AFLW Risk v Reward - AFLW to VFLW

[TigermanM2]

Interesting article by Sarah Black regarding AFLW listed players playing games in VFLW.

Risk v reward: The state league dilemma facing AFLW clubs

Club are weighing up the benefits of development at state league level against the potential cost of injury as the AFLW season nears

www.afl.com.au

THE RISK-REWARD of fielding AFLW players through the VFLW has been laid bare over the past few weeks, with young Essendon key Emily Gough and developing St Kilda ruck Emmelie Fiedler both suffering torn ACLs in the opening two rounds of the state league season.

Even without the injuries to Emily and Emmelie, AFLW clubs are less likely to let their players compete in VFLW games than in previous seasons. The risk outweighs the reward now, especially with pre-season almost lining up with the VFLW season and the fact that any injury outside of AFLW circles just cuts too deep into an AFLW list of 30, not to mention an AFLW season.

Maybe the place for VFLW is still as a stand alone comp but with preferential drafting concessions. You develop a young player in your VFLW team and if they kick on and stand out you have first crack at draft time.

If it was an 17 game AFLW season with lists of 35 it would be a different ball game but that requires significantly more $$ put onto AFLW.

 

[toenail63]

Interesting article by Sarah Black regarding AFLW listed players playing games in VFLW.

Risk v reward: The state league dilemma facing AFLW clubs

Club are weighing up the benefits of development at state league level against the potential cost of injury as the AFLW season nears

www.afl.com.au

THE RISK-REWARD of fielding AFLW players through the VFLW has been laid bare over the past few weeks, with young Essendon key Emily Gough and developing St Kilda ruck Emmelie Fiedler both suffering torn ACLs in the opening two rounds of the state league season.

Even without the injuries to Emily and Emmelie, AFLW clubs are less likely to let their players compete in VFLW games than in previous seasons. The risk outweighs the reward now, especially with pre-season almost lining up with the VFLW season and the fact that any injury outside of AFLW circles just cuts too deep into an AFLW list of 30, not to mention an AFLW season.

Maybe the place for VFLW is still as a stand alone comp but with preferential drafting concessions. You develop a young player in your VFLW team and if they kick on and stand out you have first crack at draft time.

If it was an 17 game AFLW season with lists of 35 it would be a different ball game but that requires significantly more $$ put onto AFLW.

It's something that clubs have differing views of, personally I believe it can be beneficial to have younger players having a run in the 2's that aids their development, injuries happen and can also happen at training although normally is less risk. The clubs mentioned with the ACL's have the injury replacement mechanism to bring in a replacement player to cover a long term injury, it's not ideal but some security nonetheless in the decision making.

I like your idea you've floated TM2. In netball at the highest levels they have training partners that are the equivalent of an injury replacement player. They are generally young developing players that make up an extended list, they continue to play at the level one below, and often feature in the preseason comps leading up to final team lodgements. They join in training sessions, pre season camps etc, and are very much considered as part of the squad, and are in fact official training partners for clubs to draw on when injury, pregnancy etc opens up a spot for them to come into the team.

If the AFLW list was 30 + 3 to 4 training partners then I think this would work. As happens in netball these offical training partners could be paid an honorarium per season, and could also act as a draft mechanism of sorts, as is a structured system that would make signing options easier to keep your developing players at your club if as you say they kick on and stand out.

 

[Phar Ace]

I think is depends on team player's risk profile. By that I mean an ongoing list assessment of its susceptibility to injury. Recurring soft tissues, post surgery rebuilds, body maintenance issues being just few. To what extent that can be extended into the VFLW space is hard to say, but its certainly warranted at AFLW and exists to varying degrees.

Then it also depends how you measure risk and reward. I'd argue all those injuries (ACL's aside) have protected the Club from those injuries occurring in an AFLW game perhaps, and the risk associated with losing the game by being players down.

For the most part players just want to play footy. They can either go 'flat strap', or they can, and do in some cases, 'play within themselves'. Even those terms will have a hundred different a frames of reference if you talk to a hundred different people about it.


Ultimately, the Clubs have to trust the individual player to know their body, their injury risk profile and there should and probably is a thorough discussion about it each week. A risk assessment. It's done in most work spaces these days, is invaluable, but it is inclined to be negative inducing over time. Having the means to keep it positive is as important as the assessment itself, otherwise nothing worthwhile gets done!

 

[sanaya]

i feel like if you're a shit team it's fine to let them play vflw to develop, cos what's the worst that can happen, you cop an acl or 2 but then you get pick 1..... few more years of that and you're ready to say heck the vflw and only focus on aflw when you're in your window, ez