Dejected Demons leave the MCG. Picture: Wayne Ludbey Source: Herald Sun
HAD Essendon not voice last week its concerns about systematic doping, the investigation into Melbourne's alleged tanking in 2009 would have ended.
There's only so many black eyes the AFL can take at any one time.
Despite having a fair bit on its agenda today, the AFL Commission may want to reflect on how it punishes its errant clubs.
It's time to stop stripping draft picks as a penalty.
It's time to finally invoke Rule 16 by stripping clubs of premiership points.
If, as expected, the case is made that senior club officials told Melbourne's coaching staff to lose games in 2009, the Demons are expected to be banned from four consecutive drafts.
This is the maximum penalty the AFL Commission can impose on the club.
But what does this really do? It compromises the draft for every AFL club - more so when Melbourne returns to the draft table and is handed quality draft picks, as evidenced with Carlton after its salary cap rorting.
It delivers an uncompetitive Melbourne.
That would be fine if the AFL was a promotion-relegation league and the Demons, for their crimes, collapsed all the way to the third division. But in a one-tier league, what point is there in having a basket-case team compromising the chase for the AFL premiership? More so when the lopsided draw can serve up to some clubs two lollipop clashes against the Demons and just one to others.
The AFL - and the game of Australian football - is better served by keeping Melbourne competitive but without reward for its on-field victories. That is, have the Demons stripped of 20 premiership points this season, 16 in 2014, eight in 2015 and four in 2016.
And when it comes to the settling the annual draft order, Melbourne should be ranked by its wins rather than its premiership points to ensure the Demons are not rewarded with a string of No. 1 draft picks should they finish last of 18.
No AFL club has ever been stripped of its premiership points.
The shame of being the first would hurt Melbourne, the game's oldest club.
As for any club official proved to have orchestrated this form of match-fixing - to secure a prime draft pick and Tom Scully in 2009 - the penalty clearly has to be a life ban from all football.
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