Paul Roos believes Melbourne is still paying the price for tanking and vows never to lead the Demons out to deliberately lose games after seeing first hand how the management tactic has produced a long-standing impact on the playing group.
The premiership coach was happy to admit Tuesday the club tanked the 2009 season, a strategy that has negatively impacted the Demons’ culture since, despite an AFL investigation determining there was no evidence Melbourne intentionally lost games.
“Tanking has put the club where it is,” Roos said Tuesday.
“If we want to be in the same position in eight years, then I will tank because we’re seven years down the path and we have not recovered as a club from that era.”
“If someone thinks I am going to put them in a position to be in the same spot in another eight years, then they are crazy.”
But Roos can understand the allure faced by Melbourne leadership to lose as many games as possible in order to give the club a better chance at landing some of the nation’s more coveted AFL prospects.
“The carrot was there and we all know that teams were playing for ladder positions in reverse order,” he said. “Half of the footy world thought it was good management, including myself, but having taken over the club now that was involved in it, I can look back now and say it won’t happen again.”
“Teams really want to set good habits and want for their young guys to come in and play well so I think this year you’re going to have a really fierce competition to the end, which is terrific.”
Current Blue Brock McLean previously spoke out against the Demons’ tanking, saying he had demanded a trade from Melbourne after the 2009 season because of the club’s match-day strategies. An AFL investigation later found the club not guilty of the practice, but still issued a $50,000 and suspended officials for “acting in a manner prejudicial to the interests of the competition”.
The Demons have made strides since hiring the former Sydney coach ahead of the 2014 season, but have still struggled to a 4-14 record; an improvement on last year’s two-win season.
Photo: Michael Dodge/Getty Images
