Draft points: fix the draft, trading and free agency

[DanA]

I don't think you can fix the "go home" factor with draft picks because it becomes a cycle. The only way to fix it IMO is to increase the length of rookie contracts and give poor-performing clubs more cap space.

 

[Vivy]

I don't think you can fix the "go home" factor with draft picks because it becomes a cycle. The only way to fix it IMO is to increase the length of rookie contracts and give poor-performing clubs more cap space.

The cap floor needs to be looked at. Significantly hampers the clubs at the bottom.

Retention for GCS and GWS is a big issue. Loyalty bonuses given to players who have given X years of service could be one avenue to addressing the issue.
Mechanisms for all clubs like a 'franchise tag' could also be utilised.

The AFL is in its infancy with it's player movement system and it has a unique eco system to work within that's specific to our game. Lots of opportunity to innovate.

On another note, I love the idea of an auction style system for the draft.

 

[big footy cyril]

There is merit in your argument, but the AFL would not like it. They prefer to manipulate outcomes to suit themselves.
No club would ever give up pick 3 for James Frawley.
No club could ever hope, or expect to get Buddy Franklin for pick 19.

Absolutely. Some might forecast that the market would settle itself more appropriately. Frawley should never have been a 3, and buddy should no way in hell been as low as 19

 

[TimTime]

Interesting suggestion and in some ways not dissimilar to teams trading players and paying some of their salary.
My only concern would be that it may be possible for some clubs to game the system - would have to think about this some more. But otherwise I think it could work.

Clubs are already gaming the system, the best way for the clubs at the bottom of the ladder to get better is with quality draft picks, so if they could buy more draft points it would allow to load up on top end talent.

Also, with using a points basis for auctioning pick positions limit the top 10 picks to the teams that finished out of the finals. Do the pick auction on one day & then on the next day
have the actual draft of players.
This would allow for live trading of picks on draft night.

I know that there are flaws in the proposal and no system will be perfect - but with the proposal of draft points, auctions, etc to more variables the better. The AFL Loves it’s variables..

Also, I’d make the clubs annual salary spend public knowledge - not individual players, but clubs as a whole. This way you would know who’s in trouble with player payments..

 

[Chiz]

Clubs are already gaming the system, the best way for the clubs at the bottom of the ladder to get better is with quality draft picks, so if they could buy more draft points it would allow to load up on top end talent.

My concern would be that you would get a top side consistently trading away their points to load up on stars, e.g. paying >120% of the cap each year with no need to hit the draft. The salary cap is meant to make it harder for successful teams to stay together for a long period, but as we've seen with free agency, clubs up the top are able to add ready-made talent to their list without giving up anything.

But given we already have trades involving one club paying another player's salary it's hardly a difference.

Also, with using a points basis for auctioning pick positions limit the top 10 picks to the teams that finished out of the finals. Do the pick auction on one day & then on the next day
have the actual draft of players.
This would allow for live trading of picks on draft night.

I don't think there is a need to limit the top 10 picks to the bottom 10 sides. If the 8th placed team trades out players for points why shouldn't they be able to bid for the top picks?

Also, under my proposal after the top 10 auction each pick is sold to the club with the highest points balance, and they can then choose to sell this to another club - this operates as a semi-auction and negates any need for live trading of picks.

I know that there are flaws in the proposal and no system will be perfect - but with the proposal of draft points, auctions, etc to more variables the better. The AFL Loves it’s variables..

Also, I’d make the clubs annual salary spend public knowledge - not individual players, but clubs as a whole. This way you would know who’s in trouble with player payments..

I can imagine an auction creating quite a bit of interest and I highly doubt there would be any less interest in the trade period under a points-based system (though there would be fewer articles talking about outlandish hypothetical trades between multiple clubs).

 

[Freomaniac]

I want the minimum salary floor down to 90% or even to 92.5%.

Going back to 2013. The fact that cats and hawks was on similar wages to struggling sides like demons is absurd.


Some sides will finish bottom 6 with a bad squad and struggle to make 95% of the cap

 

[Freomaniac]

First round picks contract should be mandatory 4 years.

Protects the clubs but also means they have to nail their picks

Not a bad idea. I want 2nd rounders to be on 3 year deals.

Actually for bottom 4 clubs that get 1st round picks and struggle to make the minimum salary cap, have 1st round picks on $300-$350,000 a year.

Make it like the NBA. 1st rounders get 3 year deals and 2nd rounders get 2 year deals.

The number 1 pick in the NBA last season got a 3 year deal at 5-6 million a year.

So in the AFL, have all 1st rounders on 3 year deals at $300,000 a year and 2nd rounders on 3 years at $250,000 and 3rd round onwards on $150,000

Rookie listed players should be on a minimum of $2000 a week or $104,000 year

 

[Vivy]

I want the minimum salary floor down to 90% or even to 92.5%.

Going back to 2013. The fact that cats and hawks was on similar wages to struggling sides like demons is absurd.


Some sides will finish bottom 6 with a bad squad and struggle to make 95% of the cap

Putting the cap lower enables the bottom teams with less talent to pay the higher contracts up front which gives them bargaining power with free agents and players looking for a new home.

At the moment they just end up over paying middling players.

Caveat to this would be that you would need to put in place restrictions to ensure those clubs can't spend lower amounts year after year.

There's also the option of spreading any unused $$ between 90-95% of the cap to the players on the list once the season is finished so the AFLPA doesn't get up in arms.

 

[Freomaniac]

Putting the cap lower enables the bottom teams with less talent to pay the higher contracts up front which gives them bargaining power with free agents and players looking for a new home.

At the moment they just end up over paying middling players.

Caveat to this would be that you would need to put in place restrictions to ensure those clubs can't spend lower amounts year after year.

There's also the option of spreading any unused $$ between 90-95% of the cap to the players on the list once the season is finished so the AFLPA doesn't get up in arms.

Well the AFLPA can get stuffed LoL



Money comes and money goes. Still it's the fans coming through the turnstiles and tv rights money that's paying those players

 

[Chiz]

I want the minimum salary floor down to 90% or even to 92.5%.

Going back to 2013. The fact that cats and hawks was on similar wages to struggling sides like demons is absurd.


Some sides will finish bottom 6 with a bad squad and struggle to make 95% of the cap

As long as clubs have the cash they will find a way to get to the cap floor. A lower cap floor will only benefit top sides.

 

[Freomaniac]

As long as clubs have the cash they will find a way to get to the cap floor. A lower cap floor will only benefit top sides.

A lower salary cap floor will benefit top sides.

Yet..... There has been teams that have finished bottom 4 or 6 one year and makes finals the next.

If the salary cap is 15 million. Imagine 1.5 million to spare. Can easily trade in 2 or 3 blokes at $500-$600,000 a year

 

[Chiz]

A lower salary cap floor will benefit top sides.

Yet..... There has been teams that have finished bottom 4 or 6 one year and makes finals the next.

If the salary cap is 15 million. Imagine 1.5 million to spare. Can easily trade in 2 or 3 blokes at $500-$600,000 a year

True, but you would have that 1.5 million to spare regardless - in fact, you'd have more to spare if the cap floor was higher as you could use the 1.5 million to front-load existing contracts, then spend 3 million trading in players the following year.

Unless of course you're talking about carrying-forward the unused portion of the cap to future years?

 

[RUNVS]

A points based trading and drafting system would make trades like the Dunkley trade so much easier given under the current system Brisbane don't really have what the Bulldogs want.

 

[ScrappyDo]

1. Enforce a rigid salary cap. No 3rd party payments, no favorable property deals, no nuffin. Restriction on individuals earning capacity? Lump it or GTFO

2. Compensation to be paid by the recipient club, value determined by maximum averaged annual income.
Richest contract = 3000pts or 6000pts
Compo must follow 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th rounds structure, no points bundles.

3. Remove 20% discount for FS & NGA

4. Points consumption order 1st, F1st, 2nd, F2nd, etc

Fixed.

 

[RUNVS]

1. Enforce a rigid salary cap. No 3rd party payments, no favorable property deals, no nuffin. Restriction on individuals earning capacity? Lump it or GTFO

2. Compensation to be paid by the recipient club, value determined by maximum averaged annual income.
Richest contract = 3000pts or 6000pts
Compo must follow 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th rounds structure, no points bundles.

3. Remove 20% discount for FS & NGA

4. Points consumption order 1st, F1st, 2nd, F2nd, etc

Fixed.

I would also make all contracts public as you would be surprised how many players from top team will want to move when they see on paper that players who are not as good as them are earning $200,000 a year more.

 

[RUNVS]

1. Enforce a rigid salary cap. No 3rd party payments, no favorable property deals, no nuffin. Restriction on individuals earning capacity? Lump it or GTFO

2. Compensation to be paid by the recipient club, value determined by maximum averaged annual income.
Richest contract = 3000pts or 6000pts
Compo must follow 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th rounds structure, no points bundles.

3. Remove 20% discount for FS & NGA

4. Points consumption order 1st, F1st, 2nd, F2nd, etc

Fixed.

Also lower the salary cap floor to 85%. Nuts that the team ranked 18th has to be paying its players almost the same amount as the team in 1st. Means the bad teams are not able to build a war chest at all.

 

[EconomicDecline]

Academy bids

Bottom 6 clubs: Can match

Middle 6 clubs: Can match after first round

Top 6 clubs: Can match after 2nd round

Cost

1st round: 10% discount

2nd round: 20% discount

3rd round: Next available pick

 

[ScrappyDo]

I would also make all contracts public as you would be surprised how many players from top team will want to move when they see on paper that players who are not as good as them are earning $200,000 a year more.

Also lower the salary cap floor to 85%. Nuts that the team ranked 18th has to be paying its players almost the same amount as the team in 1st. Means the bad teams are not able to build a war chest at all.

Player movements indicate that money is not the primary factor and top talent will gravitate to the top clubs.
No way contracts should be made public, but you can rest assured the player managers know who's on what and by extension the players.

 

[BOPPER]

KISS

1. Strict salary cap enforced (no 3rd party deals etc) - no floor. Any money not used each season goes back to AFL

2. Reverse order draft with no compensation or priority picks awarded - stop diluting the draft and punishing 16-17 other clubs

3. No restrictions / compensation on free agents - if you can’t convince a player to stay then you free up cap space and use that to entice another player. This is what a salary cap is for

4. Allow clubs to trade any future picks up to 3 years in advance - let clubs use picks to unlock trades, who cares how many times a pick changes hands

The AFL has too much involvement. Just set the parameters, let the clubs get to work and stay out of the way.

 

[RUNVS]

Player movements indicate that money is not the primary factor and top talent will gravitate to the top clubs.
No way contracts should be made public, but you can rest assured the player managers know who's on what and by extension the players.

Not sure about that as right now a player can guess what other players are on but they don't actually know. Guessing you are getting $200,000 less than a player less talented than you and knowing it are two very different things.

 

[iameviljez]

Never understood why the afl assesses and creates a compensation pick. Perhaps if the destination club, rather than the afl had to compensate the club based on the afl's assessment, that would be more sensible?

Cannot agree with this enough, and the Herbs and Spices (made-up) formula needs publication too.

Let's say that you have pick 10, and Essendon has pick 9. Essendon loses a player through FA and is granted a compo pick right after its first pick.

Congratulations, your pick is now worse due to a trade that you had stuff-all to do with.

 

[Chiz]

Cannot agree with this enough, and the Herbs and Spices (made-up) formula needs publication too.

Let's say that you have pick 10, and Essendon has pick 9. Essendon loses a player through FA and is granted a compo pick right after its first pick.

Congratulations, your pick is now worse due to a trade that you had stuff-all to do with.

Yeah this is a major flaw with FA compensation. And with FS/NGA, which also push picks back - essentially the cost of the compensation/discount is 'socialised' between other clubs, with the club holding the next pick paying the most.

 

[iameviljez]

Yeah this is a major flaw with FA compensation. And with FS/NGA, which also push picks back - essentially the cost of the compensation/discount is 'socialised' between other clubs, with the club holding the next pick paying the most.

I don’t mind the bid matching system because at least then a price was paid, and at least those players were never on the market to begin with.

I know the F/S system distorts the draft market, but I still think it’s a fantastic feature of our game. There’s something a little bit “right” about seeing kids follow their parent’s footballing legacy. Certainly couldn’t imagine a Daicos or an Ablett playing anywhere else (and I still refuse to believe that it happened).

 

[ValPerovic]

The only change I would make is the Free Agency. Any player that leaves his original team can only go to a bottom 10 team.

 

[melanChronic]

I really like the idea of a blind points auction at each pick, with the highest bid on ANY player becoming that pick. However, the worry would be that the equalisation aspect is diluted if the struggling clubs can't access top end talent if they are subject to a bidding war.

Could there still be a reverse ladder draft order? For each pick auction, the club who 'owns' that pick gets the right to match any winning bid. You could even give them a 10% discount. If the club with priority declines, they hold priority for the next pick and so on. The same rules could then apply for a FS- if the kid is the winning bid at a certain pick, the club of the father gets the same rights as (and trumps) the pick holder.