Tanks for the wins Richmond and Carlton

[saintsRrising]

One of the realities of AFL is that it has never beena game played within the spirit of the rules.

It has always beena game where teams and players attemp to get away with what they can within the rules in order to havea higher chance of winning and in particular in winninga premiership.

Coaches and players are always seeking an edge or loophole to be exploited.

Teams will once out of the race tank not only to achieve lower draft picks but to:

* prepare better for next year (operations, different training, earlier training et...ie did wonders for the Roos in 2007)
* review fring players at AFL to aid in the decision to keep or delist
*to get games into the kids and less experienced.


There is a sematic argument I guess about what is tanking (ie deliberately finishing lower for better draft selectiions (Ie the Pies for thomas and Pendleberry) and what is just preparing for next season (ie Kangaroos at the end of 2006).

ALL clubs including the saints will get away with what they can...it is how AFL is played.

It is up to the AFL to tighten the rules or loopholes if they believe actions get too far away from the desired spirit..


An extra priority pick at the start ofthe draft is a BIG big tempation.

An extra draft pick at the end of the first draft round is a much lesser temptation.

However it is not just the priortit picks that area temptation it is gettinga pick in the first 3 or so players where noramally the amount of talent is appreciably greater.

Drafting is meant to advantage poorer teams....and who could really deny that the Blues were a poor team in 2007?????

The priority pick is meant to advantage very poor teams though...particularly when it is the first selection...and that is where the arguments start.

However the Tiges and Dees could have tanked too...


And so for me that is why I thinka lottery system should come in so that a guaranteed low pick is known.



However clubs out of the race are always now going "prepare for next year" and that is not going to change anytime soon.

Only the fear of relegation would most liekly sway a club from finishing last to grab a No1 pick.

[Dan Warna]

well looking down the list of players that won against adelaide it was pretty much the core of the team.

the saints ruckmen won about 1/2 the hitouts of the adelaide ruckmen.

we won because we worked harder, ran harder and attacked more.

I did concur with observations in the media that Ross Lyon did modify his game plan as the season progressed.

I've always said our midfield is amongst the best in the competition.

I would also say that our form to lose to some rubbish teams early in the season was dissapointing.

08 looks a lot better, our injuries are less, and in the short to medium term insignificant, by courtesy of a poor result in 07, we have a relatively decent draw

of our new recruits, I see schneider as the major win, and Im not really expecting all that much from gardiner, king, dempster, but if they do come up, it will be a bonus.

our players from 00 to 05 are no entering their prime of their careers over the next 2 to 3 years.

Ross Lyon has inherited an awesome team, its up to him and the team what he can get out of them.

[snippa]

Sorry if this has been previously mentioned but why not sort out draft picks after round 15? So long as everyone has played each other once it can be based on ladder position with no priority picks.

Less chance of teams tanking with 7 games to go as most might still be able to make it so it doesn't matter what teams do in the final 7 rounds, the order is set.

[plugger66]

Sorry if this has been previously mentioned but why not sort out draft picks after round 15? So long as everyone has played each other once it can be based on ladder position with no priority picks.

Less chance of teams tanking with 7 games to go as most might still be able to make it so it doesn't matter what teams do in the final 7 rounds, the order is set.

Not every side has played each other once by round 15 but I get your idea. i think the balls in the barrel is the best idea.

[rodgerfox]

The draft is fine.

History tells us that the top 3 is pretty much a raffle anyway.

Hodge
Ball
Judd

Roo
Kos
Didak

BJ
Wells
Brennan

Cooney
Walker
Sylvia


So getting number 1 I don't think really matters that much. It's getting the priority pick that makes a difference.

Scrap it altogether.

[st_Trav_ofWA]

for the record CARLTON AND RICHMOND DIDNT TANK GAMES !!!!! they were actually that SH*T !!!!

well done Trav, not only are you on Harby's Xmas card list, but now Dimwit's also......good effort

geeeze humour is wasted on some people

[rodgerfox]

Maybe the AFL should make the wooden spoon team wear a big wooden spoon on the back of their jumpers for the entire following season.

That would be a deterrent.

[bigcarl]

Maybe the AFL should make the wooden spoon team wear a big wooden spoon on the back of their jumpers for the entire following season.

That would be a deterrent.

i like it.

scrap the priority pick and do a balls in the barrel for the last six teams to decide which order they go in in the draft.

that ought to take care of tanking

[karnak]

would help to have a few victorian teams go broke too.

I'm sure Dimwit would love to hear that idea. I do like it, just glad that it wasn't around throughout our history, after all we'd have worn it 1 out of every 4 seasons.

Lets not make our memories too short!

[congorozides]

That's a pathetic way of thinking about it.

If we lose, we are crap
If we win, we are crap, but not as crap as the opposition.

no we are talking in terms of winning a premiership. not just bein an ok team.

the fact is to win a premiership you have to beat the good teams and CRSH the crap teams. the point being made is that were a long long way off in 07.

[spert]

Well Carlton and Richmond now have a chronic losing culture and anyway, last year is gone. Seeing GT couldn't win a flag with a team capable of doing that in 04, then we can look forward to how RL tackles that issue this year. From preseason games so far, I sense more desperation at the ball across the playing group, not just a few of our stars as has been the case for a few years. I'm Looking forward to this season.

[rodgerfox]

Well Carlton and Richmond now have a chronic losing culture and anyway, last year is gone. Seeing GT couldn't win a flag with a team capable of doing that in 04, then we can look forward to how RL tackles that issue this year. From preseason games so far, I sense more desperation at the ball across the playing group, not just a few of our stars as has been the case for a few years. I'm Looking forward to this season.

Gehrig playing injured.
No Kosi.
Ball playing injured.
No Max.
Goose with OP and a broken leg.
No Lenny.
No BJ.
No Hamill.
Roo playing injured.

Who are these stars that we've been relying on? We've been winning 14 games a year without our 'stars' fit and playing.