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Jason Akermanis says tanking happens
Jason Akermanis, in an interview with radio station SEN, says he believes that tanking for draft picks occurs. "My opinion, I think it does (happen), I think it's very difficult to prove. How they get away with it - players know nothing, of course - coaches get away with it with mismatches, it's as simple as that," Akermanis said. "If the AFL thinks it's not happening, or thinks it doesn't happen, or it couldn't happen in the past then it will happen in the future. They have put their head in the sand. "I've seen sides win the last game of the year and destroy a chance to get a priority pick and you want to see the crap that that's caused within clubs. The coach and stuff, they're put in very tough positions. That's why, at the moment with the AFL, that's where the problem is. "I think it can happen. I think it has happened. I think the main problem is it's more attractive to lose. Simple as that. Once it's more attractive to lose at a certain point of the year, that's when you see the losses happen. It's going to happen in the next few months. Losing is more attractive."
19 Jun 2008 0:27
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Aaron from Perth (Blues supporter), 18 Jun 2008 18:32,
Last Reply: 25 Jun 2008 17:54
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Of course Tanking happens. The system rewards tanking. However who's to say that Eagles, Dockers and Demons aren't losing on thier own merits
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Carly from North Sydney (Demons supporter), 23 Jun 2008 16:07,
Last Reply: 25 Jun 2008 17:54
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I can tell you right now... as painful as it is - the Demons are definitely losing on their own merits!  They are too young & inexperienced in defence and missing key forwards. At the moment they are struggling to put together 4 quarters of footy.
I think they'll be hanging around at the bottom for a few years until the team is rebuilt! Nobody wants to lose week in week out.
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James (Bulldogs supporter), 25 Jun 2008 17:54hide comment
Thats fair about melbourne, but the Eagles still have many quality players... so why are they losing?
Tarrant from Melbourne (Blues supporter), 19 Jun 2008 22:11,
Last Reply: 20 Jun 2008 13:16
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Perhaps Andrew Demetriou is completely right: perhaps there is no tanking, and teams at the bottom of the ladder are losing games solely because they're no good, which is a perfectly reasonable argument â€" even if he's right, it's still a problem, because the destructive effect it has upon the game is clear. The fact that we're talking about it a shade over halfway through the year, and the fact that people openly support against their teams are both terrible situations. So who cares whether tanking is actively going on - the perception that it is happening needs to be removed for the good of the game. Incidentally, a team with no chance of making the finals really shouldn't be fielding its strongest teams. Stars with niggling injuries requiring surgery should be having it early. Youngsters should get some big-league experience. Emerging players should get some experience in different, "mismatched" positions. That would make sense whether a draft existed or not.
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Andrew from Suzhou (Lions supporter), 20 Jun 2008 13:16hide comment
The perception is there, but I still don't buy into it. There is also widely held views that umpiring is bad or biased, or the tribunal is incompetent or biased, or that the game is not as hard as it used to be. The point is that there will always be fans annoyed about something within the game. Do people fully understand the current system with regards to priority picks. They are only available after two consecutive poor years where a team wins less than 5 games (I think). How/why would a team choose to lose for priority picks. The first year they would certainly not, and the second if it was going bad, like Carlton's recently people may argue that they were tanking. But the costs of tanking or losing - reduced ticket sales, reduced membership, possibly less sponsorship... These are huge motivators for an administration to NOT tank. They need the money, and by winning and ensuring a winning culture, this is the best way to do this. Others have already said its not the players or coaches who 'tank', well I'd argue it would be incredibly stupid for 'administrators' to try for this sort of thing, and therefore, I can't see how it would exist. People in the business side of things (are hopefully) not that stupid.
Katherine from Frankston (Bulldogs supporter), 19 Jun 2008 21:02hide comment
tanking happens. people can believe it or not but it does happen. AFL need to change the rules to stop tanking from happening. teams in the past have done it well to hide the fact that they were tanking.
Andrew from Suzhou (Lions supporter), 18 Jun 2008 9:31,
Last Reply: 19 Jun 2008 20:55
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Ignorant... Does he forget the fact that you need to have two pissweak years in a row to get priority picks? Who would want that? Why does anyone actually think that teams, players, supporters enjoy losing?
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Daniel from Adelaide (Magpies supporter), 18 Jun 2008 11:05,
Last Reply: 19 Jun 2008 20:55
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no one wants that but look at Carlton, they didnt try in the 2nd year to only win 5 games but by half way they were on 2 or 3 wins and werent making the finals so they started to tank games so they could get the priority pick. Aker is right on this one.
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Andrew from Suzhou (Lions supporter), 18 Jun 2008 13:25,
Last Reply: 19 Jun 2008 20:55
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Early picks in a draft are just one element that goes into making a succesful team. There's been plenty of examples of underperforming top draftees, and plenty of examples of draftees from numbers in the 60s, 70s, 80s where they've played 200+ games. I really don't have a problem with the current system. If people want to move to a lottery, I'd also support that. People are kidding themselves if they think getting repeated years of top 3-4 picks means you're automatically a good side. Just look at St Kilda of late.... All their high picks haven't amounted to any grand final appearances. Tanking is just one of those conspiracy theories for people with too much time...
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Daniel from Adelaide (Magpies supporter), 18 Jun 2008 13:57,
Last Reply: 19 Jun 2008 20:55
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That's not the point Andrew. The facts are if you get a high draft pick then you have first dibs on any player in the under 18s. If your recruiters are good at what they do then they have the chance to recruit the best kids going around. If you cant make the finals but have a chance at the 1st pick of the draft or the 7th pick then you will try to get the 1st one wouldnt you? I'm all for the lottery system, the curent one is a joke. You're right. 1st picks doesnt guarantee success but remember Saints only had 2 priority picks, Kosi and Goddard. Riewoldt was pick 2 in the draft. All other pick are around 10th and so on. Carlton have got Muprhy, Gibbs and Kreuzer. You can't say they arent going to be great players.
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Tarrant from Melbourne (Blues supporter), 19 Jun 2008 20:55hide comment
I don't understand what a lottery would achieve. It is rare that #1 is head and shoulders above #2 (although people may argue this year is different), and unlike basketball, one gun player cannot make a team competitive by himself. If a team wants to tank and suffer the indignity of the wooden spoon to get the #1 pick instead of #2, all power to them. Let them have spoons waved at them. The benefit won't be that great. The problem is the priority pick: having two high picks instead of one, or three high picks instead of two - that is something that is worth tanking for. Whether that just means taking away the second-bad-year pre-draft priority pick, or taking them away altogether, that would solve most of the problems.
Johnny (Bulldogs supporter), 19 Jun 2008 13:06,
Last Reply: 19 Jun 2008 15:50
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I agree with Andrew on this. Some clubs are simply unable to get the most out of their draft picks. Whether it's first, second, third or tenth draft pick matters less than how club develops them as a player. Saints are an example but even more so is Richmond which have some great players from prime picks but still can't win. At the other end are the absolute guns, like Voss, Chris Grant, Hird, who saw over a hundred picks go by before they were called up. There's a lot more to a making a premiership team than getting the first or third draft pick. Having said that, the last few years before 2008 (post Lions dominance) have seen incredibly tight contests for top 8, and even tipping was a nightmare, which i think is testimony to a draft picking system that works.
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Daniel from Adelaide (Magpies supporter), 19 Jun 2008 15:50hide comment
ok this isnt about not always picking the best players, its about tanking so you have the chance to recruit the best players and if they dont turn out to be guns then thats a different story. Its about having the ability to get the best by losing games intentionally to increase ur chances. Richmond recruiters should hang their heads, Tambling is a utter dud and Deledio is vastly overated. Could have had a fwd line of Richo, Franklin and Pavlich. Scott Burns was a late pick as was Damien Hardwick and Bartel was late on i think, after the 30's?
David from Coldstream (Tigers supporter), 18 Jun 2008 15:58,
Last Reply: 18 Jun 2008 16:11
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just go back to the system of last 1st pick, top 16th pick. if you finish bottom two years in a row you will get the no 1 pick again. the priority pick sucks especially when you were the team to finish last and don't get the top pick. Cotchin will be good though
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Tarrant from Melbourne (Blues supporter), 18 Jun 2008 16:11hide comment
You were going to take Cotchin anyway. But I agree.
Tarrant from Melbourne (Blues supporter), 18 Jun 2008 11:32hide comment
What astonishes me is that people are talking about draft lotteries as a solution. That's not the problem - it's the extra pick which is the problem. Remove that, and the "tanking" problem goes away.
Adam from Corowa (Tigers supporter), 18 Jun 2008 9:55hide comment
He does make some good points. The players, coach and supporters do not like losing but the Administrations think only of revenue and priority draft picks are attractive. Although i do not agree with everything he says i do believe it needs some changes.
Disclaimer: The comments above were added by Facebook AFL club supporters and do not reflect the opinions of Footywire.com.
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