rest of the media saw fit to say anything of any substance at the time.

What's the new stuff?

1 - The vault - irrelevant

2 - The Zulus joke - Seriously ???

3 - McLean - in her words - "Provided no evidence" (yet she also claims McLean 'knew it')

4 - 'Fumbling' and not enough game time for Jack - Total rubbish

That's it

Perhaps we can detect a little bit of sour grapes in this comment ...

Perhaps, in the name of political expediency, their punishment will be mitigated. But it shouldn't be.

I think it's a completely accurate article in its depiction of the whole debacle.

I think you are right, other than I believe it's a matter of opinion how damaging a couple of bottom feeder clubs manipulating lists and field positions late in the season is to the AFL.

I actually believe that most fans of the game, like in other sports, understand the reality of the situation and don't really care one way or the other if their team is not involved.

Wilson, and certain other media people make out like it's Cronje-style match fixing. That is the part I find utter rubbish.

Nearly all this information was around at the time but Caro nor any of the rest of the media saw fit to say anything at the time.

What's the new stuff?

1 - The vault - irrelevant

2 - The Zulus joke - Seriously ???

3 - McLean - in her words - "Provided no evidence" (yet she also claims McLean 'knew it')

4 - 'Fumbling' and not enough game time for Jack - Total rubbish

That's it

Perhaps we can detect a little bit of sour grapes in this comment ...

I think she was being facetious

all over the place like a mad woman

A bit early for a 13/02/13 article, no?

Anyway, I can't wait to see her outside the G having a dart again this season...

It really has become a journalist tactic - speculate and then quote your speculation as fact.

Murky evidence is right Caro.

How is that our unofficial defence? Because she says so? I reckon our defence has been that we did nothing wrong in terms of what can be proved by the laws of the game.

When was it an "excuse" that players and officials were intimidated? It has nothing to do with tanking and everything to do with a relevant remark over the investigation process. Ridiculous. How investigators gather "information" is very relevant.

I also notice her using the term "vault" for the room - I see she's backed away from using the term as a description for the nickname of the meeting. Not that she's taken back that statement.

Her article smacks of unfinished sentences and trains of thought that end before reaching logical conclusions. She draws out inferences from little.

Her continued (incorrect) fascination with Mclardy defending the players is also baffling. Surely, a chief football writer would be aware that our players have indeed been accused of it and she is being disingenuous by taking a swipe at him over his comment at a club function.

She bases a lot of what she says on pure conjecture; "it is clear now that not everyone at the club is behind that fight-at-all-costs mentality." Clear how? Who is not behind it? Where did this "information" come from?

It's so strange to read because it seems as though all the facts that she alludes to are being produced by her alone. No quotes it references to people, just re-hashed criticism of the club and certain individuals.

I'm glad Caro mentioned being childish - she'd be able to recognize the characteristic in her continued attacks.

If there is a possibility the gaming and drinking licences for our two venues could be at risk, would you fight it?

In reality we will have no choice. Unless Mcloughlin can manufacture a compromise in the next couple of days, get ready for jury selection.

If that was the case you'd have to weigh it up and we'd probably have little choice - however I think it was just more media sensationalism rather than any real threat though of course we'd have to seek some counsel on that.