If tanking means prioritizing or accelerating team development then tanking is common in many many sports. Because realistically, teams in every sport use similar tactics when they know they are not in contention for finals. They work on tactics, develop game plans, develop players, at the expense of winning at all costs.piesman2011 wrote:TANKING INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
Instructing the players to deliberately lose matches
Employing unusual tactics in matches, including using players in positions where they do not usually play[2]
Resting star players with minor injuries, who would likely not be rested if the team were contesting finals[3]
Playing younger players who do not yet have much experience at AFL level[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priority_d ... ck#Tanking
All of the above can be considered tanking. In my opinion all clubs have done the last one "Playing younger players who do not yet have much experience at AFL level[4] " when out of finals contention, which is mostly to see if they can cut it at the top level and develop the young players.
Carlton, Collingwood and Melbourne (maybe others) have all "Rested star players with minor injuries, who would likely not be rested if the team were contesting finals[3]", you could argue that this was to get selections, however you could argue that it was also to develop young players and get a good preseason into the injuried star players. This isn't really an issue because everyone knows that the players are not playing and the beating agencies adjust for this.
Melbourne im my opinion have "Employed unusual tactics in matches, including using players in positions where they do not usually play[2]", they have also rested BOG players on the bench if they have been playing to well (in my opinion). In my opinion this is wrong because the only reason for it is to get early selections for the following year and is pretty much match fixing (but not for financial gain or to rip off beating agencies like they did in the cricket). In my opinion if they can find Melbourne guilty they should loose all frist round draft picks for the next 2 years (or perhaps combine this with loosing the Scully compo).
No clubs have probabaly never "instructed the players to deliberately lose matches". This would destroy the fabric of the club.
Thats my take on Tanking which is a term that has multiple meaning.
So yes, if this is the definition of tanking then AFL clubs do it and so do many many other sporting clubs.
But there is no way AFL clubs tell players to deliberately miss goals or drop marks or lose on purpose. It's against the nature of athletes and coaches to throw games and would only result in the loss of player or coach contracts due to poor performance.
sorry tlpg but you and credibility don't hang out no more
