The Chazz

We have Dawes, Pedo, Fitzy, Watts (if need be), Sellar. We don't need to play a tall forward who isn't 100%.

Hardtack, you do not play in the AFL unless you are 100% right, especially when you are a valuable commodity like Mitch.

I can see what you're saying Old, and it's something that we have probably been quite guilty of in the past, as recent as early to mid 2000's with Green, Bruce, Yze, etc. The difference I see with the group named above is that onfield, we have some bloody tough bastards in that group. Clark doesn't take a step backward or sideways, Viney will be like that, and there's no bullsh!t with Trengove, Dawes and Grimes. Sure, Watts isn't in that category, but one thing you have to admire about him is that he is Melbourne through and through. If he were to leave it would be due to him being delisted. He competes with Jones in the GF for the most loyal blokes on our list. Toumpas has that mix of class and hardness, but the former probably outweighs the latter. I'm happy with that, as we need that balance. At this stage, I would prefer to see Tom Mc concentrate on becoming a great CHB. From all reports he is a professional unit already, especially with his training and preparation. I think he has a bit of Harry Taylor about him in that respect, although HT is unoffically diagnosed as having mild autism! (For those that don't know, he writes pages about his direct opponents, so that he knows what he needs to do the next time he plays against them. That's not normal!). It is a good core, and could be that premiership core that we hear so much about at the top 4 clubs. Will be a couple of years away, but the foundations are there.

Anyone up for this...? We promise not to send players for early surgery, and instead, they play the entire VFL finals series. We invest around $14,700 with above-mentioned betting agency. Casey wins the flag. We pay off our $500k fine.

Wow, we must be in the period where the tanking investigation has well and truly passed and we are waiting for Round 1 to start.

I blame the GE Money Genie. Society didn't know any different other than to put something on layby if we couldn't buy it straight away. That damn genie gave us the ability to have something before we earnt it! Every year we say that the preseason seems to last forever. Round 1, 2014 will feel worse than ever given it started last Friday night!

It stays. Enough said.

That's just from this thread, 3 and a bit pages...

So you've got nothing to back up your lies? Considering you don't like "keyboard heroes", you make it hard not to be personal when you make sh!t up about another poster, then avoid any challenge by changing subject. Poorly played champ.

I don't believe I said that the club changed his roles because of the fine. Obviously they changed him before the investigation, which I put down to his incompetence in that role.

All I wanted was for you to show me where I have this "hatred" for "so many people" in "a majority of my posts". You have made accusations that are totally incorrect, but you've managed to try and make me prove my innocence? A "majority of my posts" on this thread are replying to yours, as I don't appreciate being "labelled" something that is total crap/carp/tripe. My above posts talks about my disappointment toward a number of people involved in that Geelong game. I don't think I'm alone in feeling that way. In regards to RPFC, he and I are like brothers, we agree on a lot, we disagree just as much. I'm happy for people to disagree, but do appreciate it when if someone disagrees, that they give me the respect by explaining their thoughts (see Nutbean above), rather than give me the throw away line of "get over it". As soon as RP did that, post #60 above, I accepted it and we moved on. And what are you talking about "can't handle the heat, don't come in to the kitchen"? Very keyboard hero talk isn't it? I don't actually know why you wrote that given that I'm still here copping the sh!t that anyone throws at me, and I'm not giving in to the masses. If someone asks me a reasonable question, I will answer it. I apologise to anyone who is sick of my posts/ranting in this thread. I hope you can see that I'm just trying to stick up for myself and not accepting someone making incorrect accusations. I think deep down you'd do the same for yourself.

It's a good question Nutbean. I absolutely agree that CC should've been suspended, and think the 12 month period is probably par. With that said, I think the $500k is way overs, as I feel we as a Club responded to what CC had said by transferring him to a different position. He is an employee of the club, and made an error of judgement. A fine of that size is too high. On the other hand, with Bailey coming out admitting that he left players out to give his team less of a chance, but without directing them to lose, that didn't help the cause, and no doubt inflated the fine. So, does that mean Bailey has to take responsibility? Absolutely, to some degree. If he is telling the truth, that he felt pressured in to making those selection decisions, then again, we have to turn to CC - how can we not? In my view, Bailey should've got off, so that in my opinion tells me that there was evidence suggesting he did the wrong thing. All I can suggest was that they had medical records of players that were left out of that Sydney game, and some of those players who could've played would've been in our best 18. This is totally my opinion based on nothing, other than me trying to work out how it all came to this. I could be 100% accurate, I could be totally off the mark. If there were these so called divisions within the club, someone high up needed a foot up the arse for not sorting it out. The AFL gave them that by fining us $500k. A lot of my frustration is still hanging around from 186. What happened that day at Geelong should NEVER EVER happen in a professional sport. I am adamant that some players needed to go because of it, and I feel that the right ones have now gone (took Neeld 2 years but he got there). That doesn't mean I soley blame the players, and think some officials were involved, and hoped they they copped a whack for their involvement. I don't believe any Melbourne supporter should forget the events of that day, and they should certainly not forgive those responsible. Since that day, I haven't had any faith or confidence in my club, and that pains me to say. That changed on Friday night when I looked at the blokes running around on the park believing that between them and the Football Department, nothing like that will happen again (hence why I gave up reading the NAB Cup thread after about 2 pages of absolute negativity). I don't mind my team losing, if it happens each week then sobeit. As long as I know the players are given every opportunity to perform at 100%, and in return put in 100%, 100% of the time, then I can handle it if we aren't good enough.

Here you go again. Thin skinned? You blatantly lied in your post that was directed personally at me. And stones I'm throwing in other people's direction? I voiced my opinion, and as the minority, I'm the one getting stones thrown at me! I am not trying to get people to agree. Is it against the CoC to post my views? If people then respond, especially questioning my view, I will reply. Just as I will reply when someone like yourself posts totally inaccurate comments personally directed at me. And I find your last paragraph quite ironic. Yes, I'm not inside the club every day, so have no idea what went on. Just like the "majority" weren't in the meetings/negotiations between the MFC and AFL when it was determined CC would be made "the fall guy". Do me a favour, don't reply unless you either apologise for that carp you have posted about me, or, if you are going to back up this "hatred" I have for "so many people" that is apparently obvious in a "majority" of my posts. You will need to do better than using my views of CC in this thread.

We would be best closing Demonland down between September and March then RP! Bring on Round 1!

I wasn't going to comment again on this thread, but I can't let this go. Your comment above is totally incorrect, and you should apologise. I don't mind people not agreeing with my views, I don't disagree with people just to cause sh!t, and in general, I'm quite the sheep on here. But to make a comment like that, and let's not forget, you initially said I had "hatred" for many people, is totally unacceptable. I will challenge you to back it up with facts, but I know you would be wasting your time.

Perhaps the best course of action would be not to say anything then? I voiced my view, it is in the minority, you chose to reply with a nothing post. I'm not dwelling on it, CC is out for 12 months, so the immediate future of the MFC is already looking brighter through my eyes. He will be reinstated at the end of the suspension, I will shake my head and roll my eyes, and that's all the energy it will get from me. It will be a far different reaction when some of you read our profit/loss statement over the next 2 years and whinge about the $250k per annum that is being redirected to the AFL. We will see who dwells on it for longer...

Not sure why you are directing this at me? Hatred? So many people? I trust any player, coach or official that is involved with my Club. If someone does anything to abuse that trust, then I will be firm in my views/opinions. I think you're getting a bit carried away by calling that "hatred" though. But, why not try and sensationalise it just to try and prove your point. If members of Demonland had control, CC would've been let off. Probably what my comment means when I say "people on here".

Well thought out reply RP. Given the fact that this thread was created 2 days ago, perhaps those that still feel sorry for Cuddles should be the ones that need to "move on".

What else would they have focused on? They had nothing else. The AFL knew it, the MFC knew it. This case should've been closed in a month. Instead, it turned in to a typical MFC 4 to 6 week injury, just never got better.

DC, I am fully aware that there are grey areas in this case, and you would find that in most of my posts since this saga started, I have often used inverted commas around words that definitely have grey areas (ie "evidence"). But I refuse to let CC off scot-free like most on here appear to have done, and moreso, I refuse to treat him like a hero for "taking the fall for the club". Reality is, he made a mistake. He made comments, regardless of the intent, that he shouldn't have. A man in his position, which requires a certain level of professionalism, made comments about our intentions not to win games of football. Now, the frequent argument I get when I write these sort of words was that "it was a joke". Was it? If you really think about it, was it really? Sure, the threat of people getting sacked may have been, but the reality is, there is no way known that CC was joking when he said we can't win more than "x" amount of games. Everyone knew what was at stake, so it isn't possible that the root of his comments were said in jest, it would've been said with great honesty, just as nearly every Melbourne supporter felt the same way. Ask the Demon "fans" at that Richmond game why they sang the RFC theme song after the game, most would say that it was sang with tounge-in-cheek, but you know damn well that deep down, they knew that there was a serious element to what was happening (ie the reward for our losses). People asked a number of times on here why ex-employees felt the need to knife the club, and implying that they should've kept their mouth shut. I asked the same question, but looking for reasons that they felt the need to open their mouth. Sure, if you get sacked (or moved on) from your place of employment there is always going to be bitterness toward your ex-employer, but why did so many feel that way? What did they personally have to gain out of doing this? Most of them are currently employed by other clubs/organisations, so it's not like they have lost considerable income. I have no doubt the reason why they felt the need to speak up was because of how disgusting their treatment was by certain sections of the MFC. If it was only one person speaking up, you'd brush it under the carpet, but multiple? C'mon. Yes, the AFL were always going to give someone a whack for their own incompetence, and in this case, CC, DB and the MFC were the ones that got hit. But I will never forgive CC for his own incompetence that played a part in this investigation.

Isn't that what I'm saying? In other words, if CC didn't make the comment, the AFL had nothing and we would've been cleared?

If you want to get logical DC, it would be argued that DB got a 1/4 of the penalty CC recevied, so you could make that $375k that he is responsible for. And I'm not sure where you get this theory that if DB hadn't taken CC's advice, there would be no fine. Who said? I'm quietly confident that even if CC were to be the only one charged, we would receive a fine to some degree, in the '000s thousands I'm tipping. Your last paragraph makes you sound like you work for the Commonwealth Bank. "Sorry sir, I'm increasing your interest rates, but don't worry, due to the increase in our profits, we will be giving sharehlders a record dividend". A bullet that he actually loaded in the chamber and pulled the trigger in the first place.

It's comforting to know that CC is such a nice, likeable man. However, he was basically 3rd in charge of the organisation that is the Melbourne Football Club, and through his error, cost the organisation $500,000. I know I will get the "he's the fall guy" excuse, but the fact is, he has to take some responsibility for this. I'll put it another way, if he hadn't been so loose-lipped, there is no way the investigation would've gone for as long as it did. The fact that he said what he said, and had people that were willing to testify, meant it gave the AFL a reason to drag it out as long as they did, becuase they knew it was the only "evidence" that they would ever unearth. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, but this was a $500,000 mistake that left a black cloud hanging over the Club for 6 months longer that what it should've. But if it makes you feel better thinking that he did the team thing, then do what ever makes you happy. In my mind, CC fcuked up big time and cost my Club, and I will never forget that. I don't care if some don't like that!

Would Workplace Bullying in the form of a manager saying "do this or you're sacked" count as a potential fine for an employer as well as sanctions for said manager?

Sue, I will give your post the respect and respond, but probably won't answer your initial question, and apologies in advance. From memory, Geelong did the "Freo" thing when they played Brisbane at Brisbane a few seasons back. The only solution I can offer is that the AFL look at the end result of such actions, and no doubt believe aiming to win better draft picks is far worse than aiming to "win" a home final. Not a great response, but I don't work for the AFL, so that's all you're getting! In regards to the fine, the McDonald's food poisoning example was far btter than the "employee murdering someone" example. But, you can come up with any examples like that for the sake of your argument.