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Rogue Warrior
Senior List
- Mar 23, 2024
- 158
- 628
- AFL Club
- St Kilda
While we complained about the inequality of the northern academies I don’t think this is the answer. This will again be open to the same rorting that landed the bulldogs Ugle Hagan and again further compromises the draft. No doubt well resourced clubs will do well out of this. The academies were designed to bring people into the game that otherwise wouldn’t have been playing. A player like Kako, who was always going to play football being taken out of the open draft ruins the system and helps no one (except the club who can rort the system the best).
The idea the afl can just change the rules overnight, without clarifying or tightening who can be eligible for the academies, without clarifying and fixing the fair price clubs should have to pay for academy picks and without committing to a time frame as to when it will be put in place and how long they can confirm these rules will be in place before again reviewed is a joke. It’s bush league stuff. They’ve done half the job and I could easily see them turning the academies off again next year (after a couple of clubs benefit).
I cannot remotely fathom a professional sporting league anywhere in the world operating like this.
As for what my solution would have been. In the short-term fix the price clubs pay for taking academy talent. So you can only use an equivalent number of picks and selections you have (and can’t double dip). Make the qualification criteria stricter to ensure we are growing the talent pool, not ring fencing existing talent.
In the longer-term have the afl run and fund the academies so that the talent goes into the total draft pool and not just to advantage certain teams.
The idea the afl can just change the rules overnight, without clarifying or tightening who can be eligible for the academies, without clarifying and fixing the fair price clubs should have to pay for academy picks and without committing to a time frame as to when it will be put in place and how long they can confirm these rules will be in place before again reviewed is a joke. It’s bush league stuff. They’ve done half the job and I could easily see them turning the academies off again next year (after a couple of clubs benefit).
I cannot remotely fathom a professional sporting league anywhere in the world operating like this.
As for what my solution would have been. In the short-term fix the price clubs pay for taking academy talent. So you can only use an equivalent number of picks and selections you have (and can’t double dip). Make the qualification criteria stricter to ensure we are growing the talent pool, not ring fencing existing talent.
In the longer-term have the afl run and fund the academies so that the talent goes into the total draft pool and not just to advantage certain teams.
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