hoopla

No doubt increasing questions over his position in the team was a factor - not to mention money. For him to come out 3 years later and highlight disillusionment with "tanking" is dishonest. Even if it was a factor - it wasn't the main factor. When he was the young player who stood to benefit by the clubs promotion of youth - he loved it - even contributed to the debt demolition He is a hypocrite of the highest ( lowest) order

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.

This is true - but he soon moved back to his Richmond roots - before quitting to take a senior recruiting position with us as gsmith12 has described

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

One things for sure - if we are to get a fair trial we'll have to make sure that no-one who has read the Age gets on to the jury !!

That article is a disgrace. ..... as for that poor non-athlete in the photograph.........

Just in case you missed it Monocular, I've no doubt gsmith12's information below has something to do with it I'm sure somebody will draw this out into public arena shortly. Surely her poison will come back to bite her - and her paper - one day

Love your whole post WJ including Inspector Clouseau.......................... but your final paragraph is right on the money.............

I think this is a very salient point. We attack Vlad ... but lets give him some credit. He knew that a full blown tanking investigation could only lead to trouble for the AFL - and so he played it down. There is no doubt that the competition ( through the damage to one of its clubs) has lost money through Wilson's hysterical coverage of this investigation. Would McLean's self-serving whinges has received any credence if Demetriou had been around? Its a story Wilson. If you are a fair-minded investigative journalist you will be on to it .The fact that refers to a football department that has since been moved on is irrelevant................. and if the investigation you advocate finds even one pro tanking assertion in the vicinity of the Punt Rd Oval .......... you will label the Tigers a "disgrace" Prove that all us Melbourne supporters have been wrong questioning your motives ............ here's your chance!

Absolutely marvellous stuff - some cool balance at last "No AFL player wants to lose any game they play. Melbourne's players have lost more than most. They have pursued their collective AFL careers for the past three seasons, dogged by tanking allegations and ridiculed as the easybeats of the league. It's hardly the stuff of prospective 18-year-old draftee's dreams. And just as the Demons look to be shaking off a six-year malaise, the tanking spectre rises again, bringing with it the threat of AFL-imposed sanctions that could very well imperil the club's best efforts to return to premiership contention" Thankyou Michael

I hope you are right This morning there was an extraordinary article in the Age headed " Coaches will come good if everyone plays the long game: Coaches in transition should ignore the imposter of short-term results and focus on the future" How do the editors reconcile this headline with yesterday's article which said it was "pathetic and disgusting for a club" to " conspire" to ignore short-term goals to improve itself in the long-term? Yesterday's article was part of a long series of articles attacking an AFL club .Today's article was by Mr. Craig Foster defending a club they would like to succeed - the Melbourne Victory !!

We did keep our mouths shut. The "person" who opened his mouth is employed by the rival who won the Kreuzer Cup! [One or two other ex-Melbourne people may have opened their mouths since. Ex Carlton ( Libba and Fev) and ex Richmond ( Wallace) people have also opened their mouths] Yes, The AFL expected us to watch the power clubs exploit the rules - and are now attacking us for trying to mimic them. When "natural justice" is in place its OK to follow the leader Unfortunately the Wilson-led media has already done the damage. The reputation of the Melbourne Football Club - and its appeal to sponsors - has already been trashed. As for CS and especially CC - what employment options do they have now? Let's assume the AFL Investigators ultimate exonerate us . Wilson's headline will be " AFL goes soft on Disgusting Demons". Kids in the schoolyard will start bating the (few) kids in Melbourne jumpers " You got away with cheating - double cheaters" As for CC - even if he is only guilty of overuse of a sardonic sense of humour - he has little chance of working effectively in "Community Relations" The media has already got what it is after!

Clearly - that is the key point here Who is Deep Throat - and what is his/her agenda?

This morning's Age sporting section carries a story headed " Coaches will come good if everyone plays the long game: Coaches in transition should ignore the imposter of short-term results and focus on the future" Hang on - didn't the Age publish a story yesterday saying it was "pathetic and disgusting for a club" to " conspire" to ignore short-term goals to improve itself in the long-term? Today's article was by Mr. Craig Foster defending a club he would like to succeed - the Melbourne Victory. Yesterday's article was part of a long series of articles attacking a club - and a CEO - Ms Caroline Wilson is hell-bent on destroying - the Melbourne Demons. Well Mr Editor - does your paper have a view on the way football clubs ought to balance short and long term goals? Or are you happy to allow your journalists to build up or tear down individual clubs according to their own personal agendas? The Age used to hold itself to be a quality newspaper. Lead by Ms Wilson it is beginning to look like Australia's "News of the World"

So a club says to a sponsor :"We are going to improve .......... we will have some exciting early picks playing for us next year .... get on board!" Is that boasting? Does that prove tanking? NO and NO It is emotive language from story hungry media - trying to match Wilson's lead. It is tabloid journalism at its worst

Terry Wallace in 2009 Yes Clint - very good find That puts Richmond in the frame too, Caro.

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

Might the basis of a good telemovie - "The Journo and the CEO"

Aaarh.......... I reckon you've got it Something personal has been driving her relentless pursuit of Cameron Schwab .Interesting to see if she retires shortly after he goes Looks like she is going to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword!.

You are correct here. A couple of seasons ago - quite out of the blue in March or April, I think - Caro wrote an extraordinary article headlined something like "CEO loan raises questions". The article was about an MFC loan of around $100-200k to Cameron Schwab. The article was extraordinary because the loan had been fully disclosed in the Melbourne Annual Report prepared several months prior as presented at the AGM at least 2-3 months before. She was correct when she said that executive loans had become increasingly rare - and that directors needed to take special care before approving them. Given our less than strong financial position at the time, I picked up the loan in my review of the accounts. The disclosures were unusually comprehensive - and they satisfactorily answered every question I could possibly think of. Ernst and Young signed off the accounts None of the lawyers and accountants at the AGM saw a need to mention it. Nothing in it - no story - even at the time. But away went Caro. "Even though the accounts said "X" there might be a problem if it turned out to be "Y"". "Cameron Schwab returned from Perth saying Z ....... and now this loan pops up.... makes you wonder" , she wrote. It was a none story when the accounts were released - and it certainly was a non-story 3 months later. Caro - was then - and is now - after Cameron Schwab. Both the Wilsons and the Schwabs were heavily involved with the Richmond Football Club. The tigers were not terribly impressed when the young Cam wlaked out of his job there and came to Melbourne.Caroline and Cameron are around the same age. Let me do a Caro.... "is there some history there?"Caro wrote glowingly of young "sportsmanlike" players - aka Brock McLean - being disillusioned by the MFC's policies. Let's not forget that Brock has a link to Richmond as well - through his Uncle Ricky. I wonder if that has something to do with her unquestioning faith in the word of an employee of the club that won the Kreuzer Cup. You are right - Caro wants to destroy a forner employee of her beloved Richmond football club Cameron Schwab Trouble is ... it looks like she's going to do it!!

It also means that the club expects to be treated the same way as all other clubs - and is entitled to have factored the law-makers' approach to similar situations into its actions. I think it is a subtle reminder of the club's legal rights - and of the fact that the club has already purged itself! The concerted media attack has already caused considerable damage to the club and its potential future revenue streams . I'd like to think that the statement is a subtle reminder to the media of its responsibilities. Good one Don. Thanks

just about!!

Absolutely correct!! Big test for the AFL - one set of rules for the power clubs - and another set of rules for the weaker clubs?

Not sure how this follows Agree that this stuff is garbage - especially as many of good things the Stynes Board has done - realigning us with the MCC, getting us to AAMI and setting us up in Casey - were started by the Gardner Board Aah back on topic - and with a very valid point. A hasty conclusion means they are set on the MFC - rather than on the tanking issue as a whole - which demands investigation into the behaviour of other clubs

When they decided to follow up McLean's self-serving little assertions they set themselves on a dangerous path. Perhaps they are hoping that Melbourne doesn't have the money to look to the courts for protection. If the principles of natural justice force the investigation into the Kreuzer Cup - and a bit of Carlton money starts heading the courts way - the legal bun fight would supply Caro with articles well into her retirement!!