News AFL overhauls Academy and FS bid matching, discussing draft lockout

[Elixuh]

“We want to grow the game…….. as long as it exclusively benefits us. But we are warning you, the minute it doesn’t benefit us, we’ll stop funding it”

So you want us to fund the development of Norths talent? What’re you contributing to growing the game?

You can’t always have the begging bowl out but not actually contribute anything in return.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

“We want to grow the game…….. as long as it exclusively benefits us. But we are warning you, the minute it doesn’t benefit us, we’ll stop funding it”

So the Northern clubs should pay to develop kids from Queensland and NSW to benefit shit Victorian clubs, while the shit Victorian clubs do absolutely nothing to even develop Victorian kids.

 

[the big lebowski]

So you want us to fund the development of Norths talent? What’re you contributing to growing the game?

You can’t always have the begging bowl out but not actually contribute anything in return.

Geez you know it’s hitting home when you feel you must take aim at things that have nothing to do with the issue at hand.

But to answer your question. No I don’t want you to fund anything.

If the governing body of Australian football…… you know, the AFL, want to “grow the game” they can fund all the academies they want. They can have an academy tea party, and everyone’s invited.

And then those players can enter the national draft, anyone can pick them up and everybody’s happy yeah?

Oh except the 4 northern clubs who no longer get the massive leg up they’ve been getting for over a decade.

Next

 

[Elixuh]

Geez you know it’s hitting home when you feel you must take aim at things that have nothing to do with the issue at hand.

But to answer your question. No I don’t want you to fund anything.

If the governing body of Australian football…… you know, the AFL, want to “grow the game” they can fund all the academies they want. They can have an academy tea party, and everyone’s invited.

And then those players can enter the national draft, anyone can pick them up and everybody’s happy yeah?

Oh except the 4 northern clubs who no longer get the massive leg up they’ve been getting for over a decade.

Next

What do you think the cost will be for the AFL to fund and run the academies? Infrastructure required etc etc.

They tried to run it once upon a time and it didn’t work.

I’m more than happy for the AFL to completely fund and run academies and for the talent to go into the national draft with no access restrictions.

It’ll be a massive leg up for the Northern clubs…

More talent being produced

No cost or resource implications for us

We can divert all the private sponsorship funds into our premiership program

We will get players who refuse to move interstate who we will get for a bargain

We will be able to lure players home

It’d be just as beneficial for us so I’m all for it. The issue I have with the St Kilda and Norths of the world is that they don’t offer solutions and offer absolutely nothing to the growth of the competition and issues we face. It’s just complaints.

 

[the big lebowski]

What do you think the cost will be for the AFL to fund and run the academies? Infrastructure required etc etc.

They tried to run it once upon a time and it didn’t work.

I’m more than happy for the AFL to completely fund and run academies and for the talent to go into the national draft with no access restrictions.

It’ll be a massive leg up for the Northern clubs…

More talent being produced

No cost or resource implications for us

We can divert all the private sponsorship funds into our premiership program

We will get players who refuse to move interstate who we will get for a bargain

We will be able to lure players home

It’d be just as beneficial for us so I’m all for it.

Sweet.

You have argued awfully hard against a change that would benefit you so much.

But seems we are agreement. AFL funds all academies and all graduates go into open draft.

 

[Elixuh]

Sweet.

You have argued awfully hard against a change that would benefit you so much.

But seems we are agreement. AFL funds all academies and all graduates go into open draft.

The AFL will never do this in practice. They need club alignment for it to work and North and St Kilda will then just complain that we’re rorting with the funding the AFL provides. Especially when a top pick refuses to move interstate and we get them for a bargain pick.

The solution is the AFL needs to stop listening to the noise and carry on and just fix the points values.

 

[the big lebowski]

So you want us to fund the development of Norths talent? What’re you contributing to growing the game?

You can’t always have the begging bowl out but not actually contribute anything in return.

Now we’ve solved academies, I just wanted to address your hypocritical, ignorant comment above.

2024 AFL Distributions

North Melbourne 26 million

Brisbane 30 million

Gold Coast 34 million

The AFL keeps moving on up - the 2024 Annual Report - SportsIndustryAU

Revenue

footyindustry.com

 

[Elixuh]

Now we’ve solved academies, I just wanted to address your hypocritical, ignorant comment above.

2024 AFL Distributions

North Melbourne 26 million

Brisbane 30 million

Gold Coast 34 million

The AFL keeps moving on up - the 2024 Annual Report - SportsIndustryAU

Revenue

footyindustry.com

We’ve been through this in the thread about distributions. Read back I’m not going to spoon feed you.

The fact that North gets close to Brisbanes distribution as a VFL club says it all.

 

[the big lebowski]

We’ve been through this in the thread about distributions. Read back I’m not going to spoon feed you.

The fact that North gets close to Brisbanes distribution as a VFL club says it all.

lol got it.

So we have the begger bowl out despite receiving just under 20% less distributions and don’t get heavily discounted annual academy players



And norths the problem

Do you believe these things or feel you’re obligated to argue things that are obviously false

Either way. All good. Let’s cease communication

 

[enoenoeno]

The whole point of the Northern academies is pretty much exactly the same as the NGA academies, to grow the game and talent pool in different/new markets.

So now that QLD has more players being recruited than WA, do Freo and Egirls get special academy access?

The whole system is broken. How can Brisbane, win the premiership, then score a top draftee at a discount plus another in top 20, be contending again this year whilst pulling the bottom teams captain and other high profile players??

How can GC have 21 first round draft picks in their squad, be challenging for a GF spot, and have 3 top 10 picks in addtion to the rest of the pre-listed concessions etc they get on top of it.

Time for the AFL to actually AFL, and stop being reactive to every club that sinks, club that feels hard done by due to their own poor management / performance, or whim of their Victorian bias. We are a national comp, with the only real equalization method being the draft - which has been corrupted

 

[Elixuh]

lol got it.

So we have the begger bowl out despite receiving just under 20% less distributions and don’t get heavily discounted annual academy players



And norths the problem

Do you believe these things or feel you’re obligated to argue things that are obviously false

Either way. All good. Let’s cease communication

It’s very easy to propose changes and fixes when your base of knowledge is what Eddie McGuire or Fred Bassatt say about academies.

The proposed ‘fixes’ are always impractical and based on no underlying understanding of how and why the academies exist and operate in the way they do.

Your knowledge of academies is limited to hey Brisbane just matched a pick for an academy player. What’s up with that?

 

[enoenoeno]

The first and easiest fix, would be to remove any discount on academy / FS picks. The option to acquire those players should come at a PREMIUM not a DISCOUNT (but at least at the same points value of the pick).

The other simple fix should be that if you are matching a bid for a player, at least one pick to match that player should be payable. So you take a player at pick 3 in the draft, you need to pay with at least 1 first round pick

That would be a start

 

[Elixuh]

The first and easiest fix, would be to remove any discount on academy / FS picks. The option to acquire those players should come at a PREMIUM not a DISCOUNT (but at least at the same points value of the pick).

The other simple fix should be that if you are matching a bid for a player, at least one pick to match that player should be payable. So you take a player at pick 3 in the draft, you need to pay with at least 1 first round pick

That would be a start

What if they’re bid on at pick 18.

 

[enoenoeno]

What if they’re bid on at pick 18.

Surely that is a better start than 40.46.48,49 etc ...

It also means that those clubs in between are less disadvantaged, than every time a QLD /NSW /FS gets to jump up the order and push everyone else back

 

[Elixuh]

Surely that is a better start than 40.46.48,49 etc ...

It also means that those clubs in between are less disadvantaged, than every time a QLD /NSW /FS gets to jump up the order and push everyone else back

I think you just do a pick within 18 or 19 once TAS comes in.

 

[enoenoeno]

I think you just do a pick within 18 or 19 once TAS comes in.

Agreed, but for every player you take.

Equally there needs to be a review of the comp system for free agents. I dont believe the club losing the player should get any compensation - why should every club's pick this year go backwards one spot, due to the Eagles not wanting / even trying to retain captain?

The fact they are losing him to the reining premier just rubs salt into the wound? System is broken

 

[Elixuh]

Agreed, but for every player you take.

Equally there needs to be a review of the comp system for free agents. I dont believe the club losing the player should get any compensation - why should every club's pick this year go backwards one spot, due to the egirls not wanting / even trying to retain captain?

The fact they are losing him to the reining premier just rubs salt into the wound? System is broken

FA is a dumb system in a comp that has 10 teams in one city.

 

[#BallMagnet]

Id love to read on here with the knowledge from those that have been involved, some greater context in detail on what it is exactly that a prospective junior receives when they come through the pathways via F/S, NGA or Academy? I assume all 3 are not equal and don't provide the same with regards to benefits, opportunities and exposure.
It is however obvious that a kid that is coming through one of these 3 lines, has far greater opportunities afforded to them than say a kid that isn't. Probably even more so if a kid is based regionally or impacted by lengthy travel distances.
Therefore they are likely more ahead in terms of their overall development due to these advantages versus than those who aren't afforded that luxury.

I also get the opinion that we now think only good footballers can come through these 3 lines and everyone is fighting over them and the system needs a major overhaul rather than methodical tweaks to improve the imbalances.
Whilst clubs are arguing over how compromised the draft has become, maybe clubs need to think outside the box, look outside these 3 streams and get back to work and start identifying more kids or mature agers with high upside or potential that you can pick at your leisure.

 

[TY24]

due to the egirls not wanting / even trying to retain captain?

It's 2025 and we're still seeing this outdated insult.

Be better.

 

[Jeremias]

The original argument that i disagree with is that calrton have used picks in preparation for walker.
I don't understand how you could considering he was still eligible for both carlton fatherson and richmond (nga).
As he still had not made a choice in last yrs offseason if either calrton or richmond made draft decisions based on him in next yrs draft you can't actually prepare, however as the decision has been made in this season you could prepare for it. If the rules therefore change before this offseason starts you can't really use the excuse of we have invested draft capital and made draft decisions prior to this offseason as he had not committed.

This is obviously a deeply flawed argument.

The notion that a club can’t or don’t plan for a F/S prior to official commitment is absurd.

Most F/S don’t nominate officially until late in their draft year.

The Camporeale twins nominated Carlton in October last year, less than a month before the draft.

And you’re going to tell us you think Carlton wouldn’t have planned for their arrival prior to that?

Come on now.

 

[sydney_gws]

I don't think a complete top 5 or 10 lockout is necessary. Allow 1 top 5 bid every 10 years, with a 10% points loading. Allow another 1 matching at 6-10 every 10 years, with a 15% points loading.
Only allow picks within 30 of the bid to be used ( only 3 picks to match).
Allow a bonus discount to apply somehow when a natural ladder position draft pick is used ( or one in the same round that is higher than it).

 

[Bostonian]

What's a significant number. List an actual percentage. 10%, 20%, 30%.

There are 8 northern academy kids talked about this year as draftable. There were 5 drafted last year 2024, but only 3 went to northern clubs, 2 weren't matched. There were 5 drafted in 2023.

And how big is the pool to find them from?

Far bigger than the pool father son and NGA come from.

I'm talking across the whole draft btw, not just first round.

There was 1 in 2022. There was 1 northern academy kid in 2021, compared to 3 NGA kids and 5 father son kids, none of whom went to a northern club.

When you look at actual numbers over a set period, your argument just doesn't hold water. You can pick the last 5 years, or last 10 years, there just aren't the numbers to back up your hysteria.

And for those who follow the northern academies, we know that Gold Coast's academy, the most successful over the last 3 years, have sweet f.a coming through their academy in the next 3 drafts (barring a late developer surprising us all).


There's simply no evidence to prove this. More academy players have left their clubs as mature players (particularly form GWS) than have "come home".

There's no proof to this assertion. How do you know Gold Coasters would come home?

Because we kept getting told how important it is for the retention of players to these clubs.

Riewoldt never did. Dayne Beams grew up on the Gold Coast, returned to QLD to Brisbane because his dad was in a Brisbane hospital, and when his dad sadly passed, he went back to Victoria. But he's from the Gold Coast.

Different eras.

That's like saying all Vico's will return to Victoria. They don't. We get enough who stay up here after they finish playing (or coaching).

I'm pretty sure I've demonstrated a greater understanding of math, statistics, Australian population origins via the ABS, and common sense in subsequent replies to you.

Well no you haven't.

Your maths is way off if you think northern academies are on the same numerical scale as FS and academies.

1) Know how to play football.
2) Be good at football.
3) Have mum & dad willing to pay the academy fees for you make up the numbers to support the 1 or 2 kids who are good at football.

So that's a way easier path for the northern academies to list young players then compared to FA and NGA.

No games limits, no specific cultural backgrounds required.

There's no way the latter can introduce the same amount of players into an academy system each season when there are zero restrictions for one model.

 

[Elixuh]

This is obviously a deeply flawed argument.

The notion that a club can’t or don’t plan for a F/S prior to official commitment is absurd.

Most F/S don’t nominate officially until late in their draft year.

The Camporeale twins nominated Carlton in October last year, less than a month before the draft.

And you’re going to tell us you think Carlton wouldn’t have planned for their arrival prior to that?

Come on now.

The point is that clubs aren’t preparing their draft hand 3-4 years out as some clubs are suggesting.

You just need to announce prior to the 2025 trade and draft period if you want to make the change for 2026.

 

[sr36]

I thought about it more the other day when I realised removing compo just makes every RFA a trade. Removing compo means shit teams will get less for a player but means contending teams will have to pay a little bit more. I'd imagine it also means players get paid less.

Basically, everyone involved in that players movement loses, everyone else wins...

At the moment with cases like Oscar Allen or any RFA that a club thinks they're getting over-compensated for - everyone involved in that player's movement wins and everyone else loses.

 

[Scotland]

The other option was weirdly an idea that Jimmy Bartel said, give every side two first rounders each year but I’m not sure what that actually does

Wat.

There are 18 clubs, there are 18 picks in each round. That's how it works. If WC get 1 and 19, Richmond get 2 and 20 etc. then it's just two rounds.

Are we going to make it WC 1, 2 Richmond 3, 4 North 5, 6 etc? Can't see the Bulldogs in 10th being happy with picks 19 and 20 let alone the eventual premier with 35 and 36.