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AFL created problem by meddling with free agency, academies, father-sons and draft concessions
Ryan Daniels The West Australian
Sat, 14 October 2023 2:00AM
The AFL has a problem. A problem it created for itself; that evolved from a solution.
The AFL draft was created as a means of equalisation. As the league expanded to NSW, WA and QLD, they needed a mechanism to evenly distribute talent - so the bad teams had a chance to get better, and the good teams didn’t dominate for too long.
Great in theory. But since the introduction of the draft back in 1986, the AFL has loved to meddle.
They’re like a nosy old lady who lives next door, only one with keys to your house and a hidden camera in your headboard.
What once started as a few concessions for new clubs and a romantic father-son rule, has now become a full-blown circus of compromise.
The old lady has moved in and she ain’t leaving.
In the past ten years, more than 110 players have been added to lists through side doors, back doors or open windows.
This year, it’s estimated at least five of the first 15 picks in the draft will be crawling through one of these cracks.
There are father-son picks, Northern Academies (for GWS, Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast), Next Generation Academies, priority picks, draft assistance and free agency compensation picks.
And clearly some clubs benefit far more than others.
What would Collingwood look like without Nick and Josh Daicos, Darcy Moore and Isaac Quaynor?
Brisbane without Harris Andrews, Jack Payne, Kiddy Coleman or Eric Hipwood? GWS without Tom Green, Harry Himmelberg, Kieren Briggs, Isaac Cumming and Harry Perryman?Not to mention the free-hit players they traded for picks — like Jack Steele and Jacob Hopper. How about Sydney with no Callum Mills, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Errol Gulden or Braeden Campbell? All those players arrived via draft loopholes.And I get it. The Northern Academies are important to help establish the game in States that aren’t traditionally mad about Aussie Rules. But they’re also a completely lopsided advantage for those clubs from a competitive standpoint.
A mechanism designed for the specific purpose of handing talent to clubs, to help them win more games in States which the AFL desperately craves financial and commercial success.
The Sydney Swans are a force. They’re one of the most well-run clubs in the competition, on and off field. Yes, they’re navigating a State of rugby league and union fans, but they also have an extremely loyal and vocal fan base. Swans’ home games have great atmosphere — even an old school footy vibe.
Same for the Lions — who just played off in a grand final – and count three cups in their cabinet. Some academy access should remain, but I’m not sure the free gravy train should still be rolling through.
The father-son rule is a beautiful thing — tradition is the heart of sport — but the older clubs have a far bigger pool of potential prospects to wade through. I’m tipping GWS and Gold Coast will be waiting a while for their first son of a gun. Fremantle have had just one — Brett Peake.
In 2020, the Western Bulldogs made the finals, but gained access to the best kid in the country — Jamara Ugle-Hagan. They did so because Jamara was part of their next generation academy. The NGA system was brought in to encourage clubs to invest in raw talent that might otherwise be lost to the game, or to other sports.
But Jamara played footy his whole life, mostly in Warrnambool, three hours out of Melbourne. He also played at Scotch College, a prestigious Melbourne footy school, and for the Oakleigh Chargers.
The system was meant to help you find a diamond in the rough, not a diamond in a jewellery store.
Jamara was bid on by Adelaide at pick one, the Bulldogs matched the bid using picks 29, 33, 41, 42, 52 and 54. They turned a few five cent coins into a $100 note.
A few weeks later, the AFL changed the rules. Now clubs can only match NGA bids after pick 40. Great timing for the Bulldogs, too bad for West Coast this year, who will miss out on a talented forward from their academy, Lance Collard – likely to be picked between 25-35.
This year, Gold Coast will have access to three top 12 talents in Jed Walter, Ethan Read and Jake Rogers. It’s a different set of academy rules for Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane and GWS.
Why would those other clubs bother to invest time and resources into their academies if they can’t access the best kids? How can four clubs get full access, but the others get only minimal?
Free agency compensation was brought in to avoid the little clubs losing players with nothing coming back.
North received pick three for losing Ben McKay – who they never really tried to keep. I've gone through the McKay compensation insanity before and, while it’s a product of the system, the system is broken.
The current free agency system is having cake, eating it, regurgitating it, then eating it again. I had a dog that used to do that.
Just a few weeks ago, the AFL handed North another assistance package for the second year in a row. Part of the deal was to receive two “end of first round” draft picks in 2024. It was followed by this note: “The AFL reserves the right to review the 2024 draft selections at the end of next season, however the club will be able to use the picks in trades this year.”
And they’ve already traded them. I’m tipping it’ll be tough to review those picks now that they belong to other clubs.
The Roos have been awful. They’ve won 10 of their past 82 games. But are they being held accountable for their poor performance? Isn’t getting pick 2 this year supposed to be their way to improve?
You can justify each of these mechanisms in their own way, but when you pack them all together, they start to water down the whole point of the draft in the first place.
And it’s starting to feel like the AFL is just making this stuff up as we go.
Imagine playing Monopoly with the family and your brother loses everything. No money, properties all sold off. Instead of game over, the banker hands him $10,000 and Mayfair, just because he’s lost the last five games too or because he wasted all his cash on buying the utilities.
Let’s make this clear – I have no beef with the clubs. If you can get a handout, take a handout. Work the system, use any advantage you have.
But the AFL’s desire to create balance and equality is in fact delivering a lopsided and handicapped competition.
Ryan Daniels The West Australian
Sat, 14 October 2023 2:00AM
The AFL has a problem. A problem it created for itself; that evolved from a solution.
The AFL draft was created as a means of equalisation. As the league expanded to NSW, WA and QLD, they needed a mechanism to evenly distribute talent - so the bad teams had a chance to get better, and the good teams didn’t dominate for too long.
Great in theory. But since the introduction of the draft back in 1986, the AFL has loved to meddle.
They’re like a nosy old lady who lives next door, only one with keys to your house and a hidden camera in your headboard.
What once started as a few concessions for new clubs and a romantic father-son rule, has now become a full-blown circus of compromise.
The old lady has moved in and she ain’t leaving.
In the past ten years, more than 110 players have been added to lists through side doors, back doors or open windows.
This year, it’s estimated at least five of the first 15 picks in the draft will be crawling through one of these cracks.
There are father-son picks, Northern Academies (for GWS, Sydney, Brisbane, and Gold Coast), Next Generation Academies, priority picks, draft assistance and free agency compensation picks.
And clearly some clubs benefit far more than others.
What would Collingwood look like without Nick and Josh Daicos, Darcy Moore and Isaac Quaynor?
Brisbane without Harris Andrews, Jack Payne, Kiddy Coleman or Eric Hipwood? GWS without Tom Green, Harry Himmelberg, Kieren Briggs, Isaac Cumming and Harry Perryman?Not to mention the free-hit players they traded for picks — like Jack Steele and Jacob Hopper. How about Sydney with no Callum Mills, Isaac Heeney, Nick Blakey, Errol Gulden or Braeden Campbell? All those players arrived via draft loopholes.And I get it. The Northern Academies are important to help establish the game in States that aren’t traditionally mad about Aussie Rules. But they’re also a completely lopsided advantage for those clubs from a competitive standpoint.
A mechanism designed for the specific purpose of handing talent to clubs, to help them win more games in States which the AFL desperately craves financial and commercial success.
The Sydney Swans are a force. They’re one of the most well-run clubs in the competition, on and off field. Yes, they’re navigating a State of rugby league and union fans, but they also have an extremely loyal and vocal fan base. Swans’ home games have great atmosphere — even an old school footy vibe.
Same for the Lions — who just played off in a grand final – and count three cups in their cabinet. Some academy access should remain, but I’m not sure the free gravy train should still be rolling through.
The father-son rule is a beautiful thing — tradition is the heart of sport — but the older clubs have a far bigger pool of potential prospects to wade through. I’m tipping GWS and Gold Coast will be waiting a while for their first son of a gun. Fremantle have had just one — Brett Peake.
In 2020, the Western Bulldogs made the finals, but gained access to the best kid in the country — Jamara Ugle-Hagan. They did so because Jamara was part of their next generation academy. The NGA system was brought in to encourage clubs to invest in raw talent that might otherwise be lost to the game, or to other sports.
But Jamara played footy his whole life, mostly in Warrnambool, three hours out of Melbourne. He also played at Scotch College, a prestigious Melbourne footy school, and for the Oakleigh Chargers.
The system was meant to help you find a diamond in the rough, not a diamond in a jewellery store.
Jamara was bid on by Adelaide at pick one, the Bulldogs matched the bid using picks 29, 33, 41, 42, 52 and 54. They turned a few five cent coins into a $100 note.
A few weeks later, the AFL changed the rules. Now clubs can only match NGA bids after pick 40. Great timing for the Bulldogs, too bad for West Coast this year, who will miss out on a talented forward from their academy, Lance Collard – likely to be picked between 25-35.
This year, Gold Coast will have access to three top 12 talents in Jed Walter, Ethan Read and Jake Rogers. It’s a different set of academy rules for Sydney, Gold Coast, Brisbane and GWS.
Why would those other clubs bother to invest time and resources into their academies if they can’t access the best kids? How can four clubs get full access, but the others get only minimal?
Free agency compensation was brought in to avoid the little clubs losing players with nothing coming back.
North received pick three for losing Ben McKay – who they never really tried to keep. I've gone through the McKay compensation insanity before and, while it’s a product of the system, the system is broken.
The current free agency system is having cake, eating it, regurgitating it, then eating it again. I had a dog that used to do that.
Just a few weeks ago, the AFL handed North another assistance package for the second year in a row. Part of the deal was to receive two “end of first round” draft picks in 2024. It was followed by this note: “The AFL reserves the right to review the 2024 draft selections at the end of next season, however the club will be able to use the picks in trades this year.”
And they’ve already traded them. I’m tipping it’ll be tough to review those picks now that they belong to other clubs.
The Roos have been awful. They’ve won 10 of their past 82 games. But are they being held accountable for their poor performance? Isn’t getting pick 2 this year supposed to be their way to improve?
You can justify each of these mechanisms in their own way, but when you pack them all together, they start to water down the whole point of the draft in the first place.
And it’s starting to feel like the AFL is just making this stuff up as we go.
Imagine playing Monopoly with the family and your brother loses everything. No money, properties all sold off. Instead of game over, the banker hands him $10,000 and Mayfair, just because he’s lost the last five games too or because he wasted all his cash on buying the utilities.
Let’s make this clear – I have no beef with the clubs. If you can get a handout, take a handout. Work the system, use any advantage you have.
But the AFL’s desire to create balance and equality is in fact delivering a lopsided and handicapped competition.
