St Kilda complain about priority draft access in Oct 2024; now set to gain priority access to a first / second round pick via their NGA access

[EconomicDecline]

Northern club supporters in here claiming that their academy players would otherwise be playing NRL. Really? How many kids actually shift codes?

 

[mighty_lions]

Northern club supporters in here claiming that their academy players would otherwise be playing NRL. Really? How many kids actually shift codes?

how many qld kids got drafted before academies existed vs now, its about giving them a pathway entrenching them in the afl system, why would they chose nrl when they are already in an academy

 

[dees arent rabble]

St Kilda should just fold.

Imagine paying a fortune for a spud in TDK.

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

Free Agency is a big fairness distorter and it strongly favours the big Vic clubs. The often played Go Home Card another that favours Vic clubs, albeit we have done very nicely of late

Free agency is often due to going home.

Bear in mind every time a player wants to return to Vic each club has 9 others vying for the same signature. Only 1 other club for other states.

I think it works.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

 

[rye]

 

[Elixuh]

I’m truly shocked that the AFL don’t give a shit about what St Kilda thinks.

 

[mighty_lions]

academies not going anywhere, whats next sainters

 

[Tasmanian saint]

The draft is inherently unfair, if the measure is whether we can have an entirely fair system or abolish the draft altogether, then you'd abolish it tomorrow. But I don't subscribe to that view. It is about using different inequalities to balance everything as best you can.

I would be happy to remove any priority access mechanisms from the talent produced by northern academies if the cost and resource implications of running them was split equally amongst the other clubs in the league, so that they're equally funded. The nothern clubs will inevitably use up some of their own resources to still run them just by practical necessity, but that'd be fine. It is why I always like that the only solution the VFL clubs argue for is to abolish the academies, as old Fred Bassett has.

The primary purpose of the academies is not so that northern teams can have home grown starts. It is to increase the talent pool of the national comp. Historically it has been true that we more or less get most of the players we want from academies each year, but that is a reflection on the steady growth of talent being produced. As more and more talent is produced this will naturally flow to other teams in the comp as the northern clubs are unable to match everything. The past 10 years has seen a dramatic increase in grass roots junior footy in Qld and NSW, this is a decades long project for the betterment of the entire competition.

Need to straighten out your facts a little It’s increasing the talent pool for the two clubs in Queensland and the two clubs in Sydney not the entire competition

 

[Tasmanian saint]

how many qld kids got drafted before academies existed vs now, its about giving them a pathway entrenching them in the afl system, why would they chose nrl when they are already in an academy

the afl should be running and paying for all junior development around Australia they already do in Victoria and Tasmania then all players enter a fully open draft available to all clubs. It’s pretty simple really and fare to all clubs

 

[mighty_lions]

Need to straighten out your facts a little It’s increasing the talent pool for the two clubs in Queensland and the two clubs in Sydney not the entire competition

chol, aliir aliir, keays, cumberland, fullarton were all apart of the academy

 

[littlecreatures]

how many qld kids got drafted before academies existed vs now, its about giving them a pathway entrenching them in the afl system, why would they chose nrl when they are already in an academy

For St Kilda top of my head we were able to draft the following players from Northern zones prior to the current compromised draft system: Nick Riewoldt (QLD), Max Hudghton (QLD), Justin Koschitzke (NSW), Lenny Hayes (NSW), Sam Gilbert (QLD), and David Armatage (QLD). This is just St Kilda, not all other clubs.

There are other means to growing the game in rugby league territory as opposed to firmly entrenching it into the draft which is one of few mechanisms for equalisation if implemented appropriately.

There are also other zones across the country which similarly deserve the game to be developed further in but clearly that doesn’t align with the AFL’s commercial interests, or your club’s interests.

 

[GC2015]

Well. It looks like St Kilda have had their 15 minutes of fame on this topic. Time to move on and accept that the rules aren't changing. Seems like the AFL are sending a pretty strong message to St Kilda by inviting them up to the Gold Coast tomorrow just to tell them that nothing is changing.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Well. It looks like St Kilda have had their 15 minutes of fame on this topic. Time to move on and accept that the rules aren't changing. Seems like the AFL are sending a pretty strong message to St Kilda by inviting them up to the Gold Coast tomorrow just to tell them that nothing is changing.

I would make one tweak to the academy setup, and the basis is that the AFL spruik the need for academies to attract talent in NRL states that'd otherwise not choose AFL.

Okay then, players that are F/S eligible at a non academy club are not academy eligible. They are sons/daughters of AFL players and well indoctrinated in the code as a result. Not the players we need to be luring to the game.

There should not be a Blakey repeat just because that's where Dad was working within the industry.

 

[mighty_lions]

For St Kilda top of my head we were able to draft the following players from Northern zones prior to the current compromised draft system: Nick Riewoldt (QLD), Max Hudghton (QLD), Justin Koschitzke (NSW), Lenny Hayes (NSW), Sam Gilbert (QLD), and David Armatage (QLD). This is just St Kilda, not all other clubs.

There are other means to growing the game in rugby league territory as opposed to firmly entrenching it into the draft which is one of few mechanisms for equalisation if implemented appropriately.

There are also other zones across the country which similarly deserve the game to be developed further in but clearly that doesn’t align with the AFL’s commercial interests, or your club’s interests.

This is laughable you’ve named a handful of players over a span of quarter of a century from where 60 percent of the Australian population live, no wonder st kilda supporters are unhinged, now go through every Victorian you have drafted since 2000 and list them below please

 

[Obeanie1]

Well. It looks like St Kilda have had their 15 minutes of fame on this topic. Time to move on and accept that the rules aren't changing. Seems like the AFL are sending a pretty strong message to St Kilda by inviting them up to the Gold Coast tomorrow just to tell them that nothing is changing.

The ruoes have changed and will change further.

No more double dipping.

Pay market rates.

 

[VinnieB]

St Kilda should just fold.

Imagine paying a fortune for a spud in TDK.

Should merge with Melbourne

 

[The Punter]

Precisely!

Which is why you need a range of inequalities which balance each other out.

We keep coming full circle!

I think the draft should only be used to address one inequality: talent. Otherwise the draft becomes pointless and we should pursue other ways of getting new players into the league.

I think the northern teams have had allowances over the salary cap to retain players and I'd be happy if something like that returned.

 

[EconomicDecline]

I'm fine with northern academies remaining. Just 2 things need to change.

They should have limited priority access.

Secondly, and this applies for all academies, father/son, nga, etc; no discount. Priority access is the benefit.

At the very most create a premium/discount system based on ladder position/win threshold etc.

 

[Elixuh]

I think the draft should only be used to address one inequality: talent. Otherwise the draft becomes pointless and we should pursue other ways of getting new players into the league.

I think the northern teams have had allowances over the salary cap to retain players and I'd be happy if something like that returned.

Like I said, it only addresses that inequality well for certain teams. But again full circle and things of that nature.

 

[The Punter]

Like I said, it only addresses that inequality well for certain teams. But again full circle and things of that nature.

To confirm, do you mean the draft only addresses that inequality well for certain teams? Because if you do, I agree with you, but its this way because of the exceptions to the draft such as academies and the father-son rule.

 

[Elixuh]

To confirm, do you mean the draft only addresses that inequality well for certain teams? Because if you do, I agree with you, but its this way because of the exceptions to the draft such as academies and the father-son rule.

You know what I mean because I’ve repeated it in about half a dozen posts.

 

[The Punter]

You know what I mean because I’ve repeated it in about half a dozen posts.

Come on, you said "it" when I've been talking about the draft and the salary cap.

I just don't understand your stand on the draft. Should we have a random order? I need it explained to me why one would want to retain it but not keep it as what it was designed for: to give the worst teams access to the best talent entering the draft.

We have a "neither one thing or the other" situation at the moment which is working against teams building from the bottom. North have finished bottom two for five consecutive years - if the draft was not broken, they'd be competing for finals now as their oldest top end talent would be 23-24 years old.

 

[Elixuh]

This thread is moot now as the AFL has told the Saints to GAGF. The Sainters can discuss it amongst themselves at their next AGM.

 

[Elixuh]

Come on, you said "it" when I've been talking about the draft and the salary cap.

I just don't understand your stand on the draft. Should we have a random order? I need it explained to me why one would want to retain it but not keep it as what it was designed for: to give the worst teams access to the best talent entering the draft.

We have a "neither one thing or the other" situation at the moment which is working against teams building from the bottom. North have finished bottom two for five consecutive years - if the draft was not broken, they'd be competing for finals now as their oldest top end talent would be 23-24 years old.

It’s pretty clear that if you have 10 teams in one city in a national comp and the majority of talent coming from that region that there will be significant issues with achieving a completely pure and unhindered draft. You can’t even agree on that point - which isn’t controversial - so I’m not sure what else we can say.