How true is this.

anchor man

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Apr 6, 2001
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I am not a big fan of Barich , but I fully agree with him on this issue.
Far too many kids, when drafted are not ready for the pressures of the game at AFL level.
They have two years to make a name for themselves.
It has been a major problem for the AFL for a long time, though I doubt they understand the full extent of the damage that is caused to so many young kids.
I have always been of the opinion that the age needs to be raised , but that will never happen. Far too many agents and lawyers who will whisper in the parents and kids ears, "It is a restraint of trade" .
So many kids are thrown on the scrap heap after two years. They lose the love of the game, and sadly, the love of life.
Well said Barra.
 
Jun 14, 2015
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"An 18-year-old AFL draftee earns a minimum of $90,000 a year, which is more than junior doctors."

Damn, that's crazy.
 
May 5, 2006
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You can't fix the issue without a mindset shift.

If clubs can draft 18 year olds, clubs will draft 18 year olds. Make that 19 and clubs will draft 19 year olds.

You could pick an 18 year old who is raw but showed a lot in the U/18 champs, or you can let them play a year of league footy at VFL/WAFL/SANFL level and run the risk that they become a consensus #1 pick and are out of reach. Or on the flip side do nothing because they either aren't good enough or are still too young. Clubs don't want to draft developed players, they want to draft them as young as they can and do their development at AFL level.

It's happening more and more in the NBA now. Teams used to draft out of college and players would get picked up after 3 or 4 years. Then teams realised that some kids are ready straight of high school and the league put a stop to that. So now many players do just one year of college or spend a year in the NBL or Europe before nominating for the draft. Someone like Josh Giddey who is 19 would've traditionally gone from Australia to the US to play at least college if not some high school and then been drafted at 21/22. Instead he played a year for Adelaide and is developing his game at NBA level.
 
But a doctor ought to be earning good money for decades after the footballer has retired.

unfortunately the military, strippers, footy etc is a "young man's, young woman's" career choice as such this is just a fact of life.

For me the solution is not paying them $90k or $300k per annum in hand but paying them 50% less and putting the remaining 50% into super which can be used to buy a home or pay for education to reskill post footy.



oh and doctor's and dentists commit suicide because they are stuck in a golden cage. Perhaps assessing their pay packets and being "one trick pony" issues is worthwhile investigating.
 
Not much when you consider that he has a year expectancy of maybe two years. $180,000 thou. A doc has a life time of making maybe more than triple that over maybe a 40 year span.
And after 2 years and at 20-21 the kid can do a trade or go to uni so no big deal

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Feb 23, 2009
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No. Keep the draft age the same. There's plenty of guys who can make it early and the ones that don't often grow into better players because they develop at a pro club.

What they should do though is extend draftee contracts. 3 years is a nice balance, maybe with some sort of club/player option to sign for 4 if they choose.
 
Professional sport is brutal no matter what age someone goes into it.

It’s a competitive pursuit, and it’s set up for most to fail. It will always be that way.

An 18 yo bombing out after two years versus a 20 yo bombing out after 2 years versus a 22 year old bombing out after 2 years: What’s the difference? I don’t see how coping with that would get any easier if players get older. Heck, there are 30+ yo’s who struggle after they exit the game.
 
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Dont really like the use of Harley Balic in this story. We really know nothing about him, other than that he gave the game away after losing interest in it. There is so much we dont know about him and why he chose the path that he did.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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You can't fix the issue without a mindset shift.

If clubs can draft 18 year olds, clubs will draft 18 year olds. Make that 19 and clubs will draft 19 year olds.

You could pick an 18 year old who is raw but showed a lot in the U/18 champs, or you can let them play a year of league footy at VFL/WAFL/SANFL level and run the risk that they become a consensus #1 pick and are out of reach. Or on the flip side do nothing because they either aren't good enough or are still too young. Clubs don't want to draft developed players, they want to draft them as young as they can and do their development at AFL level.

It's happening more and more in the NBA now. Teams used to draft out of college and players would get picked up after 3 or 4 years. Then teams realised that some kids are ready straight of high school and the league put a stop to that. So now many players do just one year of college or spend a year in the NBL or Europe before nominating for the draft. Someone like Josh Giddey who is 19 would've traditionally gone from Australia to the US to play at least college if not some high school and then been drafted at 21/22. Instead he played a year for Adelaide and is developing his game at NBA level.

Liam Baker is a great example of a kid overlooked, playing in the 2nd tier & getting drafted/kicking on.
I dont recall any real analysis of players of those ignored at the draft, & being picked up from the 2nd tier.

See his Wikipedia page that addresses his journey with some detail of his journey to being picked up by Richmond.
 
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anchor man

Premiership Player
Apr 6, 2001
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Dont really like the use of Harley Balic in this story. We really know nothing about him, other than that he gave the game away after losing interest in it. There is so much we dont know about him and why he chose the path that he did.
Maybe you should do some reading and research on him then. Ignorance is bliss.
 
Maybe you should do some reading and research on him then. Ignorance is bliss.
Well I am keen to learn more, I have keen interest in mental health issues - can you please link to articles showing a causal relationship between Balic and how his drafting at the age he was drafted turned him him from being a kid with no-underlying mental health issues to becoming a manic depressive that would have otherwise not developed depression if he had been drafted a year or two later.
 
What would be the ultimate solution is for the return of strong state leagues. Then limit the AFL to one team per state and territory, being a 8 team comp (or 6 sides if NT and Tassie are excluded) for over 24 year olds.
 

Virgin Dog

Cancelled
Oct 29, 2017
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"An 18-year-old AFL draftee earns a minimum of $90,000 a year, which is more than junior doctors."

Damn, that's crazy.
There'd be very close to 0 junior doctors actually earning under $90k. It assumes no overtime, which is laughable.

I don't think draftee wages are too high regardless.
For me the solution is not paying them $90k or $300k per annum in hand but paying them 50% less and putting the remaining 50% into super which can be used to buy a home or pay for education to reskill post footy.
Nice idea in theory, although would need a lot of essentials to be provided on top (housing, food, etc.). Can't expect a kid to live in $45k in Sydney/Melbourne. Even in Perth it'd be a bit of a struggle being a professional athlete on so little.
 
Dec 7, 2021
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you can argue it both ways from different perspectives. The investment in player welfare and club support when they get drafted I feel has come along way, in a similar way to how we manage head injuries and concussion. Plus there's plenty of support through AFLPA. With that said, certainly still a long way to go to support them with the pressures of the job but it's certainly come a long way and still trending upwards in regards to improvements.
 
Aug 14, 2011
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Well I am keen to learn more, I have keen interest in mental health issues - can you please link to articles showing a causal relationship between Balic and how his drafting at the age he was drafted turned him him from being a kid with no-underlying mental health issues to becoming a manic depressive that would have otherwise not developed depression if he had been drafted a year or two later.

Are you comfortable kicking his mental health issues around on BF in your attempt to 'learn more' .... selfish comes to mind.
 
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