Mega Thread Port Forum General AFL Thread Part 31

[It Just Is]

St Kilda ‘gorringed’ Aleer.

Probably what we should have done to BZT a couple of years ago

 

[240volt]

Have high hopes for Tommy Cochrane. Of our small forwards, I think he's the best.

He definitely looks the goods from his short appearances last year.
Looks to have a future for sure.

 

[JimmyBC]

Have high hopes for Tommy Cochrane. Of our small forwards, I think he's the best.

He's got smarts & x-factor he could be anything.

 

[240volt]

St Kilda ‘gorringed’ Aleer.

Probably what we should have done to BZT a couple of years ago

2024 BZT was our best defender by the length of the Flemington straight.

 

[Steve Dore]

Have high hopes for Tommy Cochrane. Of our small forwards, I think he's the best.

Context?

 

[shewho]

St Kilda are like a 5 yo making his first purchase in a lolly shop: “I’ll have 10 of those and 15 of those, 12 of those and 30 of those” only to be told his $2.50 and 6 bottle tops ain’t enough.

Seriously why would any footballer fall for their magic beans.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Especially now Willie's retired

Haha.

I was thinking Willie rarely took a high flying speccy, but Liam kicked the freakish goals like Willie kicked.

 

[Willsy10]

I think we did show a fleeting interest in Ryan.

 

[RussellEbertHandball]

Probably not the age demographic Carr is interested in.

If Willie didn't retire we would have kept him on the list as he was signed up to the end of 2026. Dont know how long St Kilda have signed him for, but 2 years + triggers to get a 3rd year would have been worth a punt IMO if we paid him around what we were paying Willie and had to spend as little draft capital as the Saints did.

 

[StueyDaDew]

Liam Ryan seems pretty cheap trade wise, West Coast basically gave him away.

Not sure about the math that we had to cough up for the W Rioli trade.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

[afl2004]

Didn't ryan say a month ago that if we sign milera he was going to join port

 

[Holden Hillbilly]

[Morris] The AFL is considering handing an extra rookie list spot - funded by the league - to each club, reserved for an Indigenous footballer. If introduced, it would be part of their plan to increase First Nations representation at the top level.​

 

[PowerLil]

Context?

Just putting my two cents worth into the Liam Ryan / Willie Rioli discussion a little earlier.

 

[theouthouse]

Yes. in a totally organic evolution of Rankine's character and redemption arc..

Rankines meeting with the crows loggers and lumberjacks group nex week...

You know what we call this Izak?

 

[240volt]

St Kilda are like a 5 yo making his first purchase in a lolly shop: “I’ll have 10 of those and 15 of those, 12 of those and 30 of those” only to be told his $2.50 and 6 bottle tops ain’t enough.

Seriously why would any footballer fall for their magic beans.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, without any real expectations.

 

[Schulzenfest]

[Morris] The AFL is considering handing an extra rookie list spot - funded by the league - to each club, reserved for an Indigenous footballer. If introduced, it would be part of their plan to increase First Nations representation at the top level.​

We'll take Dougie Cochrane, thanks.

 

[JimmyBC]

That would be a bit weird what if there are umpteen more talented players of various backgrounds than half the indigenous lads gifted a rookie spot.. The AFL loves grandstanding at the expense of logic.

 

[240volt]

That would be a bit weird what if there are umpteen more talented players of various backgrounds than half the indigenous lads gifted a rookie spot.. The AFL loves grandstanding at the expense of logic.

Definitely a marketing ploy.
AFL supporting indigenous players to fulfill their dreams.

 

[Festerz]

[Morris] The AFL is considering handing an extra rookie list spot - funded by the league - to each club, reserved for an Indigenous footballer. If introduced, it would be part of their plan to increase First Nations representation at the top level.​

I might be missing something.

But top tier representation in the AFL is the one part of Australian society where Indigenous Australians have always excelled and outperformed on a per capita basis.

There's a lot of things that the AFL needs to do to support Indigenous Australians playing in our great game - on and off field.

But in 2025, performative representational quotas is not one of them.

IMHO another example of Dillon being at least a decade behind where he needs to be in advancing the AFL.

 

[Doctor Feel]

 

[Doctor Feel]

Get dougie in via that lol

 

[El_Scorcho]

I might be missing something.

But top tier representation in the AFL is the one part of Australian society where Indigenous Australians have always excelled and outperformed on a per capita basis.

There's a lot of things that the AFL needs to do to support Indigenous Australians playing in our great game - on and off field.

But in 2025, performative representational quotas is not one of them.

IMHO another example of Dillon being at least a decade behind where he needs to be in advancing the AFL.

Yeah I feel completely the same, this is bizarre.

This isn't going to lead to many more Indigenous players playing AFL footy, it'll simply be that an Indigenous player who probably would have been picked anyway will fill this slot.

If you want more Indigenous kids playing AFL footy, give clubs unfettered access to their academies for Indigenous players. Skip the draft entirely. Then the clubs will do the work for you, and it'll probably be brilliant for Indigenous communities generally.

 

[Doctor Feel]

As scorcho said, this will just be used to put a player on the list who was always going to be selected anyway. Its not really gonna create more opportunity. Focus has to be on getting them into the system, supporting them in it and teaching them the behaviours and requirements. Should just pump this money into academies and programs really.

 

[It Just Is]

Indigenous representation has been decreasing and so has the overall talent level of players. Meanwhile the AFL need to find 45 ok footballers within 3 years for a Tasmanian side. I’d vote to cut Norf first but increasing list sizes isn’t a terrible idea.

This sounds like it’s just an extension of the category B rookie list but for actual footballers. Dressed up in a way the AFLPA can’t complain about.

 

[Festerz]

Indigenous representation has been decreasing and so has the overall talent level of players. Meanwhile the AFL need to find 45 ok footballers within 3 years for a Tasmanian side. I’d vote to cut Norf first but increasing list sizes isn’t a terrible idea.

This sounds like it’s just an extension of the category B rookie list but for actual footballers. Dressed up in a way the AFLPA can’t complain about.

Great post.

And checked the numbers and you're spot on. Indigenous representation in the AFL IS decreasing from a record of 87 players in 2020 to 62 this year. Which surprised me.