Eddie McGuire says the AFL should take some blame for Melbourne tanking

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire has urged the AFL to take some blame for Melbourne allegedly tanking in 2009 and let the Dees off the hook.

Dean bailey

COLLINGWOOD president Eddie McGuire has urged the AFL to take some blame for Melbourne allegedly tanking in 2009 and let the Dees off the hook.

McGuire said the league should own up for rewarding clubs with priority draft picks, which he called a “stupid rule”, despite public backlash.

An announcement on the seven-month investigation was expected from AFL headquarters today, but the Herald Sun understands that will be delayed.

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“Why did you ignore everyone that has got a scintilla of knowledge of football and has been telling you for years that priority picks (provided incentive to tank),” McGuire said.

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McGuire said every premiership won this century had been influenced by draft concessions, priority picks or father-son sensations.

The Pies saluted in 2010 on the back of stars Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury, which were plucked after a dismal 2005 where Collingwood won just five games and were rewarded with two top draft picks.


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McGuire described priority picks as a “ticket to heaven” but said as the Dees had failed to capitalise the AFL should call it a “nil-all draw”.

“I’d have loved the AFL to come out and say ‘no one won out of this, it’s a nil-all draw. No one has won a premiership or anything else. It was a lame piece of legislation, we were too slow to react and we’re going to end it right now and just leave it behind’,” he said on Triple M today.

“I think the problem with Melbourne’s problem is that they were just so public about it all and the last game just seemed to have so much.”