Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2015 Draft Almanac

[Gmod23]

I'm loving what Luke Beveridge is doing as head coach and his influence is obvious already. The play of the Dogs just feels so much more solid particularly with what he has done with the backline and how well drilled he has them as a collective group. If the Dogs are competitive he deserves big credit because on paper, the Dogs have the worst list in the league today and I'd argue worse even than that of St Kilda and Melbourne to be totally honest with you.

The list for me thought is way too young and last offseason I felt was a big loss. Losing Cooney, Gia, Griffen, Higgins, Jones and Williams all in the one offseason is disastrous! That's 1000 games of experience lost in that group that was delisted last year. And only really Boyd was gained, and he'll take another few years before being a reliable option in the front half.

If you ask me the question who would I start a team with, looking to start a new team and looking long term. I'd have Bontempelli up there with those very first guys you'd pick. Libba is terrific, as is Macrae. Minson and Murphy as veterans are both terrific. Dahlhaus can really play. Crameri as a forward is a real impact player and Stringer in time can also be. Mitch Wallis is a component to a winning team. T.Boyd long term can be terrific and M.Boyd is still productive. So there are some pieces there as there are on any team.
But it's not nearly a midfield with the talent of GWS. Griffen, Ward, Treloar and Shiel would all be starting mids for the Dogs this season with Liberatore injured. And if you were in theory to put the Dogs list and GWS list together to create a best 22 I can only see Bontempelli, Libba, Macrae, Minson, Murphy, Dahlhaus and Crameri being a part of that best team.
So there is still a lot that needs to be added to that developing core and a lot of established players who can really help to build something meaningful.

Just through the draft or through opposition talent identification, I'm not excited by the moves the Dogs have made all in all if looking at the totality of what I've seen since the Dogs have trended downward. The young talent other than those obvious options doesn't excite me a great deal, then there hasn't been a whole lot of good established talent added with a lot of the Dogs best talent walking out the door.
As a small market team down the bottom of the ladder, it's challenging to add those established players. But for me that's what will need to happen for a meaningful push up the ladder to happen.

I see your point about a combined team, but I would take Stringer as currently the second best forward of the two teams (Cameron is 1) and Boyd was played ahead of McCarthy, so would be FF. Roughhead is also a better FB/resting ruck minder. 11v11. Dogs have some work to do.
Dogs Offered big contracts to at least 10 senior players last off season, many contracts 2-3 years in length and over $500,000 more in pay and got turned down by all. The have to go up the ladder a bit before they can attract better midrange players.
The ones you listed as outs would not have been successful in the new game plan (apart from Griff on the days when he could be bothered). Those players would have not allowed the current tactics and as such, the team is better without them. Higgins, Jones, Gia, Williams, cooney and on many days Griff, would almost never chase their man. This is modern footy and the team is better without them.

 

[Knightmare]

I see your point about a combined team, but I would take Stringer as currently the second best forward of the two teams (Cameron is 1) and Boyd was played ahead of McCarthy, so would be FF. Roughhead is also a better FB/resting ruck minder. 11v11. Dogs have some work to do.
Dogs Offered big contracts to at least 10 senior players last off season, many contracts 2-3 years in length and over $500,000 more in pay and got turned down by all. The have to go up the ladder a bit before they can attract better midrange players.
The ones you listed as outs would not have been successful in the new game plan (apart from Griff on the days when he could be bothered). Those players would have not allowed the current tactics and as such, the team is better without them. Higgins, Jones, Gia, Williams, cooney and on many days Griff, would almost never chase their man. This is modern footy and the team is better without them.

I like Stringer and he will be one of the Dogs best players long term if he isn't already a best 10 player. But Cameron McCarthy for me is big time and can be a best 5-6 key forward in the game and a case could be made based on his NAB Challenge and Round 1 production that he is a top 10 player on that GWS list already - or that is my evaluation based on the those performances, as radical as this opinion will sound to many when going through the names on the GWS list. As a second year key forward McCarthy is performing to an incredible level and as someone who has come from so far back, his upside is enormous.

Jordan Roughead is improving, but he still isn't for me a reliable key defender and in comparison to Phil Davis and Joel Patfull who are operating as GWS' main two key defenders, then Tomlinson who I'd probably also I'd look to use as a key defender even though he is for now more a forward. I couldn't see Roughead realistically getting a game with Davis for me the ideal option to play the role you'd have Roughead playing.

I also don't agree that Higgins/L.Jones/Griffen/Cooney would not get a game, regardless of gamestyle. They are all players, regardless of the way you want to play that make you better and I think they'll all show that for their new teams. And same story with Gia and Williams if they were fully fit/healthy which would be their questions.

The thing for me the Dogs will have to do is really develop that young core, and a bit like Justin Leppitsch at Brisbane really sell free agents and players around the competition on the clubs future direction and the way under in the Dogs case under Beveridge are trending up and on the improve - and building around young stars such as Bontempelli who is that obvious centrepiece and really a young Kouta as a guy every bit as talented. And then from there look to go big on opposition talent, not speculative depth guys who haven't done anything at AFL level, but instead the proven guys who you know can play. Accumulate those established players over a series of years and the list has the opportunity under Beveridge who looks to me a good coach, to develop into a better team.

 

[matt_bas]

The vast majority of the father sons to be honest with you I've got in there to be kind and to let fans know they exist and could be of some late draft relevance with improvement, as I know as I do every year I will get countless questions about those who are father son eligible.

Matera last season as a forward didn't have much of an influence outside of kicking a few goals in a couple of games and one game where he really brought a great tackling energy.

This season Matera is on the upward which is the sign you want and with his footballing pedigree he has some chance to develop. This season he is starting to find more of the ball, hit the scoreboard more consistently and has stepped up the pressure side to his game, and seems a few cm taller and a few kg heavier. So he is doing his part, now it's on him to continue to improve on the early season benchmark he has set for himself over the course of the season.

Matera isn't a dominant talent and doesn't look like going early. But someone who is doing enough, where if he continues his progress, you could take a shot at him late. That's where I'd consider his draft relevance to be at to give you that rough feel.

Brilliant, thanks for the info!

 

[Gmod23]

Weitering Vs Curnow, thoughts? Draft range? Best position? Best team fit?
Thanks for the long responses to my other questions.

 

[Knightmare]

Weitering Vs Curnow, thoughts? Draft range? Best position? Best team fit?
Thanks for the long responses to my other questions.

Both are definitely on the improve and showing the signs you want them to early season.

Weitering has the opportunity to go top 5. With Curnow the talk is he can go top 10, but I don't have him going quite so early myself at this stage.

Weitering is best suited at CHB as a rebounding key defender. He also can play on a back flank or wing pretty easily so he gives you unusual versatility, but without the question of what his best position is as a genuine key defence height and weight at 195cm and 90kg this year, which is the critical element.

Curnow I'm not convinced as to what his best position is at this point, though others may have a stronger opinion. He plays minutes in the ruck and forward mostly, but at 191cm (though 95kg) according to his most recent measurements while he is a big body and can leap, I'm just not sure where I want him. He only had the 8 goals from 11 games last season in that fwd/ruck split, and while he kicked three goals in his first game of the season in that same role, I still given his mild production up forward need some convincing, and at 191cm he definitely isn't a ruckman. He is someone where although I've seen a fair bit of him, I want to see his season first before making a definite judgement regarding where he should go and what his best position is, because it feels like something that can over time develop.

 

[BlackGun1]

KM, I think its great you rate Ben Keays so highly, have watched him for most of his junior career and he's certainly a talent, but i'm just wondering how much have you seen him play? Are you rating him just off that awesome champs last year?

 

[Knightmare]

KM, I think its great you rate Ben Keays so highly, have watched him for most of his junior career and he's certainly a talent, but i'm just wondering how much have you seen him play? Are you rating him just off that awesome champs last year?

Have seen enough of Keays.

U18 Champs 2014, AIS AFL v Div 2 (last years grand final preview), TAC Cup for QLD as well as v VFL clubs these past two seasons.

So that's probably just about as much as anyone not in QLD.

I've seen enough to be convinced of his talent relative to the others in this draft class.

 

[BlackGun1]

Have seen enough of Keays.

U18 Champs 2014, AIS AFL v Div 2 (last years grand final preview), TAC Cup for QLD as well as v VFL clubs these past two seasons.

So that's probably just about as much as anyone not in QLD.

I've seen enough to be convinced of his talent relative to the others in this draft class.

Yeah I guess as a qlder you always wonder how our academy blokes seem to be rated so highly to begin with, as you've already heard from most of us. In saying that, what are his weaknesses do you reckon? You are right in saying that he is a very well rounded footballer, its hard to really pick the things he really excels at and the things he is deficient in.

 

[Knightmare]

Yeah I guess as a qlder you always wonder how our academy blokes seem to be rated so highly to begin with, as you've already heard from most of us. In saying that, what are his weaknesses do you reckon? You are right in saying that he is a very well rounded footballer, its hard to really pick the things he really excels at and the things he is deficient in.

Where Keays relatively excels most is in his ability forward of centre for a mid, his 1v1 ability, ability to take a grab overhead and hit the scoreboard is a real weapon. He finds space in the forward 50 to get the ball and he does similar around the ground. Then in addition to that he can really find the footy in the midfield - finding a good combination of inside and outside footy, he tackles well but critically he uses the footy really well having demonstrated a disposal efficiency of 81.43% through the u18 champs last year as well as good hurt factor with penetration of 50-55m, good vision and also nice ability by hand, and generally doesn't rush. Athletically he is also very good, has a 15+ beep and for speed and agility generally moves well. So he does very much have a complete game.

Keays could be a more dominant contested ball winner - though I'd still class him a good contested ball winner. His ability to play the defensive side of the ball and stay accountable is something else I'd consider an area he can further improve as most strong offensively. Perhaps some will ask whether he can kick on his right foot, I've only noticed him kicking on his left.

But overall there aren't any major issues I have with Keays that makes me think he can't make it. It's just a question of how good you project he can become at the next level and how dominant he can make his areas of relative strength. Is he going to be a Dayne Beams, Luke Parker or David Zaharakis level talent? Or is he going to be something more like a Stephen Coniglio, Touk Miller or Clay Beams? Either way he is a clear AFL quality talent based on what I've seen.

That's how I see it with Keays.

 

[shrekswamp15]

Small defender/mid from east perth, Kobe Chrisp, has some potential and some class, any chance for him to be picked up?

 

[lionshine]

Hey Knightmare, what would be your player comparisons for the following draft prospects: Weitering, Parish, Matheison, Keays, Ah Chee, Tucker, O'Kearney, Schache?

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Are there any prospects, of whom, if they were to be drafted by the same team, would compete with each other in terms of possibly playing a game because of how similar they play?

 

[Knightmare]

Small defender/mid from east perth, Kobe Chrisp, has some potential and some class, any chance for him to be picked up?

I'll need to see him play first before I can make a judgement on him.

Impressive round 1 numbers. Will watch with interest.

Hey Knightmare, what would be your player comparisons for the following draft prospects: Weitering, Parish, Matheison, Keays, Ah Chee, Tucker, O'Kearney, Schache?

When I get into the draft profiles proper I'll get some player comparisons up and going.

Are there any prospects, of whom, if they were to be drafted by the same team, would compete with each other in terms of possibly playing a game because of how similar they play?

Unless you've looking at two guys who are ruck only I don't really see any particular types as being completely unable to play together. Perhaps you wouldn't want two key forwards who can't take a grab, two key defenders who can't provide any rebound or a bunch of mids who can't play any other positions. But otherwise if you've got a bunch of guys who can play, you can usually find a way to make things work if they have that superiority of talent. And ideally otherwise you just don't want to have too many with the same weaknesses whether that be lack of footskills, lack of pace or whatever it is.

Within this draft there is enough variety of terms of type of positional flexibility in a lot of them so I don't with this group see picking any two players or similar type as being such an issue.

 

[womble54]

So if the draft went exactly the way it's rated here (and I get it wont) 20 percent of the top 40 players could be claimed by northern clubs academies/FS. Bigger rort than cola was. Take the academies back into the AFL, invest heavily in these kids and these states, but allow the kids developed to enter an uncompromised draft. I don't want to thread highjack but I was fence sitting until I looked at this. It's a totally unneccesary bias to the northern clubs that could be handled in one stroke by changing the funding model. Just stupid.

 

[Rancid Trogs]

G'day Knightmare,

Keiran Agius seems a really interesting player. What do you have to share about him other than his goal kicking feats?

Thanks

 

[TBellicious]

http://www.sen.com.au/news/04-15/first-look-at-the-2015-afl-draft-big-board

Hello Knightmare, this is a talent list compiled by Brett Anderson. Seeing as I know Ryan Clarke, i would like to know what you make of him and where he might go, seeing as Anderson has him at 14 in that.

 

[Knightmare]

So if the draft went exactly the way it's rated here (and I get it wont) 20 percent of the top 40 players could be claimed by northern clubs academies/FS. Bigger rort than cola was. Take the academies back into the AFL, invest heavily in these kids and these states, but allow the kids developed to enter an uncompromised draft. I don't want to thread highjack but I was fence sitting until I looked at this. It's a totally unneccesary bias to the northern clubs that could be handled in one stroke by changing the funding model. Just stupid.

You'll love my next update with GWS Academy player Hopper moving up to 4 in my power rankings.
It's just the quirk of this years draft. Those top end Academy kids are really, really good. And the Academy system allows that to happen with the four clubs able to develop the kids from the age of 12. So that's the dynamic that has to be understood. And obviously with the more years that pass assuming the clubs still invest in these systems, the more benefit they'll get out of it and the better the players they get from this system will be.

In saying all this. With the new system. From a fairness perspective. I'm ok with it.

How it was last year. I didn't like that at all. Sydney getting Heeney with their first round pick and nothing else? Stuff like that. That's not cool. And I have a similar view with father son picks. Personally I'd prefer the father son system not exist, I'm not interested in the romanticism of the sons of past players playing for my own club, though so many are.
But with the new points system both for the Academy and Father Sons, that's fair enough because then the clubs are actually while still getting these guys at a discounted rate, at least there is a level of fairness that you can sit back and accept. So with as an example Sydney who presumably finish top 4 and will want Mills who is at this point the consensus number one pick if it was to be an open draft. Sydney will be paying their first, second and some other pick/s to make it happen.

The system I personally advocate understanding the importance in growing the talent pools in NSW/QLD is to cut the four clubs from those states out of the national draft entirely and simply have players from their academy signed directly to their senior list, and if that senior list isn't filled then they would simply go to the preseason draft to pick up those final players. Then similar process with the rookie draft where it would be for those academy players still left in the pool and not taken in the national draft, they can just be signed direct to their rookie lists and they'd miss out on being a part of the rookie draft until those other clubs have completely filled their lists, then again if those clubs need more players they can then at the end fill those remaining list positions with those leftovers.
That way it really puts the onus on those clubs to build the talent from both QLD and NSW and to build the total quality of the competition.
It would have unfair elements and to start with it could go either way and over time it would no question favour the QLD/NSW clubs regarding the quality of talent they bring in with their picks, but from an immediate win now perspective it makes it harder for those clubs in the sense that without those picks at their disposal it will be much harder through trade to introduce talents to the clubs, with only player for player or player for pick trades possible, but none the less I think it can churn out overall when you add it all up a fairly even competition and even competitive chances.

I was previously in the camp of "all clubs should have identical conditions" and ideally that would be the case, but given the dynamic of where the game is at and how much more it needs to grow to expand, I see the system I proposed while imperfect as every system is, none the less a system that will achieve the objectives of the game but also for me create a fairly even competition where no one is grossly advantaged, even if the conditions are so different in terms of how those NSW/QLD clubs can build a list relative to everyone else.

 

[Knightmare]

G'day Knightmare,

Keiran Agius seems a really interesting player. What do you have to share about him other than his goal kicking feats?

Thanks

Agius is big time. Scoreboard impact is the big thing he brings as that medium forward. But he is a really big, strong boy and exceptionally strong overhead. While he doesn't have that same ability to push through the midfield or that same tank, he is while a poor man's version, a Christian Petracca equivalent this year as that strong bodied marking forward who can beat you in the 1v1, take a lot of strong marks in the front half and really hit the scoreboard in a big way.

http://www.sen.com.au/news/04-15/first-look-at-the-2015-afl-draft-big-board

Hello Knightmare, this is a talent list compiled by Brett Anderson. Seeing as I know Ryan Clarke, i would like to know what you make of him and where he might go, seeing as Anderson has him at 14 in that.

Clarke isn't someone I had any real awareness about coming into the season having only played the one TAC Cup game last season. But he has certainly caught my attention from his first game and Brett Anderson is right to rate him so highly. Clarke is so classy. Has a real evasiveness to him. Excellent skills whether it's hitting targets, under pressure he makes terrific decisions, and he also can really finish in front of goal and has kicked some ripping goals whether it's from the boundary or from 50m out. Seems a very good athlete. I also really enjoyed early in game one for Eastern a chase-down tackle by Clarke that really set the tone. His talent is evident and he is someone who can with continued strong performances rise well up my power rankings.

Clarke is one I really look forward to seeing more of and talking more about because I'm really excited by the early signs he has shown this season.

 

[Rancid Trogs]

Agius is big time. Scoreboard impact is the big thing he brings as that medium forward. But he is a really big, strong boy and exceptionally strong overhead. While he doesn't have that same ability to push through the midfield or that same tank, he is while a poor man's version, a Christian Petracca equivalent this year as that strong bodied marking forward who can beat you in the 1v1, take a lot of strong marks in the front half and really hit the scoreboard in a big way.

Thanks for that,

Do you see him being a high half forward or a deep forward pocket / 4th tall option at AFL level?

Also, what is he like athletically and defensively?

Oh, and have you seen any of Tom Wallis so far this season? Seems to be going alright stats wise with added midfield minutes??

 

[Membling]

You'll love my next update with GWS Academy player Hopper moving up to 4 in my power rankings.
It's just the quirk of this years draft. Those top end Academy kids are really, really good. And the Academy system allows that to happen with the four clubs able to develop the kids from the age of 12. So that's the dynamic that has to be understood. And obviously with the more years that pass assuming the clubs still invest in these systems, the more benefit they'll get out of it and the better the players they get from this system will be.

In saying all this. With the new system. From a fairness perspective. I'm ok with it.

How it was last year. I didn't like that at all. Sydney getting Heeney with their first round pick and nothing else? Stuff like that. That's not cool. And I have a similar view with father son picks. Personally I'd prefer the father son system not exist, I'm not interested in the romanticism of the sons of past players playing for my own club, though so many are.
But with the new points system both for the Academy and Father Sons, that's fair enough because then the clubs are actually while still getting these guys at a discounted rate, at least there is a level of fairness that you can sit back and accept. So with as an example Sydney who presumably finish top 4 and will want Mills who is at this point the consensus number one pick if it was to be an open draft. Sydney will be paying their first, second and some other pick/s to make it happen.

The system I personally advocate understanding the importance in growing the talent pools in NSW/QLD is to cut the four clubs from those states out of the national draft entirely and simply have players from their academy signed directly to their senior list, and if that senior list isn't filled then they would simply go to the preseason draft to pick up those final players. Then similar process with the rookie draft where it would be for those academy players still left in the pool and not taken in the national draft, they can just be signed direct to their rookie lists and they'd miss out on being a part of the rookie draft until those other clubs have completely filled their lists, then again if those clubs need more players they can then at the end fill those remaining list positions with those leftovers.
That way it really puts the onus on those clubs to build the talent from both QLD and NSW and to build the total quality of the competition.
It would have unfair elements and to start with it could go either way and over time it would no question favour the QLD/NSW clubs regarding the quality of talent they bring in with their picks, but from an immediate win now perspective it makes it harder for those clubs in the sense that without those picks at their disposal it will be much harder through trade to introduce talents to the clubs, with only player for player or player for pick trades possible, but none the less I think it can churn out overall when you add it all up a fairly even competition and even competitive chances.

I was previously in the camp of "all clubs should have identical conditions" and ideally that would be the case, but given the dynamic of where the game is at and how much more it needs to grow to expand, I see the system I proposed while imperfect as every system is, none the less a system that will achieve the objectives of the game but also for me create a fairly even competition where no one is grossly advantaged, even if the conditions are so different in terms of how those NSW/QLD clubs can build a list relative to everyone else.

What about trades?

 

[Knightmare]

Thanks for that,

Do you see him being a high half forward or a deep forward pocket / 4th tall option at AFL level?

Also, what is he like athletically and defensively?

Oh, and have you seen any of Tom Wallis so far this season? Seems to be going alright stats wise with added midfield minutes??

I'm still open minded as to Agius' best role and a bit like Petracca last year it's something I'm open to seeing evolve over the course of the season. Keep in mind I have other than being familiar with his stats only seen one of his maccas cup games last year, so I only have a basic feel. Athletically/defensively I'll wait till I see him through the u18 champs before I have those details as I've only really seen him forward of centre and in that particular game and mostly just marking everything coming his way with some goals to go with it.
Perhaps some of the SA viewers will be able to provide the details I'm not yet aware of with him. Neither his athleticism of defensive play stood out, but I'm not going to put a cross next to those features until I get the chance to properly observe those areas of his game.

Tom Wallis' best game of the season was his first to this point and at the time of that game I was at the double header at Visy or whatever it's called this week. I've seen one of his games since but it's not a game where I noted his influence or took particularly notice of him with a few other Calder boys impressing me more in that particular game. Wallis seems to be mostly playing midfield from the one game sample size I've seen, but O'Kearney is still the guy who runs that Calder midfield. As for where he stands in the draft pool, draft chance but more work needed.

What about trades?

With no national draft picks under that system for the QLD/NSW clubs it would mean that to make a trade happen you would have to move a player to make a trade happen - whether that be for a player or a pick.

It would from that perspective make things more challenging, but with a near monopoly of the NSW/QLD talent I'd deem from a competitive balance standpoint for it to be pretty much right, even though there are obvious and very different advantages on both sides. And it's because of the nature of this type of system that it would encourage such an extreme level of investment by the NSW/QLD clubs that things would happen, more even than last years system because it forces the clubs to really develop their academy talents or risk missing out completely. And it's that real pressure on that system that I'd like to see created personally so that the objectives of the AFL regarding expansion in the QLD/NSW regions are completely maximised.

 

[Membling]

I'm still open minded as to Agius' best role and a bit like Petracca last year it's something I'm open to seeing evolve over the course of the season. Keep in mind I have other than being familiar with his stats only seen one of his maccas cup games last year, so I only have a basic feel. Athletically/defensively I'll wait till I see him through the u18 champs before I have those details as I've only really seen him forward of centre and in that particular game and mostly just marking everything coming his way with some goals to go with it.
Perhaps some of the SA viewers will be able to provide the details I'm not yet aware of with him. Neither his athleticism of defensive play stood out, but I'm not going to put a cross next to those features until I get the chance to properly observe those areas of his game.

Tom Wallis' best game of the season was his first to this point and at the time of that game I was at the double header at Visy or whatever it's called this week. I've seen one of his games since but it's not a game where I noted his influence or took particularly notice of him with a few other Calder boys impressing me more in that particular game. Wallis seems to be mostly playing midfield from the one game sample size I've seen, but O'Kearney is still the guy who runs that Calder midfield. As for where he stands in the draft pool, draft chance but more work needed.



With no national draft picks under that system for the QLD/NSW clubs it would mean that to make a trade happen you would have to move a player to make a trade happen - whether that be for a player or a pick.

It would from that perspective make things more challenging, but with a near monopoly of the NSW/QLD talent I'd deem from a competitive balance standpoint for it to be pretty much right, even though there are obvious and very different advantages on both sides. And it's because of the nature of this type of system that it would encourage such an extreme level of investment by the NSW/QLD clubs that things would happen, more even than last years system because it forces the clubs to really develop their academy talents or risk missing out completely. And it's that real pressure on that system that I'd like to see created personally so that the objectives of the AFL regarding expansion in the QLD/NSW regions are completely maximised.

Problems with it are that it would be exceptionally difficult to move clubs, either way. Restraint of trade/profession etc etc etc. AFLPA wouldn't have a bar of it unless there was clear pathways for player movement.

IIRC Swans did put forth the idea to afl which rejected it in early 2000s

 

[Knightmare]

Problems with it are that it would be exceptionally difficult to move clubs, either way. Restraint of trade/profession etc etc etc. AFLPA wouldn't have a bar of it unless there was clear pathways for player movement.

IIRC Swans did put forth the idea to afl which rejected it in early 2000s

It wouldn't restrict player movement in that all clubs would still be able to move players.

It would just make that if Sydney/Brisbane/GC/GWS want players, they're going to have to move players to make it happen. And without picks as a trade asset it would make it more challenging to make deals happen. But that would be part of the dynamic. If it's players wanting out of those 4 teams, it would be easy enough with clubs still very able to trade picks to those clubs. And at times to get deals over the line it would take those multi-team deals to get those picks to then make the deals happen.

That's just my personal preference towards how the system would be optimally set up with again that focus being on the academies and really forcing those four clubs to hit home runs with the academy talent every year. Because as you recognised trading would be more challenging without having picks available as that fairly liquid asset that makes deals easier to have happen. But it's not like free agents wouldn't be able to join and trades can still happen.

The AFL likely would again today reject this type of system as the rules are so vastly uneven in so many ways, even if it does end up while it forces a very different way of building a list, still what I'd estimate to be an even competition overall and still probably slightly favouring the clubs with the academies with that advantage over time slowly building as the development of players through the academy improves and football grows in QLD/NSW. But at the end of the day, that's what we want for the AFL's product to improve and for football to grow in that region. So I'd like to see it happen anyway.

But none the less, this years system that has been proposed, while it's not going to fully promote the clubs the invest in their academies. At least it's not completely terrible in that it makes things more fair and still gives the clubs the academies. So if that model goes ahead as it probably should, it will be interesting in hindsight to watch how that goes.

 

[Knightmare]

Tucker plays for North Ballarat


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As per page one I have Tucker listed as playing for North Ballarat.

 

[TheLastEmperor]

As per page one I have Tucker listed as playing for North Ballarat.

I think someone asked the question a few pages back and I was gonna respond.... then you did so I didn't bother. Somehow Tapatalk saved my msg....and then I pocket posted lol. Believable? Actually a true story!


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