AFL "integrity rule" re Freo and North resting players

[Deaneus!]

Didn't Richmond tank to get Cotchin?

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl...re-trent-cotchin/story-e6frf3e3-1225752963181

Still cracks me up he's called the List Manager on radio. Yeah, if you want a poorly managed list.

I wonder, now that you've put this link up, what Dean Bailey's draft penalties will be, notwithstanding he's already dead?

 

[Ry009]

if losing a match, could gain by losing that match

Im saying you're tanking because the best winning can give you is an opponent you would prefer less. Losing gives you the opponent you want to play aswell as the opportunity to go hard at them so they are sore when you play the week after.

Is it beyond the realms of logic to suggest we would rather play the Bulldogs at the MCG on a ground neither of us have played at regularly, rather than Richmond at their home ground (MCG) and not our home ground (Etihad) in front of a big opposition crowd? (inb4 lolnorf)

Not sure why it's that hard to understand...

 

[THRILLHO]

and yet look at where Essendon are at, they are an entirely different team to us. The last 2 games against us, we lost moreso than you's won - 2014 we went to sleep in the 2nd half, and down in tassie our defence was non-existant (had an off day, it happens) not taking any credit away but both those games should have turned out different

Er, that's exactly what you're doing...

 

[Tiger71]

Is it beyond the realms of logic to suggest we would rather play the Bulldogs at the MCG on a ground neither of us have played at regularly, rather than Richmond at their home ground (MCG) and not our home ground (Etihad) in front of a big opposition crowd? (inb4 lolnorf)

Not sure why it's that hard to understand...

OMG you just broke board rules Malifice Action needs to be taken!

 

[Komrade_Tiger]

Er, that's exactly what you're doing...

Im referring to the game last year at shitihad - to come back like that is never easy, but i'm saying we shouldn't have let it happen

 

[NarniMagic]

and yet look at where Essendon are at, they are an entirely different team to us. The last 2 games against us, we lost moreso than you's won - 2014 we went to sleep in the 2nd half, and down in tassie our defence was non-existant (had an off day, it happens) not taking any credit away but both those games should have turned out different

Yeh true, I suppose you "fell asleep" in the 2nd half against Carlton in that final a few years back too? Your mob certainly seems to fall asleep quite often in big matches...

 

[Komrade_Tiger]

Yeh true, I suppose you "Fell asleep" I'm the 2nd half against Carlton in that final a few years back too? Your mob certainly seems to fall asleep quite often in big matches...

They had a blinder, career best games for a fair few of them and that one came down to the wire - 20 min mark roughly

 

[Tyler Hodges]

If these Roos fringe boys come out dirty as hell, as I suspect they will, this will be one of the worst coaching moves in the history of the game. Hope north get absolutely smashed first week of finals. Scott scumbag

 

[Scott Van Persett]

In my opinion, the AFL has no integrity. Everything is compromised and altered to suit the Melbourne teams. AFL no different from Seb Blatters FIFA or the IOC. And its got worse since Mark Evans has been involved. Just my opinion

 

[Engimal]

between 2008 and 2012, right in the middle of our rebuild - Hardwick became senior coach 2009. WOWEE real great record, that TOTALLY impacts next week
Great ******* post 10/10

Richmond had a rebuild and that's the best list you could come up with?

 

[Komrade_Tiger]

Richmond had a rebuild and that's the best list you could come up with?

Please refer to the ladder, as you'll quite clearly see (if you arent a one-eyed campaigner....oh wait) 5th is higher than 8th
Try again

 

[NarniMagic]

If these Roos fringe boys come out dirty as hell, as I suspect they will, this will be one of the worst coaching moves in the history of the game. Hope north get absolutely smashed first week of finals. Scott scumbag

Coming from a Hawks fan?! You're trying to say Hawthorn aren't prone to roughing up their opponents?! Incredible...

 

[The Falcon Strike]

I would laugh if Adelaide now asked for permission to rest 11 blokes.

Both Richmond and WB are unbackable favourites. The chances of Adelaide changing position is extraordinarily low.

 

[juss]

As a Tiger fan, I don't care about this game in isolation and North resting players. Don't have an issue with that. If the week after they come out and run all over us I'll probably be disappointed we didn't rest our own players. It will be interesting to see how the strategy plays out. I still think we should give Deledio, Maric, Martin and one of Rance or Riewoldt a rest this week. If North are planning to rest their best 8 players, we should still win.

 

[doppleganger]

In my opinion, the AFL has no integrity.

Started out ok.

Everything is compromised and altered to suit the Melbourne teams. AFL no different from Seb Blatters FIFA or the IOC. And its got worse since Mark Evans has been involved. Just my opinion

Then drifted into typical woe is me non-vic type bleating.

If you aint realised, it is Fremantle that the AFL ticked off as being able to rest players.

AFL has plenty of integrity issues, not sure how Melbourne teams are favoured.....for example, how are the Dogs helped by playing an EF at the G against your mob??

 

[Tyler Hodges]

Coming from a Hawks fan?! You're trying to say Hawthorn aren't prone to roughing up their opponents?! Incredible...

At least it's our best 22 that do the damage and suffer the consequences

 

[NewMelbournian]

Fremantle made sense because they're not in a position to affect their own ladder position. But North is. Only losing guarantees avoiding a trip to Adelaide. I think in situations like this resting should not be allowed.

 

[sproketman]

Rohan Connolly has an article in The Age today about the practice of resting players in the final rounds of the season. There are a number of threads on this, but I think this is a more general discussion than the particulars of North or Freo resting players.

The practice has been going on since 2010, when Fremantle, knowing it would be hosting a first final, took a virtual reserves side to Launceston for their second-last game against Hawthorn and lost by 116 points.

Actually Rohan, you're incorrect on two points there:

1. Fremantle didn't have a home final sewn up. Freo had to win one of it's last two matches to ensure a home final. Those last two matches were Hawthorn away and Carlton at home. We threw the Hawthorn game because Harvey made the calculated decision that we were little chance to win that and it would be better to rest players in preparation for beating the Blues. We were roundly criticised for doing so, given that we had surrendered our form to a potential finals opponent. As it turned out, we won our first final against Hawthorn by 30 points, a 146 point turn around.

2. This exact thing happened in 2009, when the Saints, then under Ross Lyon, rested a number of players when playing in Tasmania against the Hawks. No one cared at the time because the Saints still ended up winning that game (and Buddy lost a tooth).

Furthermore:

While Fremantle this time might have an argument that they have earned the right to spell players given a top-of-the-ladder finish, North Melbourne's gambit has the capacity to fundamentally alter the course of the finals series.

The AFL refused to allow even the perception of teams not playing to their merits when it came to priority draft selections at the bottom of the ladder. So why is it prepared to play fast and loose with the game's integrity at the top end and the outcome of the premiership?

In 2001, Essendon were facing Richmond in the last round, and Essendon had top spot sewn up. If Richmond won they would finish fourth, if they lost they would finish fifth and Carlton in fourth. Given Essendon's rivalry with Carlton in that era, the more favourable outcome was facing the weaker Tigers.

While not ringing wholesale changes, defenders Fletcher and Barnard were given a week off. Richmond won by four goals. The next week, in the qualifying final, Essendon won by 70 points.

It has happened before and will happen again. The only difference now is that clubs are more obvious about it, clearly signalling their intentions to manage players, as opposed to playing dead. Whatever the AFL tries to do to remedy it will not matter. They'll either take the "Fremantle" approach and rest en masse, or the "Essendon" approach and play at half the required effort.

 

[Vintage]

Ridiculous decision by the AFL to OK this. Clearly creates the potential for 'conflict' or at least the appearance of it - eg if one of the ring-ins hurts one of the Tiges most important players and takes him out of next week's game how is that going to look? Even if it's an accident it's going to create problems.

They're also minimising their chances of having to travel to Adelaide next week, which surely is what this rule should be about?

 

[Engimal]

Please refer to the ladder, as you'll quite clearly see (if you arent a one-eyed campaigner....oh wait) 5th is higher than 8th
Try again

One game the difference, and North have already embarrassed Richmond this year.

 

[Quivorir]

There are a number of threads on this,

There sure ****ing is. So why create another?

 

[sproketman]

There sure ******* is. So why create another?

Surely a man with 26,000 posts isn't fit to criticise the creation of a new thread.

 

[Quivorir]

Surely a man with 26,000 posts isn't fit to criticise the creation of a new thread.

See how many of those posts are creating a thread.

Also not sure what that has to do with anything.

 

[Jaeger]

I'm not sure why so many have a problem with what the Roos are doing?

Winning finals is what football is about. If they think resting players a week out is the best preparation for them to be successful in the finals - WHEN IT MATTERS - then good on them.

What's the problem? Integrity? LOL
The game is compromised in so many departments to the point where it's almost corrupt. Good on the clubs for taking back some control in their own destiny.

 

[Komrade_Tiger]

One game the difference, and North have already embarrassed Richmond this year. View attachment 169096

2 games at the G this year and you got rolled in the 2nd half BY COLLINGWOOD, (for reference we dismantled them to the tune of 91) have fun playing on a real ground, oh wait i forgot. scotty has a cry if it isnt at his pristine conditions of shitihad