Ever heard of the Trade Practices Act Caro? The AFL have and are shit scared of anyone, especially someone with Essendons Financial clout, testing the AFL Draft rules in the Supreme Court....they know they would lose.
What have Essendon done wrong? What rules have Michael and Essendon broken?.............still waiting for an answer, fugly.
If you are so upset, have a go at the Bears and Bowers for being so slack in not having him sign an agreement not to play anywhere in 2007, common in other commercial enterprise and a probable rule change by Adolf that closes this alleged loophole.
"AFL must block Michael deal
Caroline Wilson
November 26, 2006
THE bombshell of retired Brisbane Lions defender Mal Michael signing a two-year deal with Essendon has overshadowed the national draft and will continue to dominate off-season AFL debate as the saga unfolds.
The end result of this extraordinary drama will have ramifications for all clubs because of the murky timing of Michael's alleged change of heart after the Lions accepted his wish to retire.
Has Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy pulled off another great trick, a coup that could prove the final piece in the jigsaw for the spine of the Essendon team that even saves his job for yet another contract? And will the Brisbane Lions ever take a trick again?
Will a significant AFL decision come down on the side of the Lions after so many have gone against them in recent years?
There are other questions that remain unanswered. For one, has Michael transferred his insistence on a reduced training regime to the Bombers?
If so, has Sheedy, who has one year remaining on his contract after two particularly poor seasons and wants to continue beyond 2007, agreed to it?
The AFL has launched an investigation into the Michael affair. So why did the league investigations boss Ken Wood, who would be expected to carry out that investigation, agree to the pre-season draft arrangement with Essendon in the first place? And you say it shouldn't happen? Should the deal not go ahead, both clubs would have endured a great deal of angst for no result.
Michael refused on Friday to answer whether he had recently demanded $50,000 up front from the Lions as part of his (presumably) now dead two-year agreement to perform ambassadorial roles for Brisbane in Victoria and Papua New Guinea. Or was that $50,000 just a sham as well? The Lions' star full-back had apparently lost his hunger for the game, a hunger that strangely returned when he watched the grand final thriller, but was hidden by Michael when he signed off from Brisbane four days later.
Certainly the footballer's personal reputation, which did not emerge well from his time at Collingwood, has been further damaged by the alleged financial demand of Brisbane. Michael played in three Brisbane premierships but, like Peter Everitt, he has now left two clubs under a cloud. Assertion. Proof?
Brisbane's reputation continues to be eroded after its gallant climb to the top ....courtesy of a $1mil in extra salary cap....and mighty three seasons at the helm of the competition. Why do so many players now seem so keen to leave the club? Only two years ago Leigh Matthews' pleas to keep the retention allowance seemed so hollow. Who would want to leave such a great team anyway? If you count Luke Power's near departure last season, the answer is a disturbingly big and star-studded number.
The combined leadership strength of Matthews and Michael Voss kept Jason Akermanis on a leash for so many fruitful seasons. How then did Akermanis suddenly implode? In fact, what came first for the three-time premier? The loss of that winning culture or simply the end of winning?
As Brisbane prays for Jonathan Brown to remain healthy, the rapid erosion of it star-studded line-up continues to hurt the club elsewhere.
The club will lose about $2.3 million in 2006 and, as the AFL enters a cash-rich but uncertain new broadcasting world, the Lions' TV ratings decline in their hometown this season will not help the promotion of the club. Only the Lions' Saturday night games are certain to appear on prime-time network free-to-air television in their hometown in 2007 when for the past two seasons Channel 10 showed an AFL game in Brisbane every Saturday night.
The AFL Commission devoted several hours of heated debate last week to the issue of the Kangaroos' foray into the Gold Coast — at this stage a 10-game three-year deal — with opinion divided on whether the push into Queensland should come much quicker and faster.
The prospect of more games at the Gabba was also raised, just months after one was taken away courtesy of Melbourne and Canberra.
The AFL will devote $208 million to game development — spread over its traditional and non-traditional states — over the next five years but the jewel in its northern crown continues to lose its shine and there is no evidence the Lions will be a force again for several years.
Preventing Michael from lining up for Essendon next season will not help Queensland football but it would make a giant statement of AFL support for Brisbane. How?
As it should. Everyone loves seeing good players play football but, from any position, Michael's retirement from AFL and almost immediate change of heart looks like a cleverly executed con." And your evidence apart from a conspiracy theory?
Caro, not only are you not a journalist's arsehole but you are so ugly a bloke couldn't drink that much beer.
