Player Watch Dougie Cochrane APPROVED to be in Port's NGA, signs for Port Magpies for 2026

[RussellEbertHandball]

The last AFL Commission meeting was on the Monday after the GF ie 29th Seotember.

NGA/Academy and Father-son issues are supposed to be sorted out at the next Commission meeting, which will be sometime next week - as late as Friday 31st.

Dougie's situation can't be addressed by the executives at the AFL, until the Commission ratifies all the recommendations put forward by Executive GM Football Development Rob Auld and his team, and probably had some input by Greg Swann over the last 2 or 3 months since he joined the AFL.

Who knows how long the slack bastards at the AFL executive will then take to issue a ruling on Dougie post the Commission approving the changes to NGA/Academy and Father-son issues.

 

[Long live PAFC]

Why is it dubious? He's indigenous, end of story.

To clarify, him being indigenous is not dubious. Whether he would be a part of our NGA, as he sits in the metro rather than previously delineated NGA zones, is the slightly dubious part.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

To clarify, him being indigenous is not dubious. Whether he would be a part of our NGA, as he sits in the metro rather than previously delineated NGA zones, is the slightly dubious part.

The metro thing isn't dubious - its irrelevant - the rules changed awhile back.

The dubious part is that he resides / lives in the WWT zone - Semaphore/Largs Bay - one of our 4 aligned SANFL clubs, but plays for Centrals under father-sons rules which is one of the crows 4 aligned clubs.

There has never been a similar residence sort of issues for any other NGA player.

 

[JohnHinckleyJr]

 

[sr36]

The metro thing isn't dubious - its irrelevant - the rules changed awhile back.

The dubious part is that he resides / lives in the WWT zone - Semaphore/Largs Bay - one of our 4 aligned SANFL clubs, but plays for Centrals under father-sons rules which is one of the crows 4 aligned clubs.

There has never been a similar residence sort of issues for any other NGA player.

I don't think that bit is dubious either.

Eligibility is based on residence. They use the same zones as SANFL, but there's no other connection between the Sanfl club and the NGA.

Reading the current rules, Dougie qualifies - there doesn't seem to be a stipulation that NGA players need to apply before their 16th or 17th birthday.

There is a stipulation that you have to apply before a calendar date of the year.

I suspect there's absolutely no issue with Dougie's application, however, I suspect he missed the cut off date to be processed in the cycle before this draft and his approval will be a formality next year.

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Can we ask Dougie to calm his jets so that he doesn’t have to go at pick 1?

Play well enough so that he doesn’t drop off dramatically but not to the point he becomes the no.1 pick.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Can we ask Dougie to calm his jets so that he doesn’t have to go at pick 1?

Play well enough so that he doesn’t drop off dramatically but not to the point he becomes the no.1 pick.

Footballers regularly do hammys and other injuries mid season. Just ask Logan Evans.

 

[SC_Power]

Can we ask Dougie to calm his jets so that he doesn’t have to go at pick 1?

Play well enough so that he doesn’t drop off dramatically but not to the point he becomes the no.1 pick.

Nah he just has to say that he’ll go anywhere but gets really really homesick.

 

[Buget]

Nah he just has to say that he’ll go anywhere but gets really really homesick.

Wasn’t a Doctor’s note enough for Perkins?

 

[SC_Power]

Wasn’t a Doctor’s note enough for Perkins?

I think that only works if Archie is your given name, not your surname.

 

[Buget]

I think that only works if Archie is your given name, not your surname.

I wonder what private school he went to?

 

[davesnothere]

Can we ask Dougie to calm his jets so that he doesn’t have to go at pick 1?

Play well enough so that he doesn’t drop off dramatically but not to the point he becomes the no.1 pick.

The less he try’s the better he looks because he doesn’t try.

 

[davesnothere]

Nah he just has to say that he’ll go anywhere but gets really really homesick.

Any club with any sense at all has already put a line though him.

How much do you want to spend developing a player for Port ?

 

[manureid]

Any club with any sense at all has already put a line though him.

How much do you want to spend developing a player for Port ?

So a few will still take him then. Like North

 

[Long live PAFC]

So say he gets approved and then goes pick two (few teams use pick one on a player they can’t get). That’s 2481 points needed.

2233 after 10% discount.

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

If the rules, as expected, come into effect (or have they already been passed) we can only use two picks to match a bid. So we will have to find the equivalent of pick 15 or turn pick 28 into 15. So what happens if we are short? Can’t match the bid?

What happens if a player gets a bid at pick 54 but their club has no points left to match as it’s the last valued pick?

These rules seem very poorly thought out. Correcting a problem that I’m not sure was there.

 

[shewho]

So say he gets approved and then goes pick two (few teams use pick one on a player they can’t get). That’s 2481 points needed.

2233 after 10% discount.

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

If the rules, as expected, come into effect (or have they already been passed) we can only use two picks to match a bid. So we will have to find the equivalent of pick 15 or turn pick 28 into 15. So what happens if we are short? Can’t match the bid?

What happens if a player gets a bid at pick 54 but their club has no points left to match as it’s the last valued pick?

These rules seem very poorly thought out. Correcting a problem that I’m not sure was there.

If we finish 10th we’ve got 3 first rounders for Butters to use. If we finish high and Butters stays that’s when we’ve got to be inventive.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

So say he gets approved and then goes pick two (few teams use pick one on a player they can’t get). That’s 2481 points needed.

2233 after 10% discount.

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

If the rules, as expected, come into effect (or have they already been passed) we can only use two picks to match a bid. So we will have to find the equivalent of pick 15 or turn pick 28 into 15. So what happens if we are short? Can’t match the bid?

What happens if a player gets a bid at pick 54 but their club has no points left to match as it’s the last valued pick?

These rules seem very poorly thought out. Correcting a problem that I’m not sure was there.

I don't know what the new rules might be but when the points system changed last year the AFL said a club can still go into deficit the equivalent points picks 18+36+54+72. From this November 2024 article.

AFL Draft explainer: Everything you need to know

Check out this explainer as the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft approaches

www.afl.com.au

There will also be a change to the deficit limit for clubs matching bids on father-son and Academy players.

Under the outgoing bidding system, clubs have had a points deficit limit at 1723 points, meaning they could only go that far into deficit to match bids. Any further and they would not be allowed to match a bid on a draftee.

The number was the equivalent of the total points attached to the group of picks assigned to the premiership team each year: No.18, 36, 54 and 72.

But with clubs heading into next year's model, they will have their new points deficit reduced to 1167 points, equal to pick 18 (836 points), 36 (317), 54 (14) and 72 (0) in the new model.

 

[Duckimus Prime]

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

Finishing 10th gives us pick 8 (1443) and pick 26 (561).

 

[Ford Fairlane]

So say he gets approved and then goes pick two (few teams use pick one on a player they can’t get). That’s 2481 points needed.

2233 after 10% discount.

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

If the rules, as expected, come into effect (or have they already been passed) we can only use two picks to match a bid. So we will have to find the equivalent of pick 15 or turn pick 28 into 15. So what happens if we are short? Can’t match the bid?

What happens if a player gets a bid at pick 54 but their club has no points left to match as it’s the last valued pick?

These rules seem very poorly thought out. Correcting a problem that I’m not sure was there.

An AFL rule change poorly thought out?

 

[snozulu]

I wonder which club we will have to trade with for him next year.

 

[PeacefulWarrior]

I wonder which club we will have to trade with for him next year.

Hopefully North again lol

 

[PortAdelFC1997]

Hopefully North again lol

Prepare the ice baths.

 

[It Just Is]

So say he gets approved and then goes pick two (few teams use pick one on a player they can’t get). That’s 2481 points needed.

2233 after 10% discount.

Let’s say we finish tenth. That’s pick ten (1276) and pick 28 (505). So that’s 1781, we are 452 short.

If the rules, as expected, come into effect (or have they already been passed) we can only use two picks to match a bid. So we will have to find the equivalent of pick 15 or turn pick 28 into 15. So what happens if we are short? Can’t match the bid?

What happens if a player gets a bid at pick 54 but their club has no points left to match as it’s the last valued pick?

These rules seem very poorly thought out. Correcting a problem that I’m not sure was there.

Cody Walker and Freo’s NGA player being bid on first would make a huge difference to the equation, both in pushing back the bid and brining forward the picks used to match.

Lots to play out next year.

 

[Addy23]

It's unfortunate that the club can't speak about this publicly and voice their frustration about the AFL STILL not officially approving his application formally.

The club remain confident but are extremely annoyed by the fact that the rule changes for matching bids in 2026 haven't been announced yet.

 

[snozulu]

It's unfortunate that the club can't speak about this publicly and voice their frustration about the AFL STILL not officially approving his application formally.

The club remain confident but are extremely annoyed by the fact that the rule changes for matching bids in 2026 haven't been announced yet.

I think the AFL are just waiting for Geelong and Collingwood to give them the go ahead.