AFL investigators are exploring claims that Melbourne's football department staff, including its coaches, were threatened with dismissal if they did not employ tactics to tank during the 2009 season.
In a revelation that will rock the foundations of the league's oldest club, several Melbourne employees have told investigators that their livelihood was jeopardised by then Demons general manager of football operations Chris Connolly in July 2009.
According to the employees, Connolly used aggressive language in a brief appearance in front of about 10 Melbourne football people at a review meeting and demanded: "Make this happen, or you'll all get sacked."
The version of events and Connolly's threat were yesterday supported by two people present during the review of the round-15 win over Port Adelaide the previous Sunday.
Connolly was reinforcing an ambition held by senior Melbourne administrators to gain valuable draft concessions by not winning more than four games that season.
Just how high up the chain that ambition went is still unclear and remains a priority for the league's investigation team, but a source yesterday revealed that those in attendance "assumed" that Connolly's threat had at least been endorsed and approved by chief executive Cameron Schwab, a long-time friend and close associate of Connolly.
At the time, senior coach Dean Bailey reported to Connolly, who reported to Schwab.
Connolly, Schwab and Bailey could not be contacted yesterday.
The Australian has been told Connolly left within minutes of him interrupting the regular strategic meeting held in what was referred to as "the vault". The building, at Melbourne's former headquarters at the Junction Oval, was actually a pre-fabricated hut, away from the club's administration and indoor training facility.
That review, part of the Demons' weekly schedule, was on the Monday or Tuesday following their MCG win over the Power, which followed a win over West Coast at the MCG in the previous round.
Melbourne did not win again until round 20, when it defeated Fremantle at the MCG for its fourth and final victory for the season, which qualified it to draft Tom Scully and Jack Trengove in that year's national draft with overall selections one and two.
If the allegations are proved correct, Connolly, who is still employed by Melbourne but in another area, could be on borrowed time at the club where he started his career as a player.
The Demons board recently extended Schwab's contract by three years.
The investigation into whether Melbourne tanked to be better placed at the draft has entered its fourth month.
It was also revealed yesterday that several witnesses have been interviewed at least three times.
However, should the Demons be found guilty of taking the field with the intent to lose the match, any draft penalties will almost certainly not apply to this year, as an outcome from the probe is not expected to be announced before the national draft on November 22.
Before the AFL Commission addresses any sanctions, Melbourne will be given the right of reply to any charges laid by the AFL's general manager of football operations Adrian Anderson. If charged, the Demons will be given time to mount a defence to present to the commission.
Of those in attendance during the Connolly threat almost 40 months ago, all bar two staff have since departed Melbourne.
The late Melbourne president Jim Stynes, in his book released earlier in the year, said: "Melbourne never sat down our coach Dean Bailey and instructed him not to win games. But he, I and everybody at the club knew what an important bearing on the club's future that extra draft pick might have."
Connolly's address to his staff appears to support initial claims by former player Brock McLean, who said Melbourne tanked while he was at the club, prompting the league to start an investigation by first interviewing him on July 31.
The AFL has not given a timeline for when its investigation will be completed and refused to comment on what had been discovered so far.
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