Tanks for nothing AFL

Integrity has been the AFL's buzz word for 2011.

After all, trust is an important element for any sport on a marketing drive.

If the punters think your competition is a bit dodgy - and with all apologies to WWE - then they are going to take their faith to another venue.

That is why the AFL was at pains to highlight the drop in positive drug tests earlier this season. The league wants to be considered one of cleanest competitions in the world. When it comes to players, no-one should have the unfair advantage.

In recent times, AFL House has made examples of those who have bet on matches. Remember, Sydney's Kieren Jack was reprimanded for placing two $5 wagers on matches not involving his Swans.

Only last year AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson said on sanctioning others for gambling on games, "'(The penalties) may seem in some cases to be more than people may expect, but you cannot underestimate the importance of protecting the integrity of our game."

There's that word again.

So it has been hard to reconcile that level of integrity with what happened in the AFL this week.
Sacked Melbourne coach Dean Bailey suggested enough in his outgoing press conference to put the tanking issue back on the AFL agenda.

"I had no hesitation at all in the first two years in ensuring the club was well placed for draft picks," Bailey said. "I was asked to do the best thing by the Melbourne Football Club and I did it. I put players in different positions."

Bailey never uttered the "T-word". But the AFL did have an inkling that was what was on Bailey's mind because Anderson admitted contacting him about the comments. Anderson said after clarifying Bailey's statement the league believed Melbourne did not tank early in the coach's tenure.

The Demons aren't the only AFL team caught in the tanking debate. Just about every team that has got a high draft pick from a low finish has had the finger pointed at them by suspicious fans.

It would be a mammoth blow to supporters to learn their team had thrown matches. Surely deliberately not playing to win to generate another gain isn't featured in any sporting integrity handbook.

Compare betting on your team to win with banking on them to lose.

And pity the poor old patrons putting a few hard earned on matches, if unbeknownst to them some players have unfair advantages because renowned defenders are lining up as forwards. And the AFL is happy for the public to bet on games. There are financial rewards for the code if people do.

Yet, despite having an integrity officer, the AFL has indicated it won't seek a full-blown investigation into tanking.

And as long as prized draft selections are awarded to teams that finish at the bottom of the ladder, speculation about whether the manner in which teams achieved the picks will remain under question.