Opinion The AFL should replace the draft with an IPL Style Auction format

[jdstorm]

The AFL uses their annual draft as a talent equalisation measure to try and give every team a chance getting good players and improving.

However more then anything elite talent seems to matter and players with that ceiling/skillset typically go in the top 10 and that will only further continue to solidify as development pathways and scouting continue to improve.

To get access to these players teams are starting to deliberately lose games and that’s not fair or good for the sport (As is the Father son rule which should be amended)

So why not instead switch to an auction format based on draft points. (This exists in some fantasy formats) Teams that finish further down the ladder can still get a handicap with some extra points or possibly do it in tiers. Ie bottom 6 get 6000 points, mid 6 teams get 5500 and the top 6 teams get 5000 points to spend.

This would then give all teams the same access to elite talent which is a more equitable system

 

[Bianconeri]

Let every team have academies with no restrictions. The teams themselves have the most incentive to develop talent they’ll do a better job of it than the current system.

Then have the auction system to help equalise it.

 

[sydney_gws]

I don't think so. As an example, this year some clubs (say GWS or north ) would bid say 4000 points for pick 1, forcing West Coast to give up both their pick1 and 20 to get Reid, rather than just take him by paying pick 1. That hurts West Coasts rebuild as they lose pick 20 .

 

[citizen-erased]

I don't think so. As an example, this year some clubs (say GWS or north ) would bid say 4000 points for pick 1, forcing West Coast to give up both their pick1 and 20 to get Reid, rather than just take him by paying pick 1. That hurts West Coasts rebuild as they lose pick 20 .

agree with this
the draft is pretty good as is.

NGA still balancing itself but i reckon it will sort itself out.
or they can do academies properly. None of this birth parent country of origin rubbish.
they should be genuine pathways

 

[PAFCsince1870]

I'd be hesitant to replicate the IPL in the name of equalisation given two teams have won ten of the last 14 titles between them.

 

[jdstorm]

I don't think so. As an example, this year some clubs (say GWS or north ) would bid say 4000 points for pick 1, forcing West Coast to give up both their pick1 and 20 to get Reid, rather than just take him by paying pick 1. That hurts West Coasts rebuild as they lose pick 20 .

West Coast might not get Reid in this situation but they would still have the opportunity to bid for other top 5 pick level players.

however that’s sort of the point. Right now the incentive for finishing last in the AFL is too high and reducing that would make things better overall.

 

[citizen-erased]

i think live trading of players on the night would work
say WCE take Reid. Then GWS nab Curtin & Tholstrup. They offer both to WCE for Reid. WCE can either agree, or ask for a sweetener, etc.

So you remove some of the speculation of pick swapping and make it a known quantity type thing.
Risk becomes GWS potentially stuck with 2 kids they didn't necessarily want, but i imagine clubs talk throughout.

Given they drag draft night out, would add some element of interest/drama between picks.

 

[pz5151]

I've said elsewhere that the real solution is to get rid of the idea that teams should be rewarded for poor performance at all. Have a salary cap, a soft footy cap, and a rotating draft, wherein over an 18 year period each team gets a different draft pick each year and over that period each team will get a number 1 draft pick. THat's making a level playing field. It also disincentivises clubs from throwing away perfectly good talent and will encourage teams to look for mature agers outside the main pathway, thereby increasing the overall talent pool.

 

[Lore]

I don't think so. As an example, this year some clubs (say GWS or north ) would bid say 4000 points for pick 1, forcing West Coast to give up both their pick1 and 20 to get Reid, rather than just take him by paying pick 1. That hurts West Coasts rebuild as they lose pick 20 .

Cap the price based on the pick value index and where two clubs bid the same (or maximum) amount, the lower ranked team on the ladder gets the pick.


I am not familiar with IPL though... are they bidding on the player or the pick? The only thing I can remember about IPL is I'm pretty sure the winning bids are quoted in salary figures, which would certainly bring the salary cap and list sizes into play a bit more if 18 year olds can be paid stupid money to go to an undesirable club.

 

[jdstorm]

Cap the price based on the pick value index and where two clubs bid the same (or maximum) amount, the lower ranked team on the ladder gets the pick.


I am not familiar with IPL though... are they bidding on the player or the pick? The only thing I can remember about IPL is I'm pretty sure the winning bids are quoted in salary figures, which would certainly bring the salary cap and list sizes into play a bit more if 18 year olds can be paid stupid money to go to an undesirable club.

In the IPL they do an auction for players out of the salary cap ie let’s all bid on Pat Cummins then the next player ect

My idea was to have teams bid for players using Draft points as a seperate currency. The most bid on player would get the title of No1 pick ect

 

[.Shotties.]

Let every team have academies with no restrictions. The teams themselves have the most incentive to develop talent they’ll do a better job of it than the current system.

Then have the auction system to help equalise it.

Sounds good, Sydney can have some of the areas currently in the Talent League areas and Collingwood can have the Hunter region and North-western NSW.

 

[FB19]

Like it but needs limits. You can’t end up with a situation where the top clubs use all their points for one top pick to keep staying up, leaving the lower clubs to pick up a lot of more average players. That said it can be made to be a fairer way to value players, as we know picks
have a different value each year yet with this system they have the same points.

 

[Ants]

The AFL uses their annual draft as a talent equalisation measure to try and give every team a chance getting good players and improving.

However more then anything elite talent seems to matter and players with that ceiling/skillset typically go in the top 10 and that will only further continue to solidify as development pathways and scouting continue to improve.

To get access to these players teams are starting to deliberately lose games and that’s not fair or good for the sport (As is the Father son rule which should be amended)

So why not instead switch to an auction format based on draft points. (This exists in some fantasy formats) Teams that finish further down the ladder can still get a handicap with some extra points or possibly do it in tiers. Ie bottom 6 get 6000 points, mid 6 teams get 5500 and the top 6 teams get 5000 points to spend.

This would then give all teams the same access to elite talent which is a more equitable system

It's a bad idea because teams closer to challenging can prioritise quality over quantity and use all their picks to push themselves up the (draft) ladder. Teams near the bottom, especially at the start of rebuilds, need multiple players and can't sacrifice the points on one player. At the moment if (say) WCE wants to sacrifice pick #1, they'll get multiple picks for it. As they did last year for pick #2. But under this scenario they won't get anywhere near the same value.

This reduces equalisation.

 

[jdstorm]

It's a bad idea because teams closer to challenging can prioritise quality over quantity and use all their picks to push themselves up the (draft) ladder. Teams near the bottom, especially at the start of rebuilds, need multiple players and can't sacrifice the points on one player. At the moment if (say) WCE wants to sacrifice pick #1, they'll get multiple picks for it. As they did last year for pick #2. But under this scenario they won't get anywhere near the same value.

This reduces equalisation.

You equalise with the number of points allocated. You’d need to do the math to make it fair. Ie More points to bottom teams, less points to higher up teams.

For instance the number 1 pick is thought to be worth 2500 points. So maybe the top 6 teams only get 2000 points to that keeps them out of the bidding.

There would be a way to balance it to be fair

 

[Ants]

You equalise with the number of points allocated. You’d need to do the math to make it fair. Ie More points to bottom teams, less points to higher up teams.

For instance the number 1 pick is thought to be worth 2500 points. So maybe the top 6 teams only get 2000 points to that keeps them out of the bidding.

There would be a way to balance it to be fair

There is already a point system. And teams could trade for more points. It just doesn't work as a system to create equalisaion.

It's already been pointed out it fails in the IPL, where you're taking it from.

 

[Ants]

I would also point out jdstorm that your original premise for introducing this was that "teams are starting to deliberately lose games". If you give the teams finishing last way more points to offset the need for them to be able to buy both quantity and quality, you're getting right back to the position we started in. There is more value in finishing lower down the ladder.