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Eagles rubbish tanking claims

18/06/2008 5:51 PM

West Coast coach John Worsfold has rejected speculation his side is 'tanking' for draft picks following last weekend's loss to Essendon.

Seasoned midfielders Chad Fletcher and Michael Braun were left out of the Eagles side to face Essendon last week, and Daniel Kerr was a late withdrawal, leaving West Coast with an inexperienced on-ball department.

It has prompted suggestions the 2006 premier were throwing games in order to secure high draft picks. Western Australian teenager Nicholas Naitanui has been widely touted as this year's No.1 selection in the draft.

Worsfold, however, denied emphatically the club was tanking.

"I don't really care why it was sparked 'cause it's false," he declared on Wednesday. "No one's accused me of it (tanking) and I don't think anyone ever will."

"I just do my job (and) focus on winning."

"I'm not surprised that people want to talk about topical issues or issues that they could get some media coverage on (but) it certainly shouldn't be directed at our football club 'cause we're here to win games and that's our only aim ever."

"It just doesn't happen to our club so it's really no issue to me and if it's happened at other clubs I wouldn't know. I don't think they're going to come and tell me if they're doing it.".

Worsfold said he hadn't really thought about changes to the draft system to avoid talk of tanking, which his Fremantle counterpart, Mark Harvey, described as a 'slur on the game' on Tuesday.

"I haven't thought about it, I've got bigger issues about picking a winning team than worry about something that will take place (the draft) in whatever number of weeks," he said."

"That's up to the AFL (anyway)."

"If they want to change everything they do according to people's perceptions, they're going to be pretty busy. The AFL, from my experience, have made decisions on changing things that are going to be better for the game and I think the game's in good shape."

Earlier on Wednesday, Carlton coach Brett Ratten bought into the tanking debate by declaring he was sick to death of it.

"I think it might be the new fad, I suppose we get to Round 11 or 12 and if you're down in the bottom two or three, watch out because I think this will just happen every year," Ratten said.

"I don’t think it’s a subject that we need to talk about, everyone's out there competing hard."

"If you play kids are you

 
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