Live Event 2025 AFL Draft – Pre-season and Rookie drafts, 3pm Friday

[Lore]

DON'T FORGET TO TIP!

Win Prizes - 2025 Official BigFooty Draft Tipping Competition - ENTRIES CLOSE ~7.30pm

The BigFooty Official Draft Tipping Competition is back again for 2025! Tip the first round of the draft and WIN. PRIZES 1st place = 2 year BigFooty Platinum membership + shiny badge thanks to Chief 2nd place = 1 year BigFooty Platinum membership Entries close when the clock starts on Pick...

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[Johnny Bananas]

But even still, it’s pretty much an industry to churn through these draftees and treat them as commodities. After tonight they’ll all be somewhere and then the attention turns to the 2026 draft cohort and 2025 is literally forgotten.

Apparently these draftees are the salvation of clubs, whereas most of them are better off going and getting a full time job elsewhere because in a few years they’ll be delisted and playing local football. I hate the way they are turned into useful assets then disposed of accordingly. It doesn’t add a lot of positives to a young person in this day and age.

They're getting paid well, it's not like they're being exploited. What system would you prefer instead?

 

[Johnny Bananas]

It’s almost like other clubs have just twigged to what Bassat has been saying for 12 months.

Wonder when the sycophantic AFL media will acknowledge the same and issue an apology ?.

View attachment 2481356

Maybe Richmond's recruiting team shouldn't have bid twice then.

 

[CommittedSuns]

Which one of the 4 academy players you took are you excluding? something something maths...

You didn’t bid on Patterson, Lions did… Hence 3 bids. My maths is solid.

 

[Cactus_]

Blame Dodoro bloke was a fraud and couldn't id talent for shit.

Meanwhile Matt Rosa has only been in the job for 2 years and has already achieved way more in list building then Dodoro has in 20 plus years.

It was crazy how long Dorodo managed to keep his job

 

[hawkman]

Twomey really dropped the ball this year.

And yet the AFL still put on an article on their website saying how good he was. Almost like it is written into his contract there must be an article praising him post draft

 

[Scythe]

The highlight of last night

 

[Hamingja]

Poor guy looks terrified at the prospect of 3 years stuck at the Tigers.

 

[hawkman]

The highlight of last night

View attachment 2481556

Looks like a hostage

 

[Bostonian]

.Apparently these draftees are the salvation of clubs, whereas most of them are better off going and getting a full time job elsewhere because in a few years they’ll be delisted and playing local football. I hate the way they are turned into useful assets then disposed of accordingly. It doesn’t add a lot of positives to a young person in this day and age.

What a load of nonsense.

You do realise that in the non-football world if a kid who went and got a job but is found not up to it will also be let go?

I mean that's been part of the work place for many many decades.

These young men are far luckier to have this opportunity earlier on in life as they'll make more money in that 2-3 rookie period than they would "going and getting a job".

 

[jdstorm]

Poor guy looks terrified at the prospect of 3 years stuck at the Tigers.

Could Be worse could have been drafted by Essendon

 

[Carnthefkntigs]

Only the cookers at the afl could come up with an academy system as flawed as what is currently in place

 

[Mofra]

The highlight of last night

View attachment 2481556

Tanner Bruen at GWS vibes

 

[toxic]

His team mates didn't go to his birthday party.

Watch his highlight tapes. Watch the game where Vontae Mack sacked him 4 times, then watch the next play, he panics.

Best movie ever

 

[FF Trevor]

St Kilda has been, and will always be correct, for its stance on the broken draft system. It is the only vehicle for small and underperforming teams to get access to elite talent, and it has become an absolute p*ss take.

How can the Suns (a semi-finalist) send three first rounders to the Dees for Petracca, and then a month later stroll into the national draft and take four kids in the first 20 picks.

The draft should be uncompromised (including father/sons). The entire AFL Exec team should be made redundant if they can't see that this system is broken. However, they are complicit in bending at the knees to the rugby states.

In my view it is not just the draft that needs fixing, to equalize the comp.

Unrestricted agency is an issue also. I understand the club that is losing the player gets compensation, but the club getting the player has a free hit. No price paid at all, obviously they have to find salary cap room, but it is easier to sell a lower pay cheque for expected success - players waltzing out of weaker clubs into premiership clubs for nothing.

A weaker club has to pay overs, and potentially put their salary cap future in jeopardy - a'la St Kilda and DeKoning

It was supposed to be about long serving players being able to move to get their pay day, but it is simply a top up measure for successful clubs to keep their window open longer.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

In my view it is not just the draft that needs fixing, to equalize the comp.

Unrestricted agency is an issue also. I understand the club that is losing the player gets compensation, but the club getting the player has a free hit. No price paid at all, obviously they have to find salary cap room, but it is easier to sell a lower pay cheque for expected success - players waltzing out of weaker clubs into premiership clubs for nothing.

A weaker club has to pay overs, and potentially put their salary cap future in jeopardy - a'la St Kilda and DeKoning

It was supposed to be about long serving players being able to move to get their pay day, but it is simply a top up measure for successful clubs to keep their window open longer.

Personally the so called 'band 1' should start as an end of first round. It's still compensation but it would stop the silly thing of 'hey let him go we get a free top 5 pick'. Compensation won't stop lets be real it won't but what has to happen is to stop these ridiculous compensation picks in the top tier. I mean I like TDK but on what universe is he worth a top 10 pick? Allen has played how many games in 2 years and somehow is worth pick 2. I don't blame the clubs I blame the AFL for letting a system come up that is ridiculous. If a late teens pick was enough for Franklin it's enough, yeah I know it was tied to the Hawks finishing position but still.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Not a lot of talent lost mostly fringe players. You can't convince me otherwise the system and rive toward Northern States growth has been kind to them this off-season. The AfL need the Suns to be good, they are happy.

It's actually wild.

The suns traded in Petracca and JUH, then add two top 5 picks and 4 first round kids overall.

For all the crap people hang on geelong for trade and draft gifts the above is levels above any year we've had in the business. And Twomey somehow went with the biggest winner being west coast.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

name our last good small forward. Boomer? he retired 10 years ago

Ummmm Paul Curtis?

That kid can play.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Ummmm Paul Curtis?

That kid can play.

He's not a small forward for the millionth time. He's a medium forward. Even if you count him teams run with more than one.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Unbelievably, Suns still have picks 48 and 49 tomorrow, if I read correctly FoxSport.

Sorry, but I had a good laugh watching Eagles room when Suns matched bid on Addinsall.

Watching the draft nowadays is like watching an auction between first home buyers and boomers.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

He's not a small forward for the millionth time. He's a medium forward. Even if you count him teams run with more than one.

He's 185cm. That is a small forward

 

[Johnny Bananas]

It's actually wild.

The suns traded in Petracca and JUH, then add two top 5 picks and 4 first round kids overall.

For all the crap people hang on geelong for trade and draft gifts the above is levels above any year we've had in the business. And Twomey somehow went with the biggest winner being west coast.

And traded out Sam Flanders, Jack Lukosius, last year's first and second round picks and next year's first and third round picks. But let's only post one side of the story to make it look as bad as possible!

 

[LukeParkerno1]

He's 185cm. That is a small forward

Hardly, and he's listed as a medium forward.

Lets look at some actual smalls okay, Papley is 1.78cm, Charlie Cameron is a few cm shorter too. 185 is a medium forward. He plays both but he's not an out and out small forward, he's basically their Brad Close who isn't really a small but more a medium just plays both

 

[Rod Stroker]

He's 185cm. That is a small forward

not according to the AFL

 

[Rod Stroker]

Hardly, and he's listed as a medium forward.

Lets look at some actual smalls okay, Papley is 1.78cm, Charlie Cameron is a few cm shorter too. 185 is a medium forward. He plays both but he's not an out and out small forward, he's basically their Brad Close who isn't really a small but more a medium just plays both

small forwards are blokes like Watson, Stengle, Pickett, etc. sub 175cm

 

[LukeParkerno1]

small forwards are blokes like Watson, Stengle, Pickett, etc. sub 175cm

Yep pretty much how I view them too, probably the one on your list prior to last night is Konstanty who is lets be real just keeping the position warm for a better talent