AFL clears Greater Western Sydney of cheating over deal with Phil Davis
Michael Warner
From:Herald Sun
August 04, 201112:00AM
THE AFL says it has investigated and cleared Greater Western Sydney of wrongdoing in the Phil Davis defection.
Collingwood president Eddie McGuire accused GWS of cheating and demanded the league hit the club with sanctions.
A leading Melbourne lawyer agreed the Davis departure appeared to be in breach of AFL rules that prohibit clubs from entering into "contracts, agreements, arrangements or understandings" with players from rival teams during a season.
Davis conceded on Tuesday that the lure from GWS - up to $750,000 a season - had been a factor in his decision to quit Adelaide.
But league football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the Davis case had been ticked off.
"GWS have liaised with (AFL investigators) Ken Wood and Andrew Dillon ... and they're satisfied that this situation is similar to the Nathan Bock situation, and that there's been no breach of the AFL rules," Anderson said.
"Nothing has occurred which has contravened the spirit or the intent of that rule. The guys have been through it and they are satisfied," Anderson said.
Bock quit the Crows this time last season to join the Gold Coast.
Commercial barrister Paul Ehrlich said the AFL's anti-poaching rules appeared to be clear.
"It's a question for the AFL - but you can have an unwritten contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding," Ehrlich said.
"It's just harder to prove."
GWS chief executive Dale Holmes said last night the expansion club was "very clear on the rules".
"We've liaised very closely with the AFL," Holmes said. "I can absolutely, categorically say there is no contract." Holmes said he had "no idea" how much Davis would be paid and denied he had been offered the co-captaincy.
McGuire earlier said GWS was "treating people like morons".
"We bang on about the salary cap and all the rest of it - they're cheating on their first signing," he told Triple M radio.
"What the hell is going on? I've been saying this for ages, that sooner or later this is just really going to blow up and everyone's going to do their lid on this one and I reckon this is an absolute insult to everyone in the AFL competition. It's just ridiculous."
McGuire, who is fighting to keep star midfielder Dale Thomas from signing with GWS, erupted after reading a statement from Holmes, claiming an agreement with Davis had not been reached.
"Seriously if this is not a complete joke, Adrian Anderson must pick the phone up to Dale Holmes and ... hit him with whatever the sanctions are for breaking this rule," McGuire said.
"You tell me, if I offer you a job and you announce you're going to leave your club, your home, your family, are you going to go to Greater Western Sydney where it hasn't even started and in three months' time we'll discuss wages with you? That's why Phil went in and resigned yesterday and said 'I've got a truckload of cash that I can't jump over'."
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