Why Tanking is Smart: Connolly

[Chris 2,892]

Just read this headline in the Hun. Can't get into the article and can't get it on Google but the headline says enough. Can't Chris just learn to shut up and not drag this up again, especially as the headline is partnered by a pic of him in a Melbourne Polo and we are about to play a team who is currently tanking!

F off Chris to the hole you came from.

[dazzledavey36 53,226]

Always said Connolly is a stain. Hope he never sets foot in the footy club.

[Vogon Poetry 2,095]

1 minute ago, dazzledavey36 said:

Always said Connolly is a stain. Hope he never sets foot in the footy club.

what did the article say Dazzle?

 

[praha 11,217]

I think the headline is misleading. If it's based on his comments on SEN, he said that planning for the future was smart but that the current draft system made it difficult for club's *not* to tank in some way if there was a potential superstar up for grabs. He calls for a lottery draft to eliminate tanking. 

I think the headline is more a reflection of the discussion happening on the live podcast. He never actually says that tanking is smart 

EDIT: Here's a link to an article about his actual comments. The headline the OP mentions links to a live blog discussing today's headlines.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-easy-solution-to-kill-tanking-speculation-chris-connolly-says-the-afl-should-use-a-lottery-draft-system/news-story/40f9a97189f65ae81af960839b3a4820

Edited July 28, 2017 by praha

[DeeGee 174]

I heard him on SEN this morning and the headline is NOT what he said. Being behind the paywall most won't find out what he actually said.

i thought what he said was reasonable.

[Chris 2,892]

11 minutes ago, praha said:

I think the headline is misleading. If it's based on his comments on SEN, he said that planning for the future was smart but that the current draft system made it difficult for club's *not* to tank in some way if there was a potential superstar up for grabs. He calls for a lottery draft to eliminate tanking. 

I think the headline is more a reflection of the discussion happening on the live podcast. He never actually says that tanking is smart 

EDIT: Here's a link to an article about his actual comments. The headline the OP mentions links to a live blog discussing today's headlines.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-easy-solution-to-kill-tanking-speculation-chris-connolly-says-the-afl-should-use-a-lottery-draft-system/news-story/40f9a97189f65ae81af960839b3a4820

Thanks for the update. Agree with his comments but he simply should not be making any comments with regard to tanking in any way shape or form. All it does is highlight our issues of years ago and allow the media to misconstrue what is said and slap it on the front page with a big picture of us. 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Chris

[jnrmac 19,928]

What would have been smart would be to say:

"given my history at the MFC its best that I don't comment"

What a knucklehead to even go near that subject. Sticking you head up to get smashed,

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

Just now, Chris said:

Thanks for the update. Agree with his comments but he simply should not be making any comments with regard to tanking in any way shape or form. All it does is highlight our issues of years ago. 

Agreed.  Whether tanking or not for draft picks, I've said this before.  What was far worse was a culture that pervaded under Connolly's watch, that saw a belief that high draft picks would solve all our problems.  Terrible drafting decisions, together with a failure to develop from within and a toxic 'boys' club culture, saw us go through those terrible years of pain, that we are only just coming out of now

[Willmoy1947 3,973]

Hope he's been spoken to ASAP.......

[rpfc 28,070]

The garbage in this thread doesn't sit well with me. Chris Connolly made some mistakes but had the best interests of your club at heart, and got strung up on trumped up charges just the same as your club did.

Now it comes up again and we regurgitate and eat our own again.

Sometimes I wish we had a stubborn, arrogant, pigheaded culture like the Bombers.

We are not big enough to maintain all these grudges.

[daisycutter 29,429]

2 minutes ago, rpfc said:

 

We are not big enough to maintain all these grudges.

but history would suggest otherwise, rpfc 

[Biffen 12,919]

Now that we have about 15 top ten drafted players I agree with Cuddles.

[Damo 3,281]

Anyone who thinks that "the headline is enough" in the HeraldSun to make a character judgement has serious disadvantages.

[Pates 9,625]

Whatever he said remember this. We got absolutely reemed for something that other clubs also did. It was on the back of off the cuff comments by Brock McLean (the irony of his going to Carlton still gets me) and they ultimately didn't have proof of wrong doing, but they still needed to punish us. 

There was a lot of "list management" going on back then by clubs like us that were placed in the situation by the AFL. It was of their making. I don't blame Connolly and co for wanting to exploit it, much the same way Carlton did. Maybe they took the pi55 a bit, but I still think we were a scapegoat for something the AFL created. 

I think it should be a lottery for the top 4 picks between the bottom 4 teams. That way either way you get a great young talent, but it's not guarantee you get no 1 if you finish last. 

[iv'a worn smith 1,979]

30 minutes ago, rpfc said:

The garbage in this thread doesn't sit well with me. Chris Connolly made some mistakes but had the best interests of your club at heart, and got strung up on trumped up charges just the same as your club did.

Now it comes up again and we regurgitate and eat our own again.

Sometimes I wish we had a stubborn, arrogant, pigheaded culture like the Bombers.

We are not big enough to maintain all these grudges.

Sorry I can never forgive.  I am not saying he acted on his own, but he was integral in my view.  Many good people were ruined by what happened back then.

 

[praha 11,217]

29 minutes ago, iv'a worn smith said:

Sorry I can never forgive.  I am not saying he acted on his own, but he was integral in my view.  Many good people were ruined by what happened back then.

 

He didn't really do anything. He made a passing comment jokingly which was unprofessional and inappropriate, and granted, it's awkward that he comments on it now. But his comments today are completely reasonable and not at all supportive of tanking. If anything he offers a reasonable alternative to counter it.

[Chris 2,892]

1 hour ago, Franky_31 said:

Anyone who thinks that "the headline is enough" in the HeraldSun to make a character judgement has serious disadvantages.

If that was aimed at me, I make no judgement on him from the headline, apart from that he shouldn't comment on the topic or we end up with the headline which just reminds the world of what happened. 

[deebug 1,754]

Turned out to be a very costly joke as we all know. 

What i don't understand is this comes up every year and the AFL spout c#*! like we are going to look into it blah, blah.

The AFL have made the draft that way not the clubs so they have to fix the monster the have created,

[Moonshadow 17,576]

A fading personality looking for a headline to grab. Should just cuddle off into the sunset

[Wells 11 5,299]

28 minutes ago, praha said:

He didn't really do anything. He made a passing comment jokingly which was unprofessional and inappropriate, and granted, it's awkward that he comments on it now. But his comments today are completely reasonable and not at all supportive of tanking. If anything he offers a reasonable alternative to counter it.

Well,  lets just be real here...he did a bit more than that.  It was club policy and he was enforcing it. The real argument  isnt that "we didnt do it" its more that EVERYONE was doing it.  But when big betting money started coming into the game the AFL had to act to protect them and we were just an easy club to target...and, after the Kreuzer cup,  we were less subtle than some others. Caro loves the shame game. I still feel angry when I think about the "rolling coverage" that that story got and that some info  came from inside our club somehow. Her inference that we should be kicked out of the comp still angers me. THAT was real shaming.....the dons protected themselves way better than we did. But they also had millions to waste on it and the backing of the media. 

Plenty of clubs tanked without suffering from it. The pies most notably . 

[What 18,810]

6 minutes ago, deebug said:

Turned out to be a very costly joke as we all know. 

 

Yeah, cos the AFL were looking for a scapegoat.

Cant even make a lighthearted joke without the nazis at AFL House gunning for you. Meanwhile Carlton tanked harder than anyone in history and they got away scot free.

[Sir Why You Little 36,735]

Chris had very loose lips back in the day, we should have tanked in silence. 

But Chris and others celebrated losing at the time and it backfired, as i knew it would. 

I heard Cuddles on SEN with KB last wednesday and i found it hard to listen to. 

Chris should never mention tanking EVER in public. 

RIP Bails....

[Demons1858 1,725]

I think the article is reasonably well balance with the exception of the title.

All clubs in the same position MFC found themselves in have tanked. The only difference is we were a rabble on and off the field and players and staff that were moved on were [censored] off to the max and squealed.

Carltank and even Collingwood to a lesser extent treated players and staff respectfully and so they didn't have an axe to grind. Tony Libba being the excerption having had run ins with the Carltank and Bulldogs administrations.

It is what it is until incentive is changed. AFL can't acknowledge it due to the legal consequences

Edited July 28, 2017 by Demons1858

[TGR 1,367]

Gee wiz.  Engineer a couple meaningless losses for Judd and Hodge (for example) instead of a Luke Ball, and surely most of us would be up for it.

 

We had a losing culture anyway.  That is what most simpletons conveniently dismiss.

 

The carrot was there.  This was always a Demetriou AFL system problem, not an MFC intent issue....IMO. 

[Rodney (Balls) Grinter 10,664]

In 2014 we were winners in the draft lottry when the Saints passed up on Christian Petracca.  I'm not buying into the whole argument of whether McCartlin will ever be worth pick 1 or not (with the eminent retirement of Reiwault it may well have been the right pick for the Saints in the long run), but Trac was definetly the player we needed more.  Every time I watch Trac play I am greatfull to the Saints.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Rodney (Balls) Grinter