NavyRedGold
Debutant
- Oct 4, 2017
- 103
- 235
- AFL Club
- Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Philadelphia Flyers
The draft and salary cap are designed to even up the competition, but I believe you can argue that these attempts to level the playing field have been compromised by three factors:
1. Free agency, and the pull of big Vic clubs
2. Gold Coast and to a lesser extent GWS, and the lack of player interest in sticking around at those clubs
3. Endorsements/media income in Victoria, which makes the salary cap a bit of a farce
Looking back at the 2010 AFL Draft, Richmond came out with the haul of four players from the first round:
Pick 6 - Reece Conca, picked by Richmond
Pick 7 - Josh Caddy, Gold Coast --> Richmond
Pick 9 - Dion Prestia, Gold Coast --> Richmond
Pick 11 - Tom Lynch, Gold Coast --> Richmond
2011 AFL Draft, Collingwood effectively picked up three
[picked underage, could have been pick 1] Adam Treloar, GWS --> Collingwood
Pick 4 - Will Hoskin-Elliot, GWS --> Collingwood
Pick 13 - Taylor Adams, GWS --> Collingwood
These players are now in their prime, and unsurprisingly they've become vital pieces in two of the most talented sides in the comp. If GWS/Gold Coast never existed, it's likely a bunch of them would have been drafted elsewhere. Just looking at the 2009 AFL ladder, you'd have Port Adelaide pick 7, Essendon pick 9, Brisbane pick 11 for the 2010 crop. For 2011 (ignoring Gold Coast) you'd have West Coast pick 1, Brisbane pick 4, Bulldogs pick 13.
It's really unlikely that Richmond and Collingwood would have had as easy a time poaching players off Essendon, the Bulldogs and West Coast.
Obviously the clubs had to have the home grown talent to have a contending list that would be attractive to homesick talent, which is why other teams with similar prestige like Carlton haven't been able to quite do the same, but I think this unusual period of history has given Richmond and Collingwood the edge to be the best in the comp, rather than simply 'very good'.
1. Free agency, and the pull of big Vic clubs
2. Gold Coast and to a lesser extent GWS, and the lack of player interest in sticking around at those clubs
3. Endorsements/media income in Victoria, which makes the salary cap a bit of a farce
Looking back at the 2010 AFL Draft, Richmond came out with the haul of four players from the first round:
Pick 6 - Reece Conca, picked by Richmond
Pick 7 - Josh Caddy, Gold Coast --> Richmond
Pick 9 - Dion Prestia, Gold Coast --> Richmond
Pick 11 - Tom Lynch, Gold Coast --> Richmond
2011 AFL Draft, Collingwood effectively picked up three
[picked underage, could have been pick 1] Adam Treloar, GWS --> Collingwood
Pick 4 - Will Hoskin-Elliot, GWS --> Collingwood
Pick 13 - Taylor Adams, GWS --> Collingwood
These players are now in their prime, and unsurprisingly they've become vital pieces in two of the most talented sides in the comp. If GWS/Gold Coast never existed, it's likely a bunch of them would have been drafted elsewhere. Just looking at the 2009 AFL ladder, you'd have Port Adelaide pick 7, Essendon pick 9, Brisbane pick 11 for the 2010 crop. For 2011 (ignoring Gold Coast) you'd have West Coast pick 1, Brisbane pick 4, Bulldogs pick 13.
It's really unlikely that Richmond and Collingwood would have had as easy a time poaching players off Essendon, the Bulldogs and West Coast.
Obviously the clubs had to have the home grown talent to have a contending list that would be attractive to homesick talent, which is why other teams with similar prestige like Carlton haven't been able to quite do the same, but I think this unusual period of history has given Richmond and Collingwood the edge to be the best in the comp, rather than simply 'very good'.