News AFL to overhaul the draft, discuss changes to Academy and FS bid matching

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It's not just Richmond, every club would have been making list management and trade decisions under assumptions of a set of rules. To change them at this point immediately impacting this trade period/draft would undermine those appropriate decisions under the rules.

It may have needed to be done previously, but the fact they didn't doesnt make it better to rush it in.

The professional way to do it would be to announce that they have reviewed the system and are making the following changes, effective in 2025 or 2026 or whenever as they understand clubs have made decisions under the current rules.

That took 15 seconds to put together, surely the AFL could think it through further and probably implement it even better.

Instead we get, guess what guys? We might throw some hidden changes on you end of year, can't tell you what they are yet though or if we might do it.

Which one of those is more appropriate for a professional sporting league?
I think some changes this year are needed.
Perhaps average out the 2025 rules and 2023 rules. I guess the majority of clubs are pushing for 2024 implementation.
 

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U can’t be making changes like this while allowing future picks to be traded. Carlton have 3 4ths that are probably now going to be worthless. We obviously don’t make those trades if we knew changes were being made. Same can be said for Richmond. If they go through with changes this draft future picks trading needs to be banned again.
 
U can’t be making changes like this while allowing future picks to be traded. Carlton have 3 4ths that are probably now going to be worthless. We obviously don’t make those trades if we knew changes were being made. Same can be said for Richmond. If they go through with changes this draft future picks trading needs to be banned again.
Also just opens things up for clubs to absolute bend others over backwards if they know they need a pick in a certain round which they didn't last year.
 
U can’t be making changes like this while allowing future picks to be traded. Carlton have 3 4ths that are probably now going to be worthless. We obviously don’t make those trades if we knew changes were being made. Same can be said for Richmond. If they go through with changes this draft future picks trading needs to be banned again.
Fourth round picks are pretty much worthless anyway. You can't be too upset about losing those. Will you even have the list spots to take them to the draft?
 
Its a very weird situation
The interstate clubs are all expecting changes this year
So I have to assume it only the Vic clubs saying this and only a few of them
This isn't some #VICBIAS situation. Brisbane, GC and Adelaide would also be getting ****ed by this.

But that's not really the point. The point is that the AFL really needs to stop changing the rules in the middle of a season.
 
So Carlton are seething that the 3rd and two 4th rounders they got in for Paddy Dow may not be worth the points expected to land the Camporeale twins.

After landing Hollands for peanuts.

Cry us a river. Blues will still get their two father sons. Just not with trading out their 1st and then using junk picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds.

It's a rort and they just want the same rort advantage other clubs have cashed in on.

This season I would remove the discounts as a minimum. Keep points the same for later picks and allow them to be used so no foul there to clubs who brought in later picks.

Could increase the points value of 1st round picks. Then clubs can still get their academy and FS but not double dip by trading in good future picks and paying with trash.
 
Its a very weird situation
The interstate clubs are all expecting changes this year
So I have to assume it only the Vic clubs saying this and only a few of them

Richmond and Caaarlton.

They brought in extra 3rd and 4th rounders to cash in on the rort in 2024.

Obviously the Northern academy teams aren't that happy but they have quality kids coming through every year with priority access.
 

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So Carlton are seething that the 3rd and two 4th rounders they got in for Paddy Dow may not be worth the points expected to land the Camporeale twins.

After landing Hollands for peanuts.

Cry us a river. Blues will still get their two father sons. Just not with trading out their 1st and then using junk picks in the 3rd and 4th rounds.

It's a rort and they just want the same rort advantage other clubs have cashed in on.

This season I would remove the discounts as a minimum. Keep points the same for later picks and allow them to be used so no foul there to clubs who brought in later picks.

Could increase the points value of 1st round picks. Then clubs can still get their academy and FS but not double dip by trading in good future picks and paying with trash.
It's not about them being mad that they can't rort the system.

Clubs plan for the year ahead. They trade in and out future picks. If the AFL want to have future pick trading they can't go changing the draft rules with less than 12 months notice.
 
In terms of father son, I’d actually like it to stay the same for clubs who have had no advantage from them..up to ten players

We’ve only had one father son, St Kilda have had none, GWS and Gold Coast none.

We can’t have a situation where Geelong, Collingwood etc build premiership dynasties based on cheap father son deals while the rest of us pay full tote.

I mean of Jack Pavlich or Finn Mundy turn into guns and we have to pay full tote I’ll spew
 
It's not about them being mad that they can't rort the system.

Clubs plan for the year ahead. They trade in and out future picks. If the AFL want to have future pick trading they can't go changing the draft rules with less than 12 months notice.

It is 100% they are mad that the rort is being pulled back. 100%.

They planned to jump on and get a lick of the ice cream. Knowing full well that pressure to end the rort was building and change was coming.

So what if they traded in a couple of 3rd and 4th rounders. Big deal. Those picks are still valuable to someone.

Keep the points exactly the same for this year for 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks. Then change these next year. But increase the points needed to land first round players and remove the discount. Those picks still do the exact same job and retain value, nothing lost. Clubs just need more of them and need better picks to pay a fair price. Not paying for 1st round talent by using junk picks.

Very easy to make positive change here without removing the advantage of trading in these future picks. Then if the AFL want to go further they advise that 2025 3rd and 4th round future picks wont hold the same value going forward.
 
Whatever year the changes are brought in clubs will whinge, the biggest issue is why was this not announced in April this year at the latest, don't give me the rubbish you are talking to the clubs, just make a decision clubs will be annoyed fora. week or two and be done with it.

The curve being fixed is way more crucial than the amount of picks being used. I don't blame GC for one second but Read (at pick 9) being matched with two picks in the late 30's should tell you exactly what the issue is! Double the first round point value and you have solved the problem in 3 seconds and before clubs whinge over it's too hard to match a top 5 pick...it should be close to impossible unless you sell your future. I feel the 'compromise' will be the allowing of trading two years of first rounders.
 
The problem with all of this is the AFL are so incompetent that they take ages to fix such basic things - that when they do finally make a decision, clubs say they haven't had enough time to plan.

95% of the fairness issues could have been fixed years ago in about 5 minutes.
You can already see them not organising this before trade period this year 😂
 
It is 100% they are mad that the rort is being pulled back. 100%.

They planned to jump on and get a lick of the ice cream. Knowing full well that pressure to end the rort was building and change was coming.

So what if they traded in a couple of 3rd and 4th rounders. Big deal. Those picks are still valuable to someone.

Keep the points exactly the same for this year for 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks. Then change these next year. But increase the points needed to land first round players and remove the discount. Those picks still do the exact same job and retain value, nothing lost. Clubs just need more of them and need better picks to pay a fair price. Not paying for 1st round talent by using junk picks.

Very easy to make positive change here without removing the advantage of trading in these future picks. Then if the AFL want to go further they advise that 2025 3rd and 4th round future picks wont hold the same value going forward.
I don't think anyone would have an issue with them removing discount this year. It's the suggestion of picks beyond 40 that teams traded for last year becoming worth zero. I doubt Brisbane or Carlton will care needing to find another 3rd/4th rounder to cover the discount for first round talents.

Then prior to this trade period they need to fix the points curve for next year.
 
It is 100% they are mad that the rort is being pulled back. 100%.

They planned to jump on and get a lick of the ice cream. Knowing full well that pressure to end the rort was building and change was coming.

So what if they traded in a couple of 3rd and 4th rounders. Big deal. Those picks are still valuable to someone.

Keep the points exactly the same for this year for 2nd, 3rd and 4th round picks. Then change these next year. But increase the points needed to land first round players and remove the discount. Those picks still do the exact same job and retain value, nothing lost. Clubs just need more of them and need better picks to pay a fair price. Not paying for 1st round talent by using junk picks.

Very easy to make positive change here without removing the advantage of trading in these future picks. Then if the AFL want to go further they advise that 2025 3rd and 4th round future picks wont hold the same value going forward.

Let's just imagine.

You're about to get the car of your dreams. You've been saving for it for a while, you've put down your deposit, and now you're just waiting for delivery.

Then the government jumps in to change the rules and suddenly the price jumps up 20%. Most cars will still be the same price, but this particular make/model will be hit with a new tax. You can probably still afford it, but this change really screws up your budget/planning.

Are you saying you wouldn't be pissed?
 
No sympathy.

Particularly when the "planning" is planning purely to circumvent the current rules.

If clubs didn't exploit the loopholes so brazenly, they wouldn't need to do it.

I agree with the AFL, it needs to be enforced immediately.

A club could hypothetically bring in a Brownlow medalist this year for a package of 4th rounders which they trade out within minutes of the draft opening and back in again when they need it.

It's not good for equalisation and should be fixed straight away, just as the NGA process was changed urgently despite preplanning being completed.

Clubs at the bottom have been copping the brunt of this issue for far too long.

If Brisbane can't afford Ashcroft or Gold Coast can't afford Lombard or Carlton can only afford one of the twins, they play elsewhere.

This is exactly how the system should function.

The fact that Brisbane as a finals sides has been been able to afford the points total for the Ashcroft boys without giving up anything of significance is proof the system is completely stuffed.
 
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Let's just imagine.

You're about to get the car of your dreams. You've been saving for it for a while, you've put down your deposit, and now you're just waiting for delivery.

Then the government jumps in to change the rules and suddenly the price jumps up 20%. Most cars will still be the same price, but this particular make/model will be hit with a new tax. You can probably still afford it, but this change really screws up your budget/planning.

Are you saying you wouldn't be pissed?

It's actually more akin to saving the money via tax fraud via dishonest deductions and then complaining about the increased cost when finally having to pay it.
 
Are you saying you wouldn't be pissed?

Let the clubs pay the discount price and the player will be an unrestricted free agent every time out of contract, or they pay the higher price to avoid that.

Nobody loses on that this year, probably not for three to five years will it even show up again but it means clubs get a look at academy players when they are good and the AFL get to send more picks to the academy clubs if they lose the player.
 
I get why the blues are pissed and can be smoothed over with a one off points top up from current pick value, as it’s unlikely to be the end of the world or materially impact things, depending on where twins end up.

The tigers one is the strange one for me, why on earth did they load up on late picks rather than just trade them last year to Brisbane or GC or Carlton? Why take the risk of holding onto them? They were always going to trade them. There isn’t really a remedy here other than bad luck or bad strategy…
 

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News AFL to overhaul the draft, discuss changes to Academy and FS bid matching

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