Talking Footy

Mick Malthouse fears thrashings will turn off fans Jesper Fjeldstad From: Sunday Herald Sun August 07, 2011 PREMIERSHIP coach Mick Malthouse has expressed deep fears for the pulling power of the AFL competition after the Magpies' 138-point win over Port Adelaide to continue the theme of the haves belting the have-nots by monster margins.
Malthouse feared spectators would turn away from the game with more thrashings likely over the next few seasons because of the inclusion of the two new franchises and the introduction of free agency.

He was also concerned about the length of matches, wondering if matches like the one on display at AAMI Stadium entertained anybody other than masochists.

"I just think the scoreline at the moment in AFL football has to be a worrying trend for the AFL," Malthouse said. "It has to be. This is not going to bring football people to the football.

"At halftime we were 70 points in front and there was no suggestion of rubbing their face in it or humiliating them. It was simply about going about your role.

"Two new sides by next year ... consideration has to be given to who plays who, and the game is too long. Far too long.

"We're entertainers - not masochists. As a purist, you want to see games that are relatively even and Port, unfortunately, had a lot of injuries.

"It's only going to get worse. It'll get worse when free agency comes in. History has shown that players don't change clubs for money; they change for success. It will make the strong clubs stronger and the weak clubs weaker.

"Unfortunately, I think we're going to create something that's not ideal for the competition."

Matthew Primus said it was doubly embarrassing to suffer such a humbling defeat because it was premiership player Chad Cornes's final game - and the club had spent much of the week seeking to emulate Cornes's traits of passion and competitiveness to honour him.

The effort had been reasonable enough, Primus said, referring the contested ball and endeavour. But the players' ability to follow instructions had left much to wish for.

He also declined to use the difference in wealth between the two teams as an excuse and said he felt for the fans who had been suffering throughout the season after he embarked on a youth policy.

184 comments on this story

AFL admits tanking concern Will Brodie
August 2, 2011

Ads by Google
Free Practice Accountwww.GFT.com.au

Want to learn more about cfds? We can help. Learn More


Richmond celebrate after Jordan McMahon kicked a goal after the siren to win the contentious 'tanking' game over Melbourne in 2009 Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

AFL Football Operations manager Adrian Anderson has made a rare admission that the AFL is concerned about public perceptions of teams 'tanking' games to secure better draft picks.

Former Melbourne coach Dean Bailey appeared to admit to tanking games in order to gain higher draft picks when discussing his sacking at a press conference yesterday.

Anderson accepted Bailey’s explanation that he was discussing player development normal for a young team that was out of contention towards the end of a season.

Advertisement: Story continues below But today on SEN radio, Anderson was forced to concede that footy fans believed that teams deliberately underperformed in order to improve their lists. And he said the AFL was looking at possible changes.

"That’s not a good thing. We don’t like to hear that. And I think what’s happened during the expansion period (is) that this speculation about this sort of conduct has diminished substantially and that’s partly because priority picks are later on in the draft.

"And it’s an important thing that we look at that at the end of this year. Hopefully that's something… we can come up with something which helps promote the confidence that we’re after."

Anderson said the league had always planned to revisit the issue of priority picks. In a normal draft a club that has 16 premiership points or less received a priority pick before the start of the second round of the next draft. Clubs that won four games or less received in consecutive seasons previously received a pick before the first round of the draft.

Last year West Coast didn't get to activate its priority pick until the 26th selection, as Gold Coast was gifted access to the best young talent in the 2010 and 2011 drafts. In 2011, picks will be postponed by similar concessions for GWS.

"The fact that we’ve got a draft has been great for the competition. What it also does do is bring into play the sort of situation where there’s an advantage for finishing lower at the end of the season. On balance the draft has been a great thing for the competition, but it’s not all positive.

"A draft does invoke some sort of speculation that’s not healthy for the competition, but there’s no easy answers."

Anderson said that at the end of the expansion period the league would "have another look" at priority picks.

Any reappraisal of the policy will be unwelcome for teams like Port Adelaide, currently languishing at the bottom of the ladder with two wins and a long injury list.

Anderson contacted Bailey after hearing him say he had done the right thing by the club in using players out of their normal positions.

"It’s quite a difficult one, because what some people call tanking is actually in a lot of ways what you’d expect a team to do with a developing list.

"You mightn’t select a senior guy who you know is not going to be with you next year for the sake of having a look at a younger bloke. Or you might do a couple of things which are a bit different for the development. In some people’s eyes, that’s wrong…"

"His players were always trying, there was never any intent to lose…"

Speaking to Neil Mitchell on radio 3AW this morning, Demon president Don McLardy initially refused to "rehash" or comment upon the tanking issue, saying it had done so for seven months three years ago.

When pressed, he said: "We didn’t tank, and we stated that, and that’s all there is to it.

"He’s (Bailey) got young players, he played them in positions that he felt were the right positions for their development."

Former Demon Adem Yze, who was dropped during the period in contention despite a storied career, weighed into the issue on Twitter when commenting on Dean Bailey’s demise.

"Tanking creates a losing culture! The people behind that decision are the ones that should be sacked!!!"




Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/AFL/AFL-news/a ... z1VA0rovTz

The AFL are already addressing the issue of long quarters.

The issue of "tanking" insinuates that players were not playing at their best. This is untrue and for Mr Bailey to call it this is a mistake. Putting players out of position deliberately is not "tanking". It is something else. Mr Anderson has however indicated that the perception by supporters can not be ignored any longer. I believe that Port Adelaide will be the last team to receive priority selections.

Mr Malthouse is incorrect. Money is an issue. So is team position. Mr Ablett Junior went to the Gold Coast for these reasons. He would not have been club captain at Geelong.

I think Mick Malthouse and Bailey know more about this than yourself truthslayer.

King-Eliagh wrote:

I think Mick Malthouse and Bailey know more about this than yourself truthslayer.

a code in crisis E ... a terrible crisis

King-Eliagh wrote:

I think Mick Malthouse and Bailey know more about this than yourself truthslayer.

Mr Bailey does not understand the true meaning of "tanking". That much is clear. Mr Malthouse is not personal friends with Mr Ablett Junior, and it was clear at the time he signed with Gold Coast why he moved there. As Mr Malthouse chose to ignore this he is in error.

Truthsayer wrote:

King-Eliagh wrote:

I think Mick Malthouse and Bailey know more about this than yourself truthslayer.

Mr Bailey does not understand the true meaning of "tanking". That much is clear. Mr Malthouse is not personal friends with Mr Ablett Junior, and it was clear at the time he signed with Gold Coast why he moved there. As Mr Malthouse chose to ignore this he is in error.

ahhhhh .. s.hit fom clay much

So the odd thrashing is unique to the AFL. Hmm, I seem to remember the Eels getting thumped by the Rabbitohs just last week or the week before. Give it up already pussycat. Thread fail. Epic fail.

Beaussie wrote:

So the odd thrashing is unique to the AFL. Hmm, I seem to remember the Eels getting thumped by the Rabbitohs just last week or the week before. Give it up already pussycat. Thread fail. Epic fail.

1 result that had a bit of a blowout
1

there have been 30 in the AFL this year that have been massive blowouts .. & almost all against the same sides

Parramattas hiding by Souths was a bit of an unexpected margin
all of our sides near the bottom including the last placed Titans haven't been blown away to anywhere near the extent that the same sides in the AFL have been regularly

There has been many more thumpings in the NRL than you obviously will admit too. As for 30 in the AFL. Wake up dopey.

Beaussie wrote:

There has been many more thumpings in the NRL than you obviously will admit too. As for 30 in the AFL. Wake up dopey.

no there hasn't
that score of 56 by Souths was only the 2nd time 50 has been reached in all of this year , the other was by the Knights the week before in their 50 to 20 win over the Titans
the margin of 50 by Souths is easily the biggest .. the next biggest is about 34 & there have been only a handful of 30 plus point margins

the AFL has had a swag full of thrashings .. a truck load , hence its games coaches ... CEO's .. players & AFL jurnos lamenting what an appalling season it has been
& 2012... well .. its going to be worse

ahhhh... good times

Beaussie wrote:

There has been many more thumpings in the NRL than you obviously will admit too. As for 30 in the AFL. Wake up dopey.

Who would be better placed to make that judgement than a bookmaker?...it's there livelihood.


There been about 45 teams in the AFL, this year, that started shorter than$1.15 compared to half-a-dozen in the NRL

pussycat wrote:

Beaussie wrote:

There has been many more thumpings in the NRL than you obviously will admit too. As for 30 in the AFL. Wake up dopey.

Who would be better placed to make that judgement than a bookmaker?...it's there livelihood.


There been about 45 teams in the AFL, this year, that started shorter than$1.15 compared to half-a-dozen in the NRL

oh please pussycat .. don't come in here talking sense like this

cr@psayer & beaussie are the only 2 people ..... not suffering from Delusion

pussycat wrote:

Beaussie wrote:

There has been many more thumpings in the NRL than you obviously will admit too. As for 30 in the AFL. Wake up dopey.

Who would be better placed to make that judgement than a bookmaker?...it's there livelihood.


There been about 45 teams in the AFL, this year, that started shorter than$1.15 compared to half-a-dozen in the NRL

Assumptions being made, based on the odds presented by bookies. Good grief.