Speculation Cooper Hodge - Brisbane or Hawthorn?

[KillaKanga]

One of the key tenets that clubs with academies as well as the AFL use as their reasoning for their existence is that northern academies increase participation and awareness in Northern states. I think we can all be willing to accept that premise.

But where I think a tweak must be made is regarding F/S and academy dual qualifying players. They should be F/S eligible only as they aren't actively increasing participation and awareness of AFL. They are from an AFL family so are indoctrinated in the sport from a young age so the key tenet of academy existence really shouldn't apply.

It still doesn't sit right seeing Blakey at the Swans. He should be a Kangaroo like his dad. And Hodge should be Hawthorn's to exclusively select.

But the point is the lack of development. No player drafted would be the same player minus the development they've gotten over the journey.

Surely better development and exposure creates a better player at the point of the draft???

Just need to make sure teams are paying the right price for the talent they're getting.

 

[Yoda_]

One of the key tenets that clubs with academies as well as the AFL use as their reasoning for their existence is that northern academies increase participation and awareness in Northern states. I think we can all be willing to accept that premise.

But where I think a tweak must be made is regarding F/S and academy dual qualifying players. They should be F/S eligible only as they aren't actively increasing participation and awareness of AFL. They are from an AFL family so are indoctrinated in the sport from a young age so the key tenet of academy existence really shouldn't apply.

It still doesn't sit right seeing Blakey at the Swans. He should be a Kangaroo like his dad. And Hodge should be Hawthorn's to exclusively select.

the counter to this is,

Cooper Hodge who lives in Brisbane may not be eligible for them could very well end up playing another sport if the efforts of the Lions academy was not consistent throughout the season.

A week every school holidays is nice and all but when your mates are consistently having fun with League he could be swayed fairly easily imho.

Furthermore, NRL, I'm sure would advertise this as a significant win with high profile former AFL players son declaring NRL affiliation

 

[Art Vandelay_]

But the point is the lack of development. No player drafted would be the same player minus the development they've gotten over the journey.

Surely better development exposure creates a better player at the point of the draft???

Just to make sure teams are paying the right price for the talent they're getting.

Academies don't just play matches among themselves. They can still be developed by other U18s programs.
My cousin has been the captain of an AFL Queensland club and they all have junior sides.

 

[Wild Bill]

read the situation, Hodge is no doubt staying involved with football through the Northern Academy, it would be easy for him to pick up an NRL ball and go to a Bronco's academy, or a Titans academy or anything like that.

Hodge no doubt would be playing football through Luke's feet, but to suggest Brisbane is doing little to nothing is daft

Roos have more chance to win the next 3 premierships than Luke Hodges son picking NRL over AFL.

AFL now have more kids in the junior ranks than NRL in QLD. They're the little brother now trying to keep up.

 

[Yoda_]

Roos have more chance to win the next 3 premierships than Luke Hodges son picking NRL over AFL.

AFL now have more kids in the junior ranks than NRL in QLD. They're the little brother now trying to keep up.

exactly, because of the work Brisbane have done

 

[briztoon]

Roos have more chance to win the next 3 premierships than Luke Hodges son picking NRL over AFL.

AFL now have more kids in the junior ranks than NRL in QLD. They're the little brother now trying to keep up.

That is not correct.

Basketball and Soccer have the highest participation rates up here in QLD, by a long, long way. Then netball and cricket.

AFL is down in 8th I think, just behind touch footy in 7th and Rugby League in 6th.

 

[GC2015]

Hodge - like the Daicos brothers would have had a ball in their hand everyday from 2 years of age. The Lions academy is fluff on a cappuccino.

Roos have more chance to win the next 3 premierships than Luke Hodges son picking NRL over AFL.

Just because you play football from a young age, doesn't mean you're going to stick to football forever. Also, there seems to be a real disbelief that sons of former AFL players growing up playing other sports in the northern states so I figured I'll get it from the horse's mouth so we can stop this conjecture. Go to 21:01 in this video below and listen for about 20 seconds - you'll hear Luke Hodge talking about how his kids play basketball and rugby along with footy. I know it's hard for people in the southern states to understand because footy reigns supreme down there, but retaining Aussie rules talent is genuinely a challenge up here when the rugby codes are more popular and peer pressure to play sport with your friends can be a big pull away from Aussie rules. Basketball is also very popular in Queensland and a lot of junior footballers play it concurrently, just as we saw with the Darryl White example of his kids playing both sports and eventually choosing a career in basketball (despite being members of the Lions academy) as opposed to their triple premiership father's career choice of footy.

It still doesn't sit right seeing Blakey at the Swans. He should be a Kangaroo like his dad. And Hodge should be Hawthorn's to exclusively select.

Why just the Kangaroos? Blakey was also F/S eligible for the Lions. Why aren't you advocating for Blakey to have been either a Roo or a Lion? Would you have been comfortble with Blakey's decision if he turned down North and took up his F/S option with Brisbane? I get the feeling you wouldn't because it doesn't fit your narrative of the northern clubs never getting screwed out of a player that they have a legitimate claim to by your F/S criteria. I don't care if John Blakey had a more decorated career with North, it doesn't change the fact that his son Nick was F/S eligible for both the Kangaroos and Lions.

exactly, because of the work Brisbane have done

There's no doubt being a member of Brisbane's academy has made Cooper Hodge a better player compared to the one he would be if he was just playing U18 footy at Morningside in the low standard local Brisbane competition. That's just the reality of the local football competition up here. So that's absolutely another important goal that comes with the northern academies - not just attracting/retaining junior athletes, but developing them for 5+ years with AFL level facilities, coaches, higher level competitions etc that wouldn't have otherwise been available in QLD/NSW without the northern academies. It's really a way to offset the natural disadvantage of having low level local football competitions that we see in QLD & NSW.

The reverse scenario would also be true in Will Ashcroft's case. He was considered a good (not great) prospect while he lived in QLD, but he turned into a standout guaranteed top 2 pick while developing through the higher level Victorian pathway. I think the same can be said of Sam Marshall when he accepted an offer to board at Melbourne Grammar and developed into a good second round prospect, but had he stayed in Queensland then it's entirely possible he wouldn't have developed into a draftable talent at all.

Essendon are going to be in a similar position next year with David Rodan's son Tevita, eligible for Port Adelaide as a father/son despite spending the majority of his developmental years in the Essendon zone.

I know for a fact, Essendon spend much more than most Melbourne based clubs on their Next Generation Academy. Essendon have every right to claim Tevita through the work they are putting in.

If anything, Cooper nominating Hawthorn should see Brisbane remunerated accordingly for the work they have put in. Be it a first round selection if he is selected in the first round, a second round pick if he's selected in the second round, a rookie pick etc. etc.

I see what you mean and I tend to agree in principal. I think the system we've got now where the player gets an equal choice of either their F/S option or their academy option is a fair compromise when you take into account how loved the F/S rule is in this sport. So if Rodan's son feels a stronger connection to Essendon, just as the son of triple premiership Lion Chris Johnson did when he joined the Bombers as an academy graduate, then so be it. That's the reward Essendon gets for spending the time/money to develop him into a draftable prospect. If he feels a strong connection to Port because of his father's stint there then I can live with that as well because I know it's a rule that is important to the fabric of this game. The way I see it is it's up to the clubs with priority access to put the work in and convince the draft prospect that he should nominate to join them.

 

[.Shotties.]

Still think (NOT just because it is Hodge - said the same with Blakey) that Father Son eligible players should not be Academy eligible. The purpose of the academies is to introduce players to a sport they wouldn't have engaged with without them. There's no way Luke Hodge's (or Blakey/Scott/McCarthy/etc) would not have heard of or engaged with footy without the academy.

The purpose of the academies is to provide a pathway between club, rep and elite football where one didn't exist previously. These father sons may have engaged with football, but they probably wouldn't made the AFL without them. Ask the Roos, Hart, or Voss boys.

I am, of course, open to being proven wrong with a list of all the father sons from the last thirty years from anywhere north of Wollongong.

 

[Yoda_]

There's no doubt being a member of Brisbane's academy has made Cooper Hodge a better player compared to the one he would be if he was just playing U18 footy at Morningside in the low standard local Brisbane competition. That's just the reality of the local football competition up here. So that's absolutely another important goal that comes with the northern academies - not just attracting/retaining junior athletes, but developing them for 5+ years with AFL level facilities, coaches, higher level competitions etc that wouldn't have otherwise been available in QLD/NSW without the northern academies. It's really a way to offset the natural disadvantage of having low level local football competitions that we see in QLD & NSW.

The reverse scenario would also be true in Will Ashcroft's case. He was considered a good (not great) prospect while he lived in QLD, but he turned into a standout guaranteed top 2 pick while developing through the higher level Victorian pathway. I think the same can be said of Sam Marshall when he accepted an offer to board at Melbourne Grammar and developed into a good second round prospect, but had he stayed in Queensland then it's entirely possible he wouldn't have developed into a draftable talent at all.

Im on record saying it doesnt sit right that Brisbane Academy Prospect Sam Marshall played for Melbourne based premiership under 18 club Sandringham Dragons for years, kind of a piss take really.

I see what you mean and I tend to agree in principal. I think the system we've got now where the player gets an equal choice of either their F/S option or their academy option is a fair compromise when you take into account how loved the F/S rule is in this sport. So if Rodan's son feels a stronger connection to Essendon, just as the son of triple premiership Lion Chris Johnson did when he joined the Bombers as an academy graduate, then so be it. That's the reward Essendon gets for spending the time/money to develop him into a draftable prospect. If he feels a strong connection to Port because of his father's stint there then I can live with that as well because I know it's a rule that is important to the fabric of this game. The way I see it is it's up to the clubs with priority access to put the work in and convince the draft prospect that he should nominate to join them.

To be honest, the main gripe is picking and choosing from hundreds of kids at a young age and then cherry picking the very best. That's the main gripe of academy picks. A much better chance than father/son access. This is for another thread though

 

[KillaKanga]

Academies don't just play matches among themselves. They can still be developed by other U18s programs.
My cousin has been the captain of an AFL Queensland club and they all have junior sides.

Of course they all have junior sides, that's not the issue.

You can't tell me a kid getting best on ground or a best and fairest at a Div 1 U15 or 17s here in Brisbane carries the same weight as playing for Sandringham or one of the CTL teams??? No recruiter is going to hear about to know about it.

Making the Northern Academies gets the boys (or girls) a platform to play against the best in the country. That is where you can be compared and sized up. As has already been stated, the coaching and drills and teammates are at a much higher standard so progress is accelerated.

 

[briztoon]

Im on record saying it doesnt sit right that Brisbane Academy Prospect Sam Marshall played for Melbourne based premiership under 18 club Sandringham Dragons for years, kind of a piss take really.

The APS clubs have been offering QLD kids scholarships off the back of the SSA U15 championships for a few years now.

It’s not the northern kids seeking out a move.

Had Sam’s parents moved south, we would have lost any rights to him.

To be honest, the main gripe is picking and choosing from hundreds of kids at a young age and then cherry picking the very best. That's the main gripe of academy picks. A much better chance than father/son access. This is for another thread though

But that’s exactly how the Talent League clubs operate. Cherry picking from hundreds of kids, until they have their squads of 40-50 kids.

Is that unfair on the Vic kids who don’t make it?

Or would it be unfair not offering the northern kids the same opportunity?

The AFL identified we need a stronger pathway up here, but didn’t want to fund it, so they palmed it off to the clubs, with carrot that we get first dibs on any kids we produce.

 

[briztoon]

I see what you mean and I tend to agree in principal. I think the system we've got now where the player gets an equal choice of either their F/S option or their academy option is a fair compromise when you take into account how loved the F/S rule is in this sport. So if Rodan's son feels a stronger connection to Essendon, just as the son of triple premiership Lion Chris Johnson did when he joined the Bombers as an academy graduate, then so be it. That's the reward Essendon gets for spending the time/money to develop him into a draftable prospect. If he feels a strong connection to Port because of his father's stint there then I can live with that as well because I know it's a rule that is important to the fabric of this game. The way I see it is it's up to the clubs with priority access to put the work in and convince the draft prospect that he should nominate to join them.

Johnson didn’t want to go to the Bombers, and what Dodoro pulled was a big F-U to the Lions, the AFL and Johnson.

Johnson had done his ACL late in the season. He was shaping as a late pick up until that point.

The Lions had committed to drafting Johnson in the rookie draft, and no one expected Johnson to go in the National draft after he did his ACL.

Essendon used their last pick in the draft to select Johnson, put him straight on the LTIL, and delisted him at the end of the season.

 

[irel]

Im on record saying it doesnt sit right that Brisbane Academy Prospect Sam Marshall played for Melbourne based premiership under 18 club Sandringham Dragons for years, kind of a piss take really.




To be honest, the main gripe is picking and choosing from hundreds of kids at a young age and then cherry picking the very best. That's the main gripe of academy picks. A much better chance than father/son access. This is for another thread though

WTF?

So you’re seriously suggesting a young bloke should turn down an academic scholarship, an opportunity that could genuinely change his life, because it doesn’t sit right with you? That’s a pretty wild position to take.

And your second point is even more confusing. You’re criticising the exact system that every academy, talent pathway, and elite junior program in Australia (and around the world) already uses. The Victorian Talent League does the same thing: they look at hundreds of kids, develop them, and naturally the best rise to the top. That’s how elite pathways work. It’s not “cherry‑picking,” it’s literally the model.

If that’s not acceptable, what’s the alternative?How else do you identify and develop talent at scale?

Because unless you’ve got a completely new system in mind, this is just how pathways operate, whether it’s academies, father‑son, NGA, or the Vic pathways. Singling out one kid for taking an opportunity he earned doesn’t make much sense.

 

[HairyO]

read the situation, Hodge is no doubt staying involved with football through the Northern Academy, it would be easy for him to pick up an NRL ball and go to a Bronco's academy, or a Titans academy or anything like that.

A skinny 6 footer from Victoria? I dont imagine that is high on the list for League scouts.

 

[The_Todd07]

Roos have more chance to win the next 3 premierships than Luke Hodges son picking NRL over AFL.

AFL now have more kids in the junior ranks than NRL in QLD. They're the little brother now trying to keep up.

Doesn't look like Cooper will switch codes but I know that at least 1 of the 4 Hodge boys has taken to league while up in Brisbane

A relative of mine is very good friends with Luke going back to his Falcons days and what I heard all along is that Luke wasn't going to influence the decision between clubs. Last I heard though Hawthorn was leading

 

[010203]

Just because you play football from a young age, doesn't mean you're going to stick to football forever. Also, there seems to be a real disbelief that sons of former AFL players growing up playing other sports in the northern states so I figured I'll get it from the horse's mouth so we can stop this conjecture. Go to 21:01 in this video below and listen for about 20 seconds - you'll hear Luke Hodge talking about how his kids play basketball and rugby along with footy. I know it's hard for people in the southern states to understand because footy reigns supreme down there, but retaining Aussie rules talent is genuinely a challenge up here when the rugby codes are more popular and peer pressure to play sport with your friends can be a big pull away from Aussie rules. Basketball is also very popular in Queensland and a lot of junior footballers play it concurrently, just as we saw with the Darryl White example of his kids playing both sports and eventually choosing a career in basketball (despite being members of the Lions academy) as opposed to their triple premiership father's career choice of footy.




Why just the Kangaroos? Blakey was also F/S eligible for the Lions. Why aren't you advocating for Blakey to have been either a Roo or a Lion? Would you have been comfortble with Blakey's decision if he turned down North and took up his F/S option with Brisbane? I get the feeling you wouldn't because it doesn't fit your narrative of the northern clubs never getting screwed out of a player that they have a legitimate claim to by your F/S criteria. I don't care if John Blakey had a more decorated career with North, it doesn't change the fact that his son Nick was F/S eligible for both the Kangaroos and Lions.


There's no doubt being a member of Brisbane's academy has made Cooper Hodge a better player compared to the one he would be if he was just playing U18 footy at Morningside in the low standard local Brisbane competition. That's just the reality of the local football competition up here. So that's absolutely another important goal that comes with the northern academies - not just attracting/retaining junior athletes, but developing them for 5+ years with AFL level facilities, coaches, higher level competitions etc that wouldn't have otherwise been available in QLD/NSW without the northern academies. It's really a way to offset the natural disadvantage of having low level local football competitions that we see in QLD & NSW.

The reverse scenario would also be true in Will Ashcroft's case. He was considered a good (not great) prospect while he lived in QLD, but he turned into a standout guaranteed top 2 pick while developing through the higher level Victorian pathway. I think the same can be said of Sam Marshall when he accepted an offer to board at Melbourne Grammar and developed into a good second round prospect, but had he stayed in Queensland then it's entirely possible he wouldn't have developed into a draftable talent at all.


I see what you mean and I tend to agree in principal. I think the system we've got now where the player gets an equal choice of either their F/S option or their academy option is a fair compromise when you take into account how loved the F/S rule is in this sport. So if Rodan's son feels a stronger connection to Essendon, just as the son of triple premiership Lion Chris Johnson did when he joined the Bombers as an academy graduate, then so be it. That's the reward Essendon gets for spending the time/money to develop him into a draftable prospect. If he feels a strong connection to Port because of his father's stint there then I can live with that as well because I know it's a rule that is important to the fabric of this game. The way I see it is it's up to the clubs with priority access to put the work in and convince the draft prospect that he should nominate to join them.

Outstanding post.

 

[Yoda_]

A skinny 6 footer from Victoria? I dont imagine that is high on the list for League scouts.

I think you've completely missed the point here pal

 

[briztoon]

Doesn't look like Cooper will switch codes but I know that at least 1 of the 4 Hodge boys has taken to league while up in Brisbane

A relative of mine is very good friends with Luke going back to his Falcons days and what I heard all along is that Luke wasn't going to influence the decision between clubs. Last I heard though Hawthorn was leading

You sure he’s playing League and not Union?

The Hodge boys go to my old school. Back (back, back) in the day St Laurence’s was one of the top Rugby Union schools (we went undefeated right through my 5 years in high school)(private schools up here play Union and not League).

You weren’t allowed to play club football if you were at a private school, you had to play Union for the school.

However St Laurence’s also has the strongest AFL team, with a lot of Lions academy kids at Laurie’s (they play AFL during term 1). And last I heard Hodge was coaching the first 18 with the help of one of the Lions players.

 

[The_Todd07]

You sure he’s playing League and not Union?

The Hodge boys go to my old school. Back (back, back) in the day St Laurence’s was one of the top Rugby Union schools (we went undefeated right through my 5 years in high school)(private schools up here play Union and not League).

You weren’t allowed to play club football if you were at a private school, you had to play Union for the school.

However St Laurence’s also has the strongest AFL team, with a lot of Lions academy kids at Laurie’s (they play AFL during term 1). And last I heard Hodge was coaching the first 18 with the help of one of the Lions players.

Honestly can't remember if it was league or union.

Certainly wasn't Aussie rules though

 

[010203]

Honestly can't remember if it was league or union.

Certainly wasn't Aussie rules though

I'd say it'll be union.

 

[GC2015]

Im on record saying it doesnt sit right that Brisbane Academy Prospect Sam Marshall played for Melbourne based premiership under 18 club Sandringham Dragons for years, kind of a piss take really.

I think it's important for the footy community to not overstep the boundary in situations like this by preventing a kid from taking up a potentially life changing educational opportunity to board at an prestigious APS school like Melbourne Grammar. We can't be putting our own personal sporting preferences ahead of a child's education. That's not right.

It's also important to point out that while he was boarding at Melbourne Grammar, Marshall still played CTL games for the Brisbane Academy, National Championships games for the Allies and VFL games for the Brisbane reserves. So he was still participating in virtually all the rep games that a junior in the northern states would as well as VFL games for Brisbane. He just replaced the local Morningside U18 QAFL games for Sandringham U18 CTL games and some APS games for Melbourne Grammar. It's not like Brisbane had nothing to do with his development for those three years he boarded at Melbourne Grammar and obviously there were multiple years beforehand that he participated in Brisbane's Academy on a full-time basis. The Lions were involved in his development the whole way through, just not as much in those boarding years because he got offered a very attractive educational opportunity to attend Melbourne Grammar.

To be honest, the main gripe is picking and choosing from hundreds of kids at a young age and then cherry picking the very best. That's the main gripe of academy picks. A much better chance than father/son access. This is for another thread though

So it's a volume issue in your mind? The idea that the northern academies can seemingly open their doors to any kid that wants to play football vs the NGA programs down south that are restricted to Indigenous and multicultural prospects or even the F/S academies? FWIW, I think each year's northern academy cohort is roughly in the 40 player range and I think that's pretty similar to the CTL clubs.

From the AFL's perspective, I think they would want the volume of juniors trying out for the northern academy to be high because that means they are increasing participation numbers in QLD/NSW and that's obviously a big goal when it comes to growing the game. At least 95% of the kids that participate in the northern academies won't make it to the AFL/AFLW and should go on to serve a completely different purpose in terms of staying involved in grassroots footy as well as (hopefully) becoming lifelong supporters of the game/an AFL club.

So although I can see your point about the volume of priority access juniors seeming unfair on paper, it serves a greater purpose for the most part and I'm sure the AFL are happy with how things are going given Queensland has just recently overtaken Western Australia in terms of Aussie rules participants. The northern academies are working in more ways than just producing AFL players, but it is also important to point out more participants doesn't necessarily equal a higher standard of local football. The standard of the QAFL is still far behind the SANFL and WAFL.

Johnson didn’t want to go to the Bombers, and what Dodoro pulled was a big F-U to the Lions, the AFL and Johnson.

Johnson had done his ACL late in the season. He was shaping as a late pick up until that point.

The Lions had committed to drafting Johnson in the rookie draft, and no one expected Johnson to go in the National draft after he did his ACL.

Essendon used their last pick in the draft to select Johnson, put him straight on the LTIL, and delisted him at the end of the season.

Are you able to link me to a source that shows Lachie Johnson didn't want to go to Essendon? I was able to find this interview where he states it was unexpected because up until the night before the draft he thought Essendon weren't interested and believed he was going to be drafted to Brisbane because they had shown interest. He goes on to say he was happy to stay home in Melbourne with his friends/family and that Essendon let him know the night before the draft that they were potentially going to take him with their last pick in the ND.

Did Essendon actually do anything wrong or were Brisbane a bit naive to think Essendon wouldn't use their last national draft pick on Johnson? The Bombers and Lions had equal access to Johnson in that situation and Essendon just so happened to be the ones that called out his name first - so what's the issue? Essendon don't owe it to Brisbane to reveal their draft plans and they certainly don't have to adhere to Brisbane's draft desires. I would suggest that if Brisbane truly wanted to make sure Johnson ended up on their list, then they would've drafted him with their own last pick in the national draft, which was only four selections before Essendon's last pick.

Also, the way you've worded it is potentially misleading because you make it sound like Johnson only spent one year on Essendon's long term injury list and that he never played for Essendon while he was on their list. He actually spent two years on Essendon's list and while it is true that he was out for the first year with the ACL recovery, the second year he played VFL footy for the Bombers and I'm sure the plan at the time was to hopefully develop him into an AFL player. I would find it very hard to believe Eseendon would waste a spot on their senior list just to spite Brisbane like you've suggested. I think it's more likely that they took a chance on a kid that they had priority access to, just like we saw with one of their recent F/S picks Tex Wanganeen.

A skinny 6 footer from Victoria? I dont imagine that is high on the list for League scouts.

You don't really know anything about modern rugby league, do you? The best player in the NRL right now and for the last 5ish years has been Nathan Cleary and he just so happens to be a skinny 6 footer. Go back to the 2010s and virtually all the best players fit into that same mould of a skinny player around 6 foot - Cameron Smith (6'1), Jonathan Thurston (5'11), Darreny lockyer (5'10) etc. Despite what you may think, there are plenty of really good players in both codes of rugby that are skinny and are around 6 feet tall. Plus, the NRL would absolutely relish the opportunity to claim the son of a former AFL great converted to their game, just as the AFL did 20 years ago with the son of an NRL legend - Kieran Jack.

Doesn't look like Cooper will switch codes but I know that at least 1 of the 4 Hodge boys has taken to league while up in Brisbane

A relative of mine is very good friends with Luke going back to his Falcons days and what I heard all along is that Luke wasn't going to influence the decision between clubs. Last I heard though Hawthorn was leading

That backs up what Hodgey said in his Hall of Fame speech last year about watching his sons play rugby and basketball along with Aussie rules. Maybe this is what it's going to take for people down south to realise that junior retention is a very real issue in the northern states, even if your father is a 4x premiership player with Hawthorn. If one of Hodge's sons ends up in the NRL/Super Rugby then I reckon you'll see many northern academy critics going very quiet. The fact that he's even playing one of the rugby codes now as a junior should be enough evidence to prove the point that the northern academies are really critical for the future of footy in QLD & NSW.

 

[Purple Suit]

The purpose of the academies is to provide a pathway between club, rep and elite football where one didn't exist previously. These father sons may have engaged with football, but they probably wouldn't made the AFL without them. Ask the Roos, Hart, or Voss boys.

I am, of course, open to being proven wrong with a list of all the father sons from the last thirty years from anywhere north of Wollongong.

Correct about the pathway but it doesn't need the 4 Northern clubs to get unfair access compared to the rest of the competition to achieve this. Elite talent will want to make a career out of it, not think about switching codes if there is a chance they could be drafted interstate.

I disagree that the Ashcroft boys etc wouldn't have made it without academies. Some of the other local kids, no doubt.

 

[.Shotties.]

Correct about the pathway but it doesn't need the 4 Northern clubs to get unfair access compared to the rest of the competition to achieve this. Elite talent will want to make a career out of it, not think about switching codes if there is a chance they could be drafted interstate.

There are multiple examples of players choosing league because they had the chance to sign and stay in their state was there and more clear than what the AFL could offer. Woods, Illias, and Tom Trbojevic just to name a few.

I disagree that the Ashcroft boys etc wouldn't have made it without academies. Some of the other local kids, no doubt.

History says if the pathways remained as they were, they likely wouldn't have.

 

[GC2015]

Correct about the pathway but it doesn't need the 4 Northern clubs to get unfair access compared to the rest of the competition to achieve this. Elite talent will want to make a career out of it, not think about switching codes if there is a chance they could be drafted interstate.

The AFL doesn't want to fund the northern academies and this is the only realistic way to incentivise the clubs to take it seriously. Take away the priority access to top end talent and you'll see the amount of first round picks coming out of the northern states drop off dramatically and the game suffers from a smaller draft pool.

What makes you think elite talent will stick to footy if they are told there's a very good chance they'll be drafted interstate? This exact scenario is playing out right now with predicted top 2 pick next year Zemes Pilot who is a member of Port Adelaide's NGA but is also an elite basketballer that has represented Australia. Rumour has it Pilot has told the AFL that he will commit to basketball if they don't let him stay in his home state and join Port Adelaide as an NGA pick next year.

 

[#BallMagnet]

The AFL doesn't want to fund the northern academies and this is the only realistic way to incentivise the clubs to take it seriously. Take away the priority access to top end talent and you'll see the amount of first round picks coming out of the northern states drop off dramatically and the game suffers from a smaller draft pool.

What makes you think elite talent will stick to footy if they are told there's a very good chance they'll be drafted interstate? This exact scenario is playing out right now with predicted top 2 pick next year Zemes Pilot who is a member of Port Adelaide's NGA but is also an elite basketballer that has represented Australia. Rumour has it Pilot has told the AFL that he will commit to basketball if they don't let him stay in his home state and join Port Adelaide as an NGA pick next year.

Port board just recently posting that Zemes has missed the latest cut for the U18 National BBall Squad.
Apparently his focus has now turned to AFL.
Tassie also rumoured to be speaking to him as a 17yo sign on.
If he's now made that call, it's either Port want him (and commit to taking him this far out) or the early Tassie offer may be too good to pass up and he signs up with them.

Or he could always just go to the 2027 National Draft and see what happens.