Hoist that Grand Old Flag

Maybe I should be working right now. In fact, I know I should be working. I have 3 exams in the next week, but I don’t care.

This tanking fiasco has ruined my week, again…and its time to resolve it once and for all.

Here’s an opening statement for you: Melbourne tanked in 2009. Of course they bloody well did…it’s just a fact. They threw the game against Richmond in Round 19, they belted Fremantle the next week and then lost to eventual finalists Carlton and grand finalists St Kilda to secure a priority pick.

The football world knew this, just like they knew that Fremantle, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Collingwood, Carlton, West Coast and even Greater Western Sydney have all dabbled in what are now seen as the dark arts of list management. Whilst they may not have had a buffoon like Chris Connolly threatening jobs in the Football Department; each of these clubs made enough suspect moves in their respective years of cellar-dwelling to make them worthy scapegoats for investigation.

With Andy Demetriou swearing black and blue throughout his reign that tanking didn’t exist and his right hand man Adrian Anderson (who reminds me a bit too much of Squealer the propaganda pig in Orwell’s Animal Farm) characteristically shuffling next to him in agreement: One has to wonder just how serious this AFL investigation must be to have driven the superb media agenda against the football club.

I don’t really buy the idea that the AFL forced clubs into exploiting the priority pick system, nor do I think that the alleged tanking by Melbourne is akin to Pakistani-style match fixing. If you were a stupid enough organisation to reward teams for losing, a stupid enough club to systematically exploit the system or a stupid enough punter to bet on Melbourne to win a football match in 2008 or 2009: You’re simply a fool.

I’m a passionate Melbourne man, there’s no need to hide it; which is why I propose this:

Whilst the afore mentioned clubs undoubtedly and very much frantically delete strings of emails from their computers and records of meetings from their databases, the Melbourne Football Club must be in discussion with the AFL to resolve this in a manner to best suit both sides.

Tanking is morally abhorrent, threatening jobs is completely illegal: In a court of law, however, and represented by that famous coterie of theirs, the Demons may find themselves victors. The only people to allegedly come forward so far to give evidence are sacked coach Dean Bailey, discarded reserve Ruckmen John Meesen and Paul Johnson, and, notoriously, former Demon turned Blue Brock McLean. Easy enough to discredit the statements of former, disgruntled, employees. Ricky Petterd, sacked as recently as Monday, was on Melbourne radio on Wednesday to assert that Melbourne didn’t throw games. Why does his statement, and its surety, hold any less weight than those listed above?

Maybe he just didn’t feel the same ‘vibes’.

Whilst Caroline Wilson, Mick Warner and Mark Robinson tap furiously on their poor keyboards to turn the playing of defenders as forwards, an approach which established David Neitz as a Melbourne icon and led to Colin Garland winning Melbourne’s only game against an established side last season, into a heinous crime – I think there is a better approach.

Lets avoid character assassinations of the dead, lets avoid investigating half the competition: Lets make a deal.

Let Melbourne keep their 2012 draft picks. Lets not lose sight of the FACT that Jack Viney has done absolutely nothing wrong to lose the chance to play with his fathers football club; this football department was not the same one that tanked football matches.

Hand Melbourne a fine, around the $1-$2 million mark; allowing all that money they had taken in from their gala dinner this season to evaporate…along with the promise of a ‘warchest’ that delivered the likes of Chris Dawes and David Rodan.

Strip them of their first round and second round draft picks in 2013, and a spot in the Pre-Season Draft for two years.

Make a statement that tanking will not be acceptable, but don’t punish the scapegoat too severely.

As a Dees man, I could accept this as a punishment. I would welcome this punishment.

After Jeff White kicked that infamous winning goal against the Bulldogs in Round 22 2005, he was asked by Christi Malthouse to explain what had changed to give Melbourne their ‘never say die’ attitude in the back end of this season.

The 2012 Melbourne team had no such motto. Even when the Dees supporters were cheering their team on unconditionally throughout a shocking year – I attended 11 games – the prospect of being awarded richly for the Tom Scully compensation picks still hung in the air like a rotten banana in a school bag.

Its time that attitude was murdered: Burned to the ground. The ONLY priority should be winning; there should be no reward for losing. As Mark Fine said on SEN on Thursday night, no club tanks to go from Pick 8 to Pick 7. but only to significantly profit from the draft.

Players like Cale Morton, Addam Maric, Jordan Gysberts and Lucas Cook: Top 20~ picks who have all left in recent years should be waning enough to Melbourne that their inability to develop youth is a big enough problem for them to steer clear of high picks.

Melbourne should pick up Oliver Wines with Pick 4 this year, Jack Viney with 27 and Josh Toy in the Pre-Season Draft and thank their lucky stars that they can do so.

They need to go into 2013 with the assurance to these elite kids that nothing but the best attitude will be tolerated in training and on game day. They need to enter the year knowing that the likes of Connolly, Cameron Schwab and Dean Bailey have been removed from football if their involvement is as serious as implied.

They need to know that the Melbourne Footy Club has been down long enough, and that whilst names like Smith, Barrassi, Flower, Stynes and Neitz are no longer on the field: They need to be emulated and they need to be bettered.

The grand old flag must stop hanging limply on the MCG roof and start standing proudly. 154 years of history, thousands of generous and dedicated supporters and the original tenancy of the MCG must mean something more than shattering losses and the promise of next year, maybe.