New Dees tank claim Michael Warner, Mark Robinson
From: Herald Sun
August 17, 2012 THE MATCH - Melbourne v Sydney Round 17 Manuka Oval, Canberra July 26, 2009 OUT: Mark Jamar (quad), Brock McLean (knee), Jack Grimes (back), Brad Green (leg), Russell Robertson (dropped), James Frawley (back) and Neville Jetta (flu). IN: Kyle Cheney, Michael Newton, Paul Johnson, Shane Valenti, Matthew Whelan, Brad Miller and Jordie McKenzie.A NEW suspect game has emerged as the AFL probes tanking claims against Melbourne.
The Demons lost to Sydney in Canberra in Round 17, 2009, after making seven changes from the previous week.
Six players were listed as injured or ill and another was dropped.
Figures connected to the club have told the Herald Sun they were privy to a conversation with a senior Melbourne official the night before the match which indicated steps had been taken to reduce the prospect of a win.
The conversation at a Canberra hotel centred around concerns the Demons would win too many games in 2009, costing them a priority pick at the national draft.
"We'll be right, we've made eight changes," the Melbourne official is alleged to have said.
Associates of the club have said they would consider submitting to formal interview as part of the AFL's tanking probe.
A Herald Sun investigation has revealed:
* THEN Melbourne captain James McDonald has been interviewed by the AFL and denies tanking took place.
* ONE of Melbourne's club doctors from 2009 said "blind Freddy could tell the team wasn't picked for optimal performance" late in the season.
* TWO of the seven changes for the Canberra match were made after team selection.
* MELBOURNE'S interchange rotations fell dramatically in the match and other late-season games.
The Demons would not comment yesterday when asked about the Canberra game or the tanking investigation.
Asked about the Manuka match last night, an AFL spokesman said: "We are not providing a running commentary on the investigation or confirming who or how many people we have spoken to".
The AFL inquiry, led by chief integrity officer Brett Clothier, has involved interviews with a number of past and present Demons officials.
They include 2008-2011 senior coach Dean Bailey, innovations coach Dave Dunbar, part-time development coach Scott West, recruiting manager Barry Prendergast and McDonald.
Vice-president Don McLardy, football operations manager Chris Connolly, chief executive Cameron Schwab and assistant coaches Sean Wellman, Mark Williams and Josh Mahoney are also on the AFL's interview list.
At the centre of the investigation are questions about Melbourne's selection and game-day strategy.
Tanking occurs when a team deliberately sets out to lose games.
The tanking furore has previously centred on the Melbourne' narrow Round 18 loss to Richmond, where Tiger Jordan McMahon kicked a match-winning goal after the siren, and the Round 22 loss to St Kilda, involving several puzzling interchange and positional moves.
In the Swans match in Canberra in Round 17, Melbourne used their interchange bench 67 times - down from their season average of 85.
Melbourne's five lowest interchange totals of the year occurred from rounds 17-22.
In Round 18 it was 47, their lowest of the season. In Round 19 it was 49, in Round 21 it was 56, and in Round 22 it was 73.
But in Round 20 against Fremantle, which the Demons won at the MCG by 63 points, the interchange numbers climbed to 99, their third highest of the season.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/new-dees-tank-claim/story-e6frf9io-1226452166769
