Are Melbourne throwing games?

[seaeagle sam]

f**k me, this is a ridiculous analogy. Even for you.

It is a bit but I take his point. I've played enough games across all codes to know I've wanted to be competitive and win every single one of them. The big difference is, as someone said, at this level it only takes a drop in motivation of a couple of per cent and your f**ked.

They're not cheating (in terms of the punt) but just not there mentally every second of a game. Bit like my team come to think of it...

 

[Stormsally]

They would be something like 6th on the ladder. It's not as if they are not showing up. I'd be happy with 6th leading into the final few rounds in a normal year.

 

[NorthShoreEel]

I thought Brett Finch was the acknowledged biggest sledger in the game? Him having a (lengthy) word in someone's ear shouldn't be all that surprising, really...

Yeah - good point.

 

[cleary89]

Not enough money to be made throwing games. Didn't warne get like 3m? No way .5m would be bet on any single game on the weekend. stuff ruining your career and credibility for a couple hundred k.

 

[sarahk]

They've won 4 of their last 5 at home whilst losing their last 5 on the trot away. They are only showing up in front of their home fans and TBH who could blame them?

They beat canberra in canberra with the whole crowd chanting cheats so i guess that was pretty good. But yeah they are really inconsistent and id hate to have to rely on them for my team to make the 8.

 

[Johns Magic]

If people were abusing me for something I didn't do (which is still being debated mind you), I'd care about one thing - shoving it back in their faces. The only way to do that would be to keep winning. I know if I was a Storm player I'd be so desperate to get more points than the team that came first so you could forever call them a Clayton's premier. As it stands this year, the Storm are just an average team and whoever wins will have the right to consider themselves the real thing.

And as soon as the story first broke, they played the Warriors and absolutely annihilated them.

In the post-match captain's speech on TV, Michael Luck then said "yeah it's sorta their grand-final, they're pretty happy with themselves. But it's a bit hard to compete with a team $1.5million over the cap." (Or words to that effect at least.)

They're in a lose-lose situation.

 

[Canard]

You have to ask yourself who would be stupid enough to bet on them to win since the punishment was handed down?

 

[dragon_around]

Brian Waldron.

 

[bartman]

When there's no competition points at stake, and it sinks in that the court appeal and "united we stand" were hollow fantasies, there's nothing else for players to do but bet - and there are ways to make it very hard to trace back.

And when a group of players want to go on the punt, they'll get the best pay outs if they do whatever they can to get better odds. You've got to lose some to win some(thing).

 

[oval]

I reckon they lost against Manly purely because Manly wanted it more. I don't smell foul play, and don't the betting agencies raise the alarm when they suspect dodgy betting?

 

[Perth Red]

If Melbourne have thrown in the towel/not trying/don't care etc etc it doesn't say a lot for the teams they've beaten so far this year!

 

[Jason Maher]

Someone earlier in the thread nailed it. When they get on top early (i.e. when they play sh*t clubs like Canberra, Cronulla, or the Cowgirls) they tend to throw it around and put on a score, but when someone actually meets them head on, they give up the ghost very easily.

 

[effnic]

Josh perry does it all the time, just lays around having a nice nap on the opposition player, doesnt mean hes throwing the game. Hes just a lazy mofo.

 

[Cerne Abbas Giant]

The players don't have to put their bodies on the line like they used to.

 

[smi962]

They would be something like 6th on the ladder. It's not as if they are not showing up. I'd be happy with 6th leading into the final few rounds in a normal year.

Really? Given the standard of the football this year

 

[NorthShoreEel]

It will be interesting to see, given some of the recent rumours, that my initial thoughts about this subject may be correct.......