Opinion Should the team ask for a Priority Pick 2025 edition.

[Broken_Chairs]

The problem is that this talent coming out of NSW and QLD is available exclusively for the NSW and QLD teams. These teams then also have access to the open pool of players developed elsewhere.

Imagine GC trades for our 2nd pick, as some on here want. They would effectively get to draft 3 top 5 picks all the while pushing for a top 4 H&A finish.

Responded above to a similar comment - agree completely, though can see why the AFL would be happy from a game expansion perspective.

It currently disproportionately benefits QLD & NSW teams and has led to a decline in quality in talent coming through heartland AFL states WA & SA.

AFL should view academies as an opportunity to improve talent, and engage Australia wide. They should either

• allow all clubs to be aligned to the exact same model of academy, at least then clubs will need to consider their own academy talent alongside others when bidding. Should lead to a fairer draft system.
• AFL runs all academies (even the Northern ones) with zero alignment to clubs. It's all about attracting kids and developing the highest quality talent

 

[southcoast]

Yeah having priority access isn’t really the main issue. It’s the not paying proper value for them that causes the problems.

I too, don't have an in-principle disagreement with the academy concept. I accept a club should have access to their academy players as reward for their work.

I do however reject the academy clubs should have right to grab their academy players but they need to pay full price.

At the same time other clubs need to keep the bastards honest - Daicos (F/S I know) should never have gone pick 4 (?), Ashcrofts should never have gone where they did. The other cowardly clubs (and I include WCE in this too) need to bid where the player rightfully aligns.

 

[Balls In]

Academy's are just zones by another name.

 

[flyinghi64]

Draft is compromised. Yes it is and quite a bit.
But it sure as sh1t ain't compromised in our favor.
Never has and never will.

If a team has a FS or academy player in the draft and they are a top pick and get bid on by another team at say pick 2, the team with the prospect can just bundle a heap of 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks for points right?
Say this same team also has pick 5 or 6 in the draft do they have to use it in the bundle or save it and draft another top 10 player? Realistically getting 2x top 10 players for 1 top 10 pick and a handful of semi dud picks? If so that is just plain wrong.
If you want to match a bid you should have to at least use your next pick in the draft I would have thought.

 

[Grahame]

If you want to match a bid you should have to at least use your next pick in the draft I would have thought.

Agree in principle but what happens, for example, this year if Haw have a father-son but their first pick is Rd4 because they’ve given the first three to us?
It’s still open to manipulation.

 

[Ilkka Sinisalo]

Seeing as they are all in on the draft not being compromised, only complicated, it may be worthwhile leveraging that as a strategy for compensation.

Go through each of our last 3 drafts and put a points value on what father son/NGA selections have pushed out natural picks out to. So for example if we should have had pick 19 and put pick came at 30, how many of the silly trade value points was that worth? Tally that over the last 3 drafts and then us that number as the value of compensation that we are seeking.

This approach reframes the nature of the request from asking for free stuff to redressing issues caused by a failing system.

People talk so much about how picks get pushed down due to academies and father/son picks, but one of the big things that can turn around clubs is elite talent. In the last few drafts here are players who essentially couldn't be drafted by the worst clubs because they were already spoken for:

2019: Matt Rowell (priority pick), Liam Henry, Tom Green, Keidean Coleman
2020: Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Braeden Campbell, Errol Gulden
2021: Sam Darcy, Nick Daicos
2022: Will Ashcroft, Jaspa Fletcher, Max Michalanney
2023: Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Caiden Cleary, Will Graham
2024: Levi Ashcroft, Leo Lombard, Isaac Kako, plus some others

Still early days for a lot of the 2023 and 2024 picks, but in that list are some of the out-and-out stars of the comp and a number of other players who are easily best 22. Pulling a handful of the most talented players in any given draft year out of the equation just makes it even harder for struggling clubs to land stars and solid contributors.

 

[Bestbird]

The fact that it took till this year for the AFL to update the DVI says it all regarding incompetence.

It only became a problem after Goldcoast 2 years ago even though it was an obvious rort going as far back as JUH & Daicos with the 3rd round pick farming.

 

[Mr Q]

Agree in principle but what happens, for example, this year if Haw have a father-son but their first pick is Rd4 because they’ve given the first three to us?
It’s still open to manipulation.

A better option would be that you have to both:
1. Match the points still.
2. Pony up an existing pick in those points inside the next 18 picks (so they no longer push later round picks down as much) - or perhaps a pick at or earlier than their next natural pick (so no trading them out in previous seasons).

The above would have seen Brisbane have to get very creative to get Jaspa Fletcher as well as Will Ashcroft. And GC would have to use their current high picks to get Uwland and Patterson.

 

[Deplorable trumpster]

I too, don't have an in-principle disagreement with the academy concept. I accept a club should have access to their academy players as reward for their work.

I do however reject the academy clubs should have right to grab their academy players but they need to pay full price.

At the same time other clubs need to keep the bastards honest - Daicos (F/S I know) should never have gone pick 4 (?), Ashcrofts should never have gone where they did. The other cowardly clubs (and I include WCE in this too) need to bid where the player rightfully aligns.

The problem with the bidding system to establish the value of an academy player is that if the kid comes from that area and his family and friends live there and he has been in that academy establishing a connection and rapport with the staff and people at that club are you going to be brave enough to offer up and risk a high draft pick (such as say pick 5) for that player knowing that is an even bigger risk than there is generally with draftees that they will put their hand up to go home as soon as their contract is up? And maybe you get pick 12 back for them 3 years from now when they cost you pick 5 plus 3 years of development you put into them.

The only solution is every club gets a zone or nobody gets a zone.

 

[southcoast]

The problem with the bidding system to establish the value of an academy player is that if the kid comes from that area and his family and friends live there and he has been in that academy establishing a connection and rapport with the staff and people at that club are you going to be brave enough to offer up and risk a high draft pick (such as say pick 5) for that player knowing that is an even bigger risk than there is generally with draftees that they will put their hand up to go home as soon as their contract is up? And maybe you get pick 12 back for them 3 years from now when they cost you pick 5 plus 3 years of development you put into them.

The only solution is every club gets a zone or nobody gets a zone.

You mean like fairness - now that is a novel concept

I see a lot of benefit in each club having their own zone and for each club to manage their own zone (queue incoming POVO Vic clubs saying 'we can't afford it') - whatever the solution is, it needs the AFL Commission to throw vested interests out the window and make some tough decisions.

Unfortunately, I don't see that happening in my lifetime and while the Vic centric circle jerk continues.

 

[Dark Sharks]

To be fair, Daicos is the fault of North being absolute pathetic soft spine tin rattlers and refusing to bid on him.

It was clear as day, he had already signed his contract with Collingwood and everything, they weren't ever not matching.

Instead he doesn't get bid on until pick 4-5 by Fold Coast.



Sydney is the only campaigners with the stones to consistently make clubs pay.

 

[Scotland]

The only solution is every club gets a zone or nobody gets a zone.

Every club does have a zone. It's just that between Freo and ourselves we share 11-15 year olds of indigenous, Asian or African background, or who have two parents that are not native English speakers. So long as they aren't picked inside the top 40. Sydney and GWS on the other hand share New South Wales. Swings and roundabouts...

 

[southcoast]

Leigh Matthew’s (On The Couch) tonight’s show says, ‘Yes’

 

[bzparkes]

Every club does have a zone. It's just that between Freo and ourselves we share 11-15 year olds of indigenous, Asian or African background, or who have two parents that are not native English speakers. So long as they aren't picked inside the top 40. Sydney and GWS on the other hand share New South Wales. Swings and roundabouts...

We can pick at any point now.

 

[eaglesnutcase]

Agree in principle but what happens, for example, this year if Haw have a father-son but their first pick is Rd4 because they’ve given the first three to us?
It’s still open to manipulation.

Use next years

 

[ziad]

Every club does have a zone. It's just that between Freo and ourselves we share 11-15 year olds of indigenous, Asian or African background, or who have two parents that are not native English speakers. So long as they aren't picked inside the top 40. Sydney and GWS on the other hand share New South Wales. Swings and roundabouts...

I know of people in WA with one parent born OS that qualify - happy to be corrected but I have observed this. I think its rubbish

 

[Balls In]

When we lose the final two games it will be the worst season by any AFL team in history.

 

[bzparkes]

When we lose the final two games it will be the worst season by any AFL team in history.

If you're going to break records, at least do it properly

 

[Bluke]

After lurking this thread for some time, and seeing the reductionist / revisionist arguments coming from different commentators, I honestly feel like we should shove any assistance the AFL might offer right back up their clacker!

There has been ample natural development from the kids this year (finally), another pre season, more fresh talent (Sharp, Duursma), a Harley contract and a couple of mature age players coming in (mid & ruck) along with hopefully getting a fit Waterman and Yeo and we will look a million $$ compared to currently.

The improvement can come quickly with the right coaching and game plan (which I see developing).

We got this!

And it will be all the sweeter once we have climbed the mountain without the AFL’s handouts. It will also save us all the pain of the sooky complaints and cries of ‘unfair’ from everyone if we climb quickly with an AFL handout.

**** em I say

 

[bzparkes]

After lurking this thread for some time, and seeing the reductionist / revisionist arguments coming from different commentators, I honestly feel like we should shove any assistance the AFL might offer right back up their clacker!

There has been ample natural development from the kids this year (finally), another pre season, more fresh talent (Sharp, Duursma), a Harley contract and a couple of mature age players coming in (mid & ruck) along with hopefully getting a fit Waterman and Yeo and we will look a million $$ compared to currently.

The improvement can come quickly with the right coaching and game plan (which I see developing).

We got this!

And it will be all the sweeter once we have climbed the mountain without the AFL’s handouts. It will also save us all the pain of the sooky complaints and cries of ‘unfair’ from everyone if we climb quickly with an AFL handout.

**** em I say

No thanks.

 

[Godfather32]

After lurking this thread for some time, and seeing the reductionist / revisionist arguments coming from different commentators, I honestly feel like we should shove any assistance the AFL might offer right back up their clacker!

There has been ample natural development from the kids this year (finally), another pre season, more fresh talent (Sharp, Duursma), a Harley contract and a couple of mature age players coming in (mid & ruck) along with hopefully getting a fit Waterman and Yeo and we will look a million $$ compared to currently.

The improvement can come quickly with the right coaching and game plan (which I see developing).

We got this!

And it will be all the sweeter once we have climbed the mountain without the AFL’s handouts. It will also save us all the pain of the sooky complaints and cries of ‘unfair’ from everyone if we climb quickly with an AFL handout.

**** em I say

Believe they call this cutting your nose off to spite your face

 

[Citizen Erazed]

Agree in principle but what happens, for example, this year if Haw have a father-son but their first pick is Rd4 because they’ve given the first three to us?
It’s still open to manipulation.

They should need to make a choice. Trade this pick for a star player, or use it to draft the father son. Or trade someone to get another pick. At the moment they can do both by using points.

 

[lusheslewis]

Another problem with the Academy & F/S system is that you have to waste resources scouting and interviewing players to determine whether to bid or not.

How much time would we have put into Uwland, Patterson, Annable etc. given there's very little chance we actually draft them. We could just assume they will be matched but why take the risk? End result is teams get players for way unders once they fall a few picks and you add the discount.

At least they have fixed the DVI. Hopefully we are seriously considering making some early bids this year though.

 

[Dark Sharks]

Leigh Matthew’s (On The Couch) tonight’s show says, ‘Yes’

Here we go boiz.

And this is BEFORE Radelaide flogs us by 100pts as well

 

[DorothyG]

Its also just unfair to the non FS/Academy kids (see HReid).

These FC/academy kids are in their preferred clubs system, elite, high performance systems at a much earlier point in their careers before a normal Draftee candidate.

Compare Reids final junior year to say Daicos.
Reid played at multiple clubs and would have had very little structured coaching. He was cleary head and shoulders above everyone else, so probably just have been told to do what he does best by his multiple coaches.

Also coaches wouldn't have cared about his defensive positioning/running/pressure acts etc, all the non sexy, but very important at AFL level, as he only there for a short time.

Daicos (and all other GC kids) would have been identified by Collingwood at the first sign of potential. He would have had the full weight of the Pies footy department behind his back, not just footy but everything that goes with it. Recovery, diet, training standards etc. all the things that teenagers don't think about.
Some of the FS kids especially, have been in and around AFL clubs since they were born. Its in their upbringing to know what is required.

Reid had his uncle training him Mui Thai.

Daicos enters the AFL maturely miles ahead. The pies can also long term plan around him, build a list and put the pieces in place years in advance.

We had Reid, than we didn't, then North did north things in the last game of the season and he's ours. You can't plan or build a team around that.