What should they do with the AFL draft if the season is canned?

[The Nostradamus]

The only way the draft won’t go ahead this year is if they cancel under 18 footy

regardless of whether the afl season is cancelled the above will be the determinant

and if the afl season is cancelled but under 18s not then just the same ladder as last year for draft order factoring in future picks makes the most sense

if under 18 footy cancelled for majority of year then no draft

 

[Bunk Moreland]

I don't know why people want to increase the draft age as there are so many players, especially midfielders who are ready to go day 1. Would it really be fair to tell Walsh last year that he needed to wait an additional 12 months when he was ready at 18?

And there’s players ready at 17. Is it fair to them?

Kids like that are an exception. You can’t base the whole system around them.

On balance, the draft doesn’t do its job. It’s there to ensure youth talent is best allocated to the clubs that need it, in order.

At the moment when you pick up a high draft pick they might make a significant difference to your club in what... 3 or 4 years?

And it’s too difficult anyway. They’re just trying to forecast how good kids might be in a few years time, or how they might handle senior football.

It makes the league a development league as well as the elite level. Clubs spend season after season “getting games into the kids”. That’s because they’re not physically or mentally ready for professional football. The quality of football is poorer for it.

Not to mention the players’ interests themselves. AFL footy is a strange, bubble-like experience. And there’s zero doubt they’d be better off being a little more mature and having some “normal life” experience post-school, even if it’s just studying and working part-time, which would make them more rounded in general. There’s no other industry where kids are jammed into such a high pressure, bizarre professional environment so early.

On the whole, many of them hate their job, mental heath problems are extremely prevalent and they can make some dumb decisions. I think all of that would improve.

Personally I’d make the draft age 20.

 

[kaiserchief13]

The only way the draft won’t go ahead this year is if they cancel under 18 footy

regardless of whether the afl season is cancelled the above will be the determinant

and if the afl season is cancelled but under 18s not then just the same ladder as last year for draft order factoring in future picks makes the most sense

if under 18 footy cancelled for majority of year then no draft

It doesn't make sense because WC would have won the spoon if the season doesn't go ahead

 

[RUNVS]

And there’s players ready at 17. Is it fair to them?

Kids like that are an exception. You can’t base the whole system around them.

On balance, the draft doesn’t do its job. It’s there to ensure youth talent is best allocated to the clubs that need it, in order.

At the moment when you pick up a high draft pick they might make a significant difference to your club in what... 3 or 4 years?

And it’s too difficult anyway. They’re just trying to forecast how good kids might be in a few years time, or how they might handle senior football.

It makes the league a development league as well as the elite level. Clubs spend season after season “getting games into the kids”. That’s because they’re not physically or mentally ready for professional football. The quality of football is poorer for it.

Not to mention the players’ interests themselves. AFL footy is a strange, bubble-like experience. And there’s zero doubt they’d be better off being a little more mature and having some “normal life” experience post-school, even if it’s just studying and working part-time, which would make them more rounded in general. There’s no other industry where kids are jammed into such a high pressure, bizarre professional environment so early.

On the whole, many of them hate their job, mental heath problems are extremely prevalent and they can make some dumb decisions. I think all of that would improve.

Personally I’d make the draft age 20.

18 is an adult, 17 is not. Are you really going to tell an 18 year old that they are old enough to die in a war but they are not old enough to play in the AFL?

I mean players only have a limited career anyway, why cut that by 1 or 2 years.

 

[mpal6]

18 is an adult, 17 is not. Are you really going to tell an 18 year old that they are old enough to die in a war but they are not old enough to play in the AFL?

I mean players only have a limited career anyway, why cut that by 1 or 2 years.

You referred Walsh, but in comparison you also have Dan Rampe, his interview was a great example - he wasn't ready at 18 and his toil in local footy clubs made him appreciate the opportunity a lot more when he got rookied by Swans later.

I'm for getting draftees who are 19 rather than 18, we could consider a 3 year initial contract as the trade-off, as there'll be a bigger body of work (u18 champs + 1 year in other leagues) so the clubs will feel more confident on what they'll be getting.

 

[Lach72]

I'd like the lists to be expanded, so that clubs can still take the picks they have but the players who are on the list are not affected.
If a player retires then perhaps that spot is forfeited, but other that guys who are borderline on the list should not lose their places because of this thing

 

[Thetrader15]

Don't have a draft and let all the U18 kids play 2 seasons and then it will be a 'mega draft' in 2021

 

[Thetrader15]

Or since all the captains have already voted who will and won't make the finals, let's use that as the ladder. If there are ties, base it off the previous years

Captains predict: Four clubs snubbed for finals, Brownlow tips, more

The AFL captains have been surveyed on the 2020 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. Check it out

www.afl.com.au

1 - Richmond*
2 - GWS*
3 - West Coast*
4 - Collingwood
5 - Brisbane
6 - Western Bulldogs
7 - Port Adelaide
8 - Geelong
9 - Melbourne
10 - St Kilda
11 - Hawthorn
12 - Essendon**
13 - North Melbourne**
14 - Sydney***
15 - Adelaide***
16 - Fremantle***
17 - Carlton***
18 - Gold Coast***

* - equal 1st, draft position based on 2019 results
* - equal 12th, draft position based on 2019 results
* - equal 14th, draft position based on 2019 results

 

[Scotland]

The fairest outcome would be to give WC the first pick, surely.

 

[Le Grille]

Remove every listed player from their teams and put them into a draft, lottery for picks.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Remove every listed player from their teams and put them into a draft, lottery for picks.

So we would need to trade up to pick 1 just to get Hugh McCluggage back?

 

[Le Grille]

So we would need to trade up to pick 1 just to get Hugh McCluggage back?

Sure

 

[Boxhead_31]

Draft picks would mean fu** all because if the AFL gets canned likely so does the under 18s.

You don't think clubs scout underage players?
They would have a lot of information on last years 17yo, this year's draft-eligible players already

 

[Altum Volantes]

Arm Wrestling, with proper sanitation obviously.

 

[juss]

You don't think clubs scout underage players?
They would have a lot of information on last years 17yo, this year's draft-eligible players already

Yeh, and it means little now. The under 18 year is easily the most important in terms of readyness for AFL level, and potential improvement. At that age, the development, growth spurts, fitness changes, maturity changes, attitudes, behavior, football ability, ability to cope with pressure, big game performance (TAC cup & championships) is enormous year on year. Players come from nowhere, and others fall off the radar based on this crucial year.

It's so much more of a lottery without all that, IF the under 18s comps and seasons don't go ahead.

 

[Sttew]

Split last year's ladder into 6 brackets of 3 teams (i.e. 1-3, 4-6, etc). They play a mini round-robin competition, maybe like the preseason format a few years back, to determine who gets the top pick on offer. So you have Carlton, Demons and Suns playing off for 1, 2 and 3, and then Freo, Saints and Swans playing off for 4, 5 and 6.

I assume the loser is the winner?

 

[Seeds]

Split in groups of 3 like the fixture. Then randomly draw the order. The lower you finish, the more chance you have of being picked first.

1. Richmond 1x
2. GWS 2x
3. Geelong 3x
4. Collingwood 4x
5. Brisbane 5x
6. West Coast 6x
-------------------------
7. Western Bulldogs 1x
8. Essendon 2x
9. Hawthorn 3x
10. Port Adelaide 4x
11. Adelaide 5x
12. North Melbourne 6x
-------------------------
13. Fremantle 1x
14 St Kilda 2x
15. Sydney 3x
16. Carlton 4x
17. Melbourne 5x
18. Gold Coast 6x

F*** off. geelong was probably going to finish bottom 8 this year.

even lottery is the only fair way.

 

[maskmcgee]

6-6-6 lottery based on 2019 post finals finishing.

 

[JayJ20]

F*** off. geelong was probably going to finish bottom 8 this year.

even lottery is the only fair way.

Considering Geelong has made finals every year since 2007 except 2015, Geelong is the last team I'd care about from a draft pick perspective.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Play an AFLX tournament at the earliest possible date with early picks as the incentive for winning.

Or Thunderdome.

 

[HardcoreGeelongFan]

Only fair way would be to reverse the order of the previous seasons draft

But seriously how many list spots would be available? Be harsh delisting players when 2020 season doesn't happen. I doubt the money would be available to extend squads too much further given the massive financial losses teams will suffer.

Heaps of spuds have had at least 3-4 seasons to prove themselves. This will just rotate the trash players out quicker for more promising players.

If we had more national talent we wouldn't be giving players 3-10 seasons to develop as a player.

 

[Lsta062]

No offence but a Carlton fan really should not be complaining about another club receiving concessions.

Carlton didn’t get what Gold Coast was promised though. Carlton did get priority picks, but Gold Coast’s assistance package is next level.

 

[RUNVS]

You referred Walsh, but in comparison you also have Dan Rampe, his interview was a great example - he wasn't ready at 18 and his toil in local footy clubs made him appreciate the opportunity a lot more when he got rookied by Swans later.

I'm for getting draftees who are 19 rather than 18, we could consider a 3 year initial contract as the trade-off, as there'll be a bigger body of work (u18 champs + 1 year in other leagues) so the clubs will feel more confident on what they'll be getting.

Yes, but are you going to punish Walsh for Rampe not being ready?

Also Rampe proves the players who are not ready at 18 can still make it in the AFL, so why hurt the players who are ready at 18.

Walsh is not the only one too. There are plenty of first year draftees every year that make it into their teams best 22 on merit.

 

[Scotland]

Four first rounders have already changed hands, plus the pick 11 that Geelong swindled out of Gold Coast.

Geelong in particular could hit the jackpot if there is a random draw. Whether it's their own pick or ours, one or both could end up being top 5 when most people would expect both teams to make the finals.

 

[mpal6]

Yes, but are you going to punish Walsh for Rampe not being ready?

Also Rampe proves the players who are not ready at 18 can still make it in the AFL, so why hurt the players who are ready at 18.

Walsh is not the only one too. There are plenty of first year draftees every year that make it into their teams best 22 on merit.

Coniglio was ready in 17 and Jonathan Brown may have been ready in 15, how low who you go? My view is making it reasonable for everyone and releasing the pressure on final year of school. I don't understand your argument yet apart from arguing someone getting punished for being too good, too soon. As others have said, Walsh will be an outlier compared to 10 Rampe's who currently go missing to the system.

Why is it such a bad idea for these players to have an easier final year of school and get some work experience in real world? What's the rush to get them into a system where they continue their bubble lifestyle of playing footy? If they're as driven as Walsh and Bailey Smith, they'll continue to thrive regardless of the system. On the positive side, we might get 10 more Rampe's deepening the pool of available talent. I don't see the problem here and I don't get your "but you are punishing someone" argument.