Collingwood President Eddie McGuire Says Coach Mick Malthouse's Cheating Comments Didn't Single Out Melbourne Youngster Addam Maric Post by: Ronny Lerner 1 June, 2011 - 9:53 AM

(Photo: Getty Images)

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has denied that his coach Mick Malthouse singled out Melbourne youngster Addam Maric when he sparked his contentious cheating debate on the weekend.

Hear Eddie discuss Malthouse’s ‘cheating’ comments (1m 09s):

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey slammed Malthouse at a press conference on Tuesday for making the eyebrow-raising comments which suggested Maric cheated when he attempted to claim a goal despite the ball coming off Carlton defender Andrew Carrazzo’s foot.

But Eddie told Triple M’s Hot Breakfast that Malthouse’s comments weren’t designed to demonise Maric but to create a general debate about cheating in the AFL.

“I think people are missing the point,” Eddie told Triple M’s Hot Breakfast.

“Whether you’ve played 20 games or 2000 games (it) doesn’t make any difference. Whether Mick’s been around for 35 years or five seconds, the point that I took from Mick saying there is is there a time now to change the direction?”

“Rather than trying to rort everything all the time, maybe there should be honour amongst the thieves going forward.”

“Leave Maric out of it, I think Mick’s point was (about cheating) in football in general, he wasn’t singling out Maric on this occasion.”

Malthouse was commentating when he made the comments and Eddie said people should be mindful of encouraging commentators to give bland contributions.

“We don’t want blokes to do the old (AFL legend) Jack Dyer ‘I’m gonna say nothing in case I say something’. You’ve got to say something these days,” Eddie said.

Do you think Malthouse singled out Maric?

Leave your comment

• Josh says

  Wow. This seems to be utter nonsense. but then again, I guess he should defend the coach of his team...

  http://laughable

  Posted Wednesday 1 June, 2011 10:45 AM
• Josh says

  sure did. Otherwise he wouldnt of clearly meantioned his name.... Mick would of said it much more clearly if he wanted to aim at the topic more generally, hes a man who is usually to the point. But no. He said. Maric = Cheated.

  http://laughable

  Posted Wednesday 1 June, 2011 10:48 AM
• Don Slater says

  Footballers have been cheating for years. Backmen claiming they have touched a ball before it goes through the goals, falling forward to get a push in the back free kick, forwards claiming they have got their foot to the ball to claim a goal and the list goes on. Hopefully we will not reach the stage of the round ball football code where cheating is so common place and expected that no one complains until Australia is cheated out of a spot in the next round at the world cup by a nation that see absolutely nothing wrong with cheating in all walks of life.

  http://83826664

  Posted Wednesday 1 June, 2011 2:53 PM
• Kent Andrews says

  Whatever you think Micks point was doesn't matter Eddie. The fact is that he was talking about Maric. He may have used Maric as a case in point to start the debate, but it was aimed at Maric.
  If he, and your good self, are so worried about this form of cheating in the AFL, it would be nice to see you lead the league on this issue and direct your players to stop these practices.
  As we all know, you can't, because it is a natural reaction in the heat of frenetic competition to use the system to get an adavntage.

  Posted Thursday 2 June, 2011 11:08 AM