Clearly we rorted, but equally clearly the penalties were partly so harsh because they hated Elliott and because we were at in huge financial trouble and couldn't fight back.

We rorted and deserved punishment but what really annoys me is that there was never any explained basis for the penalties and no-one ever clarified them. Has any journo or official explained how our fine was arrived at. Is it a multiple of our suspened fine (which I think was about 50k? did they stick numbers on a wall and throw darts?) If it was a multiple of a suspended fine then what would happen if Melb transgressed, I think their suspended fine was $400k, 20 x that would put them well and truly out of business. Also clearly penalising with first round draft picks is outrageously unfair. LAst year there were three PPS so the premiers first pick was about #19 and second was about #35. How on earth can you claim that that is the equivalent of 1 and 2. It means in effect that premiers are far less severely punished than the worst side. Also taking the PP was absolutely outrageous.

What amazes me is that Elliott was too stupid to cheat cleverly, and the only thing we were really caught for was O'Reilly, surely recruiting him was punishment enough.

Another thing that annoyed me was that the AFL investigation and decision making over it leaked like a seive yet no-one was ever held to account re that and no journo ever made a peep about it. At the end of the day we all paid for not getting rid of Elliott many years earlier, and the draft picks we lost are being used to an extent as an excuse for our dismal recruiting for the entire history of the draft (which we're payong for big time). When we're powerful we'll have some scores to settle (like with that 'journo" E McGuire who tubthumped about punishment), but I'm just glad we're back in the draft.

Spot on Budzy! You can add our own administration to this. They work for the AFL now not the club.

Lats years process of changing from OO to TD reinforces your words. IMO the club and most of the supporters would have prefered the MCG as our home (with some at TD) instead the other way. The AFL rode rough shot over the club and it's supporters because:

(a) They have a financial interest in TD and
(b) They hate the MCC for making forcing the AFL to honour a contract they signed TWICE;

Where is all the money the AFl promised to pump into the OO training venue? Where are the re-development plans? The AFL is happy to spend money on grounds in Western Sydney and the Gold Coast but not OO.

I love CFC but I have no loyalty to the AFL or our own administration.

I can imagine Demetriou at the time sitting in his cave thinking to himself..." hmmm...what penalties will it take for Carlton to be completely crippled and have no choice but to bend over and start taking it like every other club". That's how I imagine he and Evans came up with the amount of the fine and penalties. Nothing structural about it, just whatever it was gunna take.

"Also clearly penalising with first round draft picks is outrageously unfair. LAst year there were three PPS so the premiers first pick was about #19 and second was about #35. How on earth can you claim that that is the equivalent of 1 and 2. It means in effect that premiers are far less severely punished than the worst side. Also taking the PP was absolutely outrageous."

Gerry I have always said that an appropraite punishment was required. Instead of using draft picks (i.e. the future) My view was that a clubs slaary cap should be reduced by a figure for 1 or two years. That way it hurst you the same no matter where you finished on the ladder.

If that had been done we may have had to off load a few players and experienced pain for about the same time we have but we would have still had hope. Each year we would have grabbed some talent in the draft and eventually it would have turned around.

The AFL used the harshest penalties it could think of.

We contributed to our own demise - but there is no doubt that the vindictiveness of the AFL killed us. A few years ago I was put in charge of showing Ben Buckley around while he was in town to deliver a conference speech. I actually said to him - what would have happened if you had have given those penalties to Sydney or Footscray (I'm a traditionalist), they would have killed the club. His response? "Well we never would have given those penalties to Sydney or the Dogs".
Think about that next time you are watching us get pulversied.

I've said it before and here it is again

When we win #17 I am going to be the most arrogant prick you can imagine. If they thought we were arrogant before, just wait till we win again

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"The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent." Qui-Gon Jinn 15-05-2005

"there’s more chance of me becoming the full forward for the [Western Bulldogs] than there is of any change in the Labor Party." Julia Gillard 18-05-2010

No Demetriou looked at how many kilos of food he ate in one sitting, and muliplied that by $1000.00

I can't wait until we are good again and show those cauliflower what we are capable of!

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What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet
Woody Allen

YEAH BABY!!!

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"Two roads diverged in a wood,
and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost