Ed, Gardner dismayed at tanking

Dean Bailey's coaching days have come under fire amid tanking allegations. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: AdelaideNow

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire and former Melbourne president Paul Gardner have both expressed dismay about the tanking allegations against the Demons, but criticised the AFL for putting a system in place that provided a disincentive to win games.

McGuire said the incentive for clubs to win no more than four games in a season in consecutive years, providing them with a priority pick, was flawed.

"There are enough people who know the game well enough who said to the AFL don't do this because it'll draw people to the wrong place,'' McGuire said.

"You can't blame the cat for swallowing the cream if you put the cream out in front of it.''

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After defending the system for several years, the AFL revised the special assistance rule in February and officially scrapped the priority pick after the 2012 Grand Final.

"One thing you've got to be careful with here is 20/20 hindsight morality,'' McGuire said.

"That is that at the time Melbourne, had they won five games, would have been the laughing stock of the football world for giving up a priority pick.

"Remember that everybody looked at Richmond as if they were the greatest shower of idiots of all time when Jordan McMahon kicked that goal to beat Melbourne because they missed out, remember that?''

Paul Gardner, who was Melbourne president from 2004 until handing over the role to Jim Stynes midway through 2008, said there was no hint of tanking in his time at the club and that he found the concept 'really really disappointing'' and "a blight'' on the game.

"But the issue is bigger than just the club, I think,'' Gardner said. "The system allows you to do that. If you don't make the finals then the next best prize is to get the young draft picks.

"So in many ways the system that was set up to even the competition and to help the poorer clubs in a strange sort of way is making the clubs play (more poorly).''

Gardner said he stopped attending Melbourne games towards the end of 2009.

"To go there and actually watch the supporters cheer home the opposition clubs, so that you can get some unknown 17 or 18 year old in a draft that's going to take place, so that he might be a champion in four or five years - or in Melbourne's case leaves and goes to Greater Western Sydney - is just a bizarre situation,'' he said.

"I think individuals need to be penalised if it's proven to be true, but if the club's penalised that only effects supporters further, it effects sponsors.

"And don't forget Joseph Gutnick, who was a man of great integrity, came out in 2000 and said 'yes we did breach the salary cap', and Melbourne the club suffered a lot for that. It was four or five years of suffering .. so is it fair to effect the whole club and supporters and sponsors? I'm not so sure, but surely a penalty must be made.''

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