AFL Draft in Prime Time

[The Falcon Strike]

I reckon it's a winner!!

however i don't like the 10-1 count down - leave it as it is

Also - the ability to trade rookies is a good idea as well!



http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/81199/default.aspx

THE 2009 NAB AFL Draft will take place on a Thursday evening, if an AFL proposal before clubs comes to fruition.

Under the proposal the draft would begin at 6.30pm AEST on Thursday November 26, and be broadcast live on Fox Sports.

The AFL is also canvassing a revised running order, with the first 10 picks conducted as a countdown from 10 to one. The remainder of the draft would then continue as normal from pick 11 upwards.

The League tabled the proposal on Wednesday at a meeting with football managers from all 16 clubs.

If clubs reject the proposal, the draft will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday, November 28.

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said booming interest in the draft justified the move.

“The NAB AFL Draft is now one of the largest media events in our game, and the next step in the draft’s evolution is for the AFL to consider a prime-time evening event,” he said.

A number of other key football items were discussed at Wednesday's meeting, including:

• The recent proposal to allow clubs to trade rookie list players during trade week
• Anderson's report on his recent meetings with key US sports officials on labour agreements and free agency, laws of the game, on and off-field player disciplinary systems, and other football operations issues
• Matters being considered by the Player Movement Working Party
• Developments on the AFL industry’s response to responsible use of alcohol
• Implementation and club experience of the Individual Conduct Policy

 

[Cousin Jed]

Might be stupid but how can you cover an event live and have the picks going from 10 down to 1? Aren't you supposed to start with 1.....

Otherwise an inevitable move. Draft coverage in the US is big business. Though with the GC team ahving the first 137 picks in a row soon not sure it would generate as much interest for those years.

 

[Bradesmaen]

Might be stupid but how can you cover an event live and have the picks going from 10 down to 1? Aren't you supposed to start with 1.....

Otherwise an inevitable move. Draft coverage in the US is big business. Though with the GC team ahving the first 137 picks in a row soon not sure it would generate as much interest for those years.

The clubs take the picks in regular order under AFL supervision as per normal draft, then we come in at 6:30, start the draft from 10-1 and bobs your uncle.

 

[Zvim]

Can clubs choose to go for the box instead?

 

[mushda]

I'd love to see it in prime time and there is a good opportunity to make it into a bigger event, but the 10 to 1 countdown is over the top.

 

[Wizard]

Geez the countdown would be interesting.
Clearly the clubs from 1-10 would make their pics earlier in the day and then the CEO would count backwards.

Would make the guess work on draft night bloody interesting.

 

[AG]

I'd watch it because I always enjoy watching the NBA draft. I don't see the need to countdown though.

 

[Campbell's Chunky]

Countdown would be crap.

Half the fun is waiting for a player to slide to your pick (ie Brisbane fans woulda been egging on Daniel Rich to fall - and he did!)

 

[damochandler]

i wouldnt watch it. it's nothing like the nba one. it's more like the nfl one where that goes for 3 days.

 

[Danog]

Would be great to find a Ventrilo server for Bigfooty if this does happen.

 

[Chief Crow]

I think its a fantastic idea . Except the countdown, no need for that.

 

[Minka Beaver]

The Countdown would add nothing.

The least suspenseful pick in any National Draft is usually the first pick, and this year it is a shoe-in (barring Scully going off the rails between now and November).

Similarly, there are only a few real contenders for the top three or four spaces. As a couple of others have said, it's the 'sliders' who hold the most interest.

I'm also not convinced that the screening of the Draft is as popular as has been suggested.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

i wouldnt watch it. it's nothing like the nba one. it's more like the nfl one where that goes for 3 days.

on;ly because the NFL has like 70 billion draft picks

 

[Winner]

Half the fun is waiting for a player to slide to your pick (ie Brisbane fans woulda been egging on Daniel Rich to fall - and he did!)

Yeah I remember watching last years draft and seeing that, with three picks till Essendons 2nd round, Tom Swift and Trengove being available and praying one would slide... then they both got taken before Essendons pick. I was gutted.

I love this idea - but without the countdown.

 

[Chief Crow]

The Countdown would add nothing.

The least suspenseful pick in any National Draft is usually the first pick, and this year it is a shoe-in (barring Scully going off the rails between now and November).

Similarly, there are only a few real contenders for the top three or four spaces. As a couple of others have said, it's the 'sliders' who hold the most interest.

I'm also not convinced that the screening of the Draft is as popular as has been suggested.

Im sure they would go by the internet ratings over the last few years on draft day.

 

[Bonuspoints]

It will draw all the footy tragics for sure....I include myself in this...

 

[Spluff]

I'd watch it for sure - would hate a countdown, though.

 

[Warsaw]

Love the move into night time. Countdown is ridiculous no way they could do that. Should be on FTA but eitherway this should be a winner for the public.

 

[kane249]

One man had the vision to predict this....

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274866

Does anyone else think draft picks are done in the wrong order. All other sporting contests culmitate in the championship match. ALmost all great sporting contests end with the Final. Why do the AFL start with the Number 1 draft pick and then go on to worse players. There is no climax to the draft. It peters out as worse and worse players are chosen, the longer it goes.

Wouldn't the draft be more interesting if they started with pick 79 and worked its way up to Pick no 1? As the event went on, the expectation would build. Who will be Top 10? Who will be number 1? etc. Perhaps this is why the draft does not have prime time TV coverage? I reckon my basic change would make it a better TV event.

Although he also suggested this...

You could do it that way, but I think there are two better ways.


1. You can only pick certain players with certain picks.

eg with picks 55 to 80 you can only pick one of the following:
a) Pass
b) player who should have retired long ago but fills a desperate need for a ruckman or full back
c) a 22 year old "late developer" from the the Riverina or Easter Districts league that no-one has ever heard of.

With picks 30-55
a) if you are a victorian team you select a player that played every TAC Cup match, made the Rep squad, but is already built like a man and has little room for improvement.
b) if you are a northern states team, you must select a local player that has no hope of making the grade but gives the allusion that you are supporting local talent.
c) if you are a team from Western or South Australia, you must select a player that you have hidden in the bush all year or kept from playing Finals footy in the local league due to an "injury" (unless of course you have hidden them so well that you think you can get them in the Rookie Draft).

With Picks 20-30 you must select:
a) a player that has missed large chunks of the season through injury.

With picks 10-20 you must:
a) trade your pick away if you are Sydney
b) pick an athlete with limited football knowledge
c) pick a guy with great football skils but weighs under 70kg.

With a TOp 10 pick teams rarely pick for need, usually picking the "best available player". If we reverse the order of the draft, teams must simply pick the worst available player.

Simple system that should work well for TV. Or the other way you could do it:

2. All the teams representatives sit at desks arranged in a circle. Each team has a long telescopic pointer. If a club reads out the name of a player that another team wants to draft later, that team subtly taps the guy reading the name out on the head with the pointer and he reads another name.

 

[kane249]

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=274866

Dammit you beat me to it! Damn search engine taking so long...

 

[Naitanui2Masten]

i love the live tv bit, it saves me loggin onto the comp every haf hour

 

[Lemieux8]

Jeffrey was the funniest mofo ever.

But yeah. I like the idea bar the "countdown" of 10 to 1.

 

[one eyedtiger]

I like the idea, excpet the countdown.

 

[CrowinPerth]

Really dont think it would be a ratings grabber, and to compare to the NFL or NBA is stupid. The guys going into the NFL are big time college stars, who have been watched for numerous years by the whole country, and are expected to make an immediate impact for the team drafting them.
When have an AFL clubs fortunes fallen on a first year player, with the expection of a few, AFL draftees taken 2 to 3 years to play senior football let alone make a difference (excluding Daniel Rich, before someone throws that down my throat)

 

[D BRIDGE]

Live and Prime time is good but the count down is stupid.
By the time you get to Pick1 everyone will know who hasnt been called and therefore there will be ZERO suspence for the Number 1 pick which is just stupid.