Grant Thomas attacks AFL tanking stanceMark Robinson | July 23, 2009
FORMER coach Grant Thomas has lashed AFL boss Andrew Demetriou as the tanking issue gained more momentum yesterday. "Absolutely there is tanking," Thomas said.
"I don't think there is any doubt and anybody who doesn't think there is any doubt is delusional and putting their head in the sand.
"Andrew Demetriou is treating the stakeholders of the game, be it the supporters, the members and anyone else involved, with a deal of disrespect."
The controversial former St Kilda coach and Demetriou have opposing views on several subjects, significantly umpires, and Thomas understands Demetriou's stance to uphold and promote the game.
But he is staggered the AFL not only ignores the contentious tanking issue but claims it doesn't exist.
"Don't poke crap down our throats and tell us to eat it," Thomas said yesterday.
Thomas said Terry Wallace's revelations in yesterday's Herald Sun were "refreshingly honest" and "hopefully a fillip for Andrew Demetriou to acknowledge, finally, there is an issue".
Thomas coached the Saints from midway through 2001 and was sensationally sacked after the 2006 season.
They finished 15th in '01 with four wins and then won five games and had a draw in '02, again finishing 15th.
The Saints have been aided by priority selections.
In the 2000 draft, they secured Nick Riewoldt with a priority selection at No. 1 and Justin Koschitzke with pick No. 2. In 2001, Luke Ball was taken at No. 2 with a priority selection.
Thomas said yesterday he had not tanked as coach.
"Fortunately, and I can say this honestly, when I was coaching St Kilda early days, or when I was director of footy early days, we didn't have to put in place any strategies or tactics to lose. We were so damned bad we couldn't win," he said.
In 2000, the Saints finished last, five wins below the 15th-placed team, Collingwood, which took Alan Didak at No. 3.
"We were out on our own. We weren't competing with anyone else," Thomas said.
"Hand on heart, we never mentioned tanking. We didn't have to because we couldn't win. We were absolutely, unadulterated terrible."
Thomas said tanking was not as contentious an issue at the start of the century as it was now, mainly because the importance and professionalism of the draft was not of today's standards.
"Now it's become so sophisticated and recruiting has become so good, there is absolute confidence you are going to get a damn good player in the top half a dozen and that's why the race is now on," he said.
"The competition splits in half at a particular time of the year. One half is aiming for finals and premierships and the other half is aiming for draft picks.
"That's not every club, but you have to ask one question: If you're playing in your first final next week, would you put this guy out for surgery? The answer is no."
So detrimental was tanking to the game, Thomas argued players were caught up in the issue.
"Players try 100 per cent, but they also, subconsciously, because of motivation, planning, preparation, training, strategy, tactics, rotations, match-ups, etc, they start to get the drift as well and their intensity drops off," he said.
"And a half per cent drop off from all of your team is greater than 10 per cent across the team and 10 per cent across the team is enough to get you beat."
Poor games by bottom teams also affects the top of the ladder, Thomas said, citing Round 22 last year.
St Kilda beat Essendon by 108 points to win fourth spot from Adelaide by less than 1 per cent.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25822023-19742,00.html
