The picks

[Not a Wellman]

I think the AFL should be doing something to curve the tanking situation as we all do. Gary Lyon and co start getting stuck into the AFL about how it's better for the bottom 4 sides to lose, we all know this is the case.

But what can honestly be a fair drafting situation.

- If they raffle the bottom 4 and Melbourne end up with the 4th pick and Freo end up with the number 1 pick, it just wouldn't be fair.

I can't think of a formula that would be seen as fair and just, won't come under heavy scrutiny and won't promote the tanking situation just at a different stage of the ladder.

Has anybody heard of or got any sound ideas, with minimal flaws in it. Because at this point in time Iam seriously wondering if we did the right thing by winning on Friday and it's a sad inditement on our game.

Sorry if this has been done a while ago by the way.

 

[Walesy]

The fairest sounding system that I've ever heard is this.
You base your order on one thing. Successive years in or out of the 8.
So a highflying team that "tanks" for one year, will never be able to secure a top pick, where as a team that has been out of the 8 for a long period of time will still be at the pointy end of the draft, no matter where they finish outside of the 8.
It rewards long-term-crapness... and really, for a level competition, this is where you need to reward, but at the same time, teams have *no* reason for tanking anymore.
Draws in #'s of years can be worked out using finals depth, so a team who last played in the finals 5 years ago, and got knocked out in the first game will ranks above the team that last played finals 5 years ago and made the semi...
All in all, this system will reward teams that need it and at the same time, ensure that teams that spend a single year at the bottom (AKA Collingwood in 2000 and... memory serve me well, 4?, or potentially West Coast this year).

 

[Rack Watts]

Do it at random! Jk

 

[Jesse Custer]

The draft should reward clubs that do their utmost to avoid the wooden spoon. Therefore carltank wont have had so many number 1 picks which imo is grossly unfair. We have been mediocre for a few years but have done what we could to not get the spoon. We should be rewarded, but unfortunately it dont work that way.

 

[Margim]

Other than a lottery system with higher chances for lower teams, I think the best way would be
1st pick - 9th on the ladder
2nd pick - 10th
3rd pick - 11th
4th pick - 12th
5th pick - 13th
6th pick - 14th
7th pick - 15th
8th pick - 16th
9th pick - 8th
10th - 7th
11th - 6th
etc - 1st gets the last pick.

That way, the incentive among the bottom teams is to try and finish higher, and non of the higher teams are likely to tank out of the finals to get better draft picks.

 

[Big Scottknowsall]

I don't tihnk tanking exists as much as poor drafting and poor cultures exist....

 

[My_man_Hislop]

I don't know why their is such emphasis on a team giving up their season when they're out of finals contention and beginning to 'rebuild' by getting low draft picks. There is no evidence that this actually works as the team with the most number of high draft picks aside from carlton would be St. Kilda, and they have failed to perform to their supposed 'ability' for the past 5 years, due to the fact that their is not a strong winning culture at their club.

When you look at the teams who have won the last few grand finals, in geelong, west coast, sydney, port and brisbane, all of them are constantly competitive sides and never dwell at the bottom of the ladder building a team on draft picks, but rather they have built their teams on a winning culture.

When will the importance of a winning culture be recognised and when will the negative effects that tanking can have on this culture be realised??

I hope Essendon doesn't go with the trend and look to gain early draft picks rather than try to win as many games as possible, because if so the winning culture that has been with the club for almost its entire existence will be tarnished.

 

[Not a Wellman]

Yeah I think walesy has the best idea so far, it makes sense. The draft system should be changed to compensate the sides that have been down the bottom for 3-5 years.

Anything else i have heard and thought of can be concidered unfair and not assisting the sides that really do need to rebuild.

I agree about the culture and just because you get a few good draft picks doesn't mean your going to be a powerhouse in a few years, however sides like Melbourne genuinly deserve a few good draft picks where as Freo and West Coast don't.