News AFL scraps priority picks

[strobe00]

This is timely...

If we do well in the next few years we have more chance now of better draft picks rather than get punished for doing well.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarti...paign=057aaa4a7b-Runner_NAB2&utm_medium=email


"The draft, along with the salary cap rules, are designed to ensure an even spread of talent between the clubs and clubs should not be over-compensated for a short period of poor performance.

This will be interesting to see how it plays out of the next few years.

I've never really had a problem with the priority pick rules... just the picks that they were allocating. If the two-consecutive cr@p year pick was an end of first round, and the single cr@p year pick was an end of second round there wouldn't be much point tanking.

But giving clubs the best two players in that draft for having two terrible seasons, was always too much of an incentive to tank. You'd be crazy not to do it. Good on Bailey for effectively admitting it.

Glad they're getting rid of it in its present form though... but I reckon they should get rid of the "before the first round" pick once and for all. End of first round, or (at the absolute most!) make it a mid-first round or something.

 

[yakka man]

Glad. It is a unfair, outdated system. Only worked for us in 99 when we got Hasleby and Pav.

 

[holy diver]

They could be even be more progressive and introduce a draft lottery for top picks such as the NBA model.

 

[Nickos66]

The rules were always to enticing for bottom teams to 'not set up their winning structures' ala Melbourne. I for one am glad to see the current plan scrapped.

 

[Belnakor]

as if it will stop teams like Melbourne tanking. They tank because admitting the team is shit and won't win very many games is not palatable for fans. Instead just lose games and hope for a lucky pick.

 

[radiojake]

Good news -

Atleast this way you guys won't be able to waste a PP in the future 'ala Croad and McPharlin'!

(sorry...probably a bit harsh)


I have you guys finish 5th or 6th this year, and with a bit of luck sneaking into the top 4. How the finals pan out is anyone's guess -

 

[holy diver]

Good news -

Atleast this way you guys won't be able to waste a PP in the future 'ala Croad and McPharlin'!

(sorry...probably a bit harsh)


I have you guys finish 5th or 6th this year, and with a bit of luck sneaking into the top 4. How the finals pan out is anyone's guess -

Why did the crows get reemed by Hawthorn in the Gunston trade?

 

[radiojake]

Why did the crows get reemed by Hawthorn in the Gunston trade?

Because we had bigger fish to fry (securing Crouch in the mini-draft and Luke Brown) and couldn't waste time haggling Hawthorn for adequate compensation, and because Gunston was a cry baby mummy's boy, he had nominated Hawthorn and limited our trading options.


But this is not the thread for such topics!

I was only referring to previous Fremantle Priority Picks... but if you want to get into complete trade history, I could always bring out the 'Mc' word!

 

[basashi]

When the bottom of the ladder is full of Vic teams, priority picks will be back.

 

[Wigarus]

I think they should make the bottom six or so teams get the first 6 picks in opposite order to the rest of the teams in the comp, so there is always an incentive to win.

i.e. 12th placed gets pick 1, 13th gets pick 2 etc. until the last team has had a pick and then the 11th team gets pick 7.

It would be a lot harder I think to lose /win enough to finish 12th than finish last.

 

[Righteo]

Because we had bigger fish to fry (securing Crouch in the mini-draft and Luke Brown) and couldn't waste time haggling Hawthorn for adequate compensation, and because Gunston was a cry baby mummy's boy, he had nominated Hawthorn and limited our trading options.


But this is not the thread for such topics!

I was only referring to previous Fremantle Priority Picks... but if you want to get into complete trade history, I could always bring out the 'Mc' word!

Oh cool, an Adelaide troll

 

[Ktrain]

From the article...

THE AFL admits an 'unhealthy obsession' with tanking talk is one of the reasons priority draft picks have been scrapped in their current form. - weak as p1ss management there. They will have to change every rule people disagree with then?

The AFL commission will now use discretion to hand out priority picks. And while there will be a formula to help guide that, club's won't be told what it is. - Oh that sounds nice and fair and transparent!

Clubs getting a priority pick after just one bad season had become particularly controversial. - So only make the priority active after more than one season, simples...

Like others have said, the priority pick has its place and has helped equalise the comp, so if draft success is becoming more reliable then just scale back the eligibility for the pick (i.e. more than one year of failure). Too much overkill here by the AFL for me.

 

[Sman-21]

There is absolutely no place for it
It doesnt equalise the comp.
It allows teams to take advantage an climb back up quicker.
It is absolutely no help to poor struggling teams but just arent bad enough to get into priority pick contention.

Ask Nth Melbourne if priority picks are fair.
They couldnt afford to tank been stuck around same spot for a while.
In the mean time teams have tanked an gone back above them while they still struggle.

No need for any priortity picks
An if they ever do give some to a team that applies for one it should never be a top 20 pick.

Also agree NBA draft lottery style is the best option.
That way there wont be teams trying to win wooden spoon to get 1st pick, thats fairest an best way with less chance of clubs manipulating the system.

As for reverse draft order mmmmm no.
Clubs around 10th out of finals contention will then look to try an manipulate system to get to 12th.

Simplest an easiest solution is NBA Draft lottery style.
Also means a club always finishing near bottom but never bottom has just as much chance at getting a top 3 draft pick as the clubs right down bottom.
Goodbye need for priority picks.

 

[Ktrain]

Surely if it helped teams climb back up the ladder quicker then that is equalising. North is an unfortunate case, but I feel their on field status quo is more to do with their recent history of not recruiting a genuine gun with their top 10 picks.

And their financial problems. The fact they came out of the 90s as essentially the dominant team to still not be financially stable shows something wasn't working off field even when they were winning.

The AFL fundamentally looks to equalise the competition and the priority picks is one such way to do this. Yes the NBA system works well and is simple, but I think the AFL will keep the priority pick up its sleeve. The problem is they have now made it open to their own bias, when they just needed to make it harder to get. If it was just made two years to qualify - (then another two years before getting it again), over recent history North would've had slightly higher picks helping equalisation and limiting the 'quick' climb back up factor of 'tankers'.

 

[tacopavlich]

The only difference is that now GC and GWS won't get it. Nothing else will change.

 

[sabre_ac]

You'd be pretty annoyed if you were a Port supporter, their team is a genuine rabble.

Obviously the priority picks potentially going to Gold Coast probably had something to do with this.

 

[prattsta]

They could be even be more progressive and introduce a draft lottery for top picks such as the NBA model.

Teams in the NBA tank, they are notorious for it. There is still an incentive to lose when it gives you a greater opportunity at the #1 pick. Particularly when that pick will net you someone like LeBron James. A 25% chance is always better than a 19.9% chance. If you're a team in 6th last place - out of finals contention - would you be more likely to 'tank' in the AFL system or the NBA system? In one you have no chance at the #1 pick, in the other, every loss gives you a greater chance...

Also, how often does the AFL draft have a standout pick? Generally, the top 2-3 draft picks are pretty evenly rated. Quite often the #1 pick will come down to team requirements. Which works well considering the teams which finish in the bottom 2-3 are also pretty evenly rated (in terms of crapness) and have more than one glaring weakness. You may miss out on the best midfielder, but as a consolation prize you get the best forward. No biggie.

Would a club fail to put in their best effort when the prize is one of Scully or Trengove? Unlikely. Would a team fail to put in their best effort when the prize is Scully and Trengove? That is why the priority pick needed to go. Other than that the system works fine; the teams that need the most help get it.

 

[Nickos66]

Maybe so, but it's still only a chance of a higher pick, not guarantee of a higher pick. If they want to tank to increase their chances of the 1st pick by 5.1% let em go. They're not guaranteed squat. I'm coming around to the idea of a draft lottery in the AFL, just quietly.

 

[Belnakor]

NBA its more effective simply because you have 5 people on the court and one superstar can dominate the match single handedly. No player in the AFL can win a game literally off his own boot, G.Ablett showed that last year.

 

[Belnakor]

The AFL commission will now use discretion to hand out priority picks. And while there will be a formula to help guide that, club's won't be told what it is. - Oh that sounds nice and fair and transparent!

if Club = Victorian then Yes else No

 

[Clay Davis]

Should have been scrapped prior to the GC/GWS entry as they only further distorted an already distorted draft.

 

[holy diver]

Maybe so, but it's still only a chance of a higher pick, not guarantee of a higher pick. If they want to tank to increase their chances of the 1st pick by 5.1% let em go. They're not guaranteed squat. I'm coming around to the idea of a draft lottery in the AFL, just quietly.

That's my reasoning. No guarentee of first pick even if they tank. It isn't the be all and end all but does throw a bit of random chance into the equation. Question is with the AFL in mind where would the cut off be if there was a lottery? Top 5 picks, top 4?

 

[holy diver]

Should have been scrapped prior to the GC/GWS entry as they only further distorted an already distorted draft.

They should of, but the AFL obviously wants to protect their new investments. It goes without saying the AFL need GC/GWS competitive as soon as possible.