AFL to zone entire Northern Territory to North Melbourne

[big_e]

Aside from the father-sons they got cheap. Not sure the priority picks Richmond got back in the day did much for them by the time 2017 rolled around. What assistance did West Coast get? Or Collingwood?

Is this satire?

 

[Elixuh]

Assume this means that once Tas comes in North will be playing games up in the NT in a similar arrangement.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Is this satire?

I assume you must post a lot of satire if you have trouble telling.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Isn't there a Draft?

WTF is with Zones??

 

[Sphynx]

I assume you must post a lot of satire if you have trouble telling.

Judd, Darling and Shuey were all PP's.

So was Alex Rance.

Brett Deledio was technically a PP, his draft selection lives on in the comp, as his FA compensation draft selection was Noah Balta.

So was Scott Pendlebury - I think he's gone alright for them last time I checked.


Some of these "values" for want of a better word can stretch on for decades. If Balta is traded for another top 10 pick in the next 18 months, it's possible to draw a direct line for another 10-15 years to to the priority pick (Pick #1) awarded to Richmond in 2004.

 

[Sphynx]

I had a rough count based on the Footywire lists and ~20-25% of Brisbane's list is from Queensland compared to ~55-60% of North's and WC's lists being from their home state. This is despite Brisbane having priority access to Queensland players and North or WC not.

So far, Brisbane have also only had one top 20 pick from the academy (that wasn't a F/S we would've had access to anyway).

It's all well and good when the the Queensland and NSW are doing well, but once those teams start to struggle then retention becomes an a bigger struggle with a higher proportion of players from interstate.

If we were to get rid of the Northern academies for fairness (which I can see the argument for), then what will these clubs then be given to address the disadvantage of % of list from interstate?

How do you factor in the recruitment of Danniher, Dunkley, Cameron, Neale to this post and their desires to move to Queensland?

You can't have it both ways.

You need to balance player retention with player recruitment.

 

[JasRulz63]

How do you factor in the recruitment of Danniher, Dunkley, Cameron, Neale to this post and their desires to move to Queensland?

You can't have it both ways.

You need to balance player retention with player recruitment.

The issue with being a team from Queensland or NSW is that the way you retain and attract good players is being a good team, as you're usually also trying to attract them away from where they are originally from.

Where were the likes of Dunkley and Daniher deciding to move away from home to Queensland when Brisbane were a struggling side in the early to mid 2010's? Neale joined a Brisbane team that was on the up despite their ladder position, and Cameron came back home.

The nature of the AFL cycle means at some point Brisbane will be back on the way down again, and I suspect will again struggle with retention and recruitment when they're a struggling bottom 4 club.

 

[RonnieRaven]

I agree, honestly. Despite the huge benefit my club gets from the Northern Academy, it'd be more fair if the AFL got off their rear ends and ran it themselves. But they're too lazy or incompetent to do so, and they saddled it on the clubs. And so long as those clubs are responsible for development in the frontier states, they deserve to be rewarded for it.

But what can we as fans do about it? The AFL don't have to listen to us.


This is incorrect, they have always been about generating homegrown players for the northern states to guard against the go home factor.


Except nobody suffers as badly as northern state teams when they're doing poorly. The majority of players come from Victoria and don't have a go home factor when drafted in Victoria. SA and WA produce more talent than NSW or QLD with the same number of AFL clubs. So don't pretend it's equal, it never has been.


Which is more than outweighed by the extra travel factor and lack of games at the ground where the grand final is played. To be fair this applies to all non-Victorian clubs.

Freo have wa born players leaving for the bright lights of Melbourne and our best player going to lions.
We had a similar trajectory to suns in our first 10 years but we didn’t get extra priority picks like suns.
We’ve had 1 father son to play a game for freo in 30 years
Lions have won 3 flags got priority picks academy picks and first rd father son picks since our last priority pick.
And yet you believe you’ve been worse off than freo???
30yrs with no flags is suffering

 

[Sphynx]

The issue with being a team from Queensland or NSW is that the way you retain and attract good players is being a good team, as you're usually also trying to attract them away from where they are originally from.

Where were the likes of Dunkley and Daniher deciding to move away from home to Queensland when Brisbane were a struggling side in the early to mid 2010's? Neale joined a Brisbane team that was on the up despite their ladder position, and Cameron came back home.

The nature of the AFL cycle means at some point Brisbane will be back on the way down again, and I suspect will again struggle with retention and recruitment when they're a struggling bottom 4 club.

Doesn't that apply to every bottom 4 team?

Who has North recruited recently? And lost JHF in the process. McKay was picked off in FA, Zurhaar has a 6 year deal in front by Collingwod etc.

Isn't it as much an issue around ladder position than geographic location?

I don't see players clambering to go to the Eagles and they are the richest team in the comp.


OK so it begs the question, if you become a "good" NSW/QLD team on account of exclusive rights to the NSW and QLD talent pools (as that's their function in your opinion)

Surely you shouldn't be able to double dip in Free Agency or even Trade Week?

How does this possibly make sense?

If you are a great team and by extension have no recruitment problems and player retention issues, surely the rights to the Academy need to be turned off for this period?

Because there aren't retention issues, because they are correlated to ladder position and you have the ability to recruit like anyone else (as we see with Dunkley and Danniher)


It's surely one or the other?

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Judd, Darling and Shuey were all PP's.

So if there weren't priority picks in 2001 Judd would have gone to... West Coast at pick 3. The first three picks would have been exactly the same, it's the next three players that would have gone somewhere else. So Sampi was the guy who West Coast actually gained thanks to priority picks. And we were talking about the last decade, remember? Judd was ancient history at West Coast before the 2018 flag.

End of first round isn't a massive handout, particularly Darling who was pick 26. The entire league had a chance to draft Shuey and Darling and they didn't.

Brett Deledio was technically a PP, his draft selection lives on in the comp, as his FA compensation draft selection was Noah Balta.

Once again, get rid of priority picks that year and Deledio still would have gone to Richmond at pick 1. Tambling was the player they ended up with that they wouldn't have otherwise. But it's a moot point, neither Deledio or Tambling were on Richmond's roster in 2017.

Deledio wasn't a free agent who attracted compensation, he was traded for a future first round pick. Balta wasn't even selected with that pick anyway, Richmond traded down from it 10 spots to select him, they even grabbed Coleman-Jones in the middle. Every other team had a shot at drafting Balta. And he only played in one flag.

So was Scott Pendlebury - I think he's gone alright for them last time I checked.

Pendlebury is a fair example because Collingwood wouldn't have got him without priority picks, but you can't double-dip on this argument - either Pendelbury is the result of a priority pick, or Judd and Deledio are.

Some of these "values" for want of a better word can stretch on for decades. If Balta is traded for another top 10 pick in the next 18 months, it's possible to draw a direct line for another 10-15 years to to the priority pick (Pick #1) awarded to Richmond in 2004.

You can play that game as much as you like, it's irrelevant because clubs would likely have found a way to get up (or down) the order regardless to get the player they want. Balta was not a beginning of first round priority pick, it was certainly not impossible for Richmond to get him without the trade return for Deledio.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Freo have wa born players leaving for the bright lights of Melbourne and our best player going to lions.

This is true, but you also have attracted a lot of talent home. Since you bring up Neale, the trade return on him was used to select a young superstar player, it just worked out poorly. The point is WA produce many superstar players and Freo have shown numerous times that they're capable of attracting them.

We had a similar trajectory to suns in our first 10 years but we didn’t get extra priority picks like suns.

That's a fair point, Freo were set up poorly, but you also had advantages the Suns didn't, like a strong local league. If we're doing a comparison, make it a full comparison. And just like Gold Coast, Freo also made poor decisions with what they were given in the early years.

I'd argue giving an expansion club a hundred draft picks isn't a great idea anyway, as they won't be competitive initially and all the top players might leave right as they come good, which is what happened to Gold Coast.

We’ve had 1 father son to play a game for freo in 30 years

Blame the AFL and their biased rules.

Lions have won 3 flags got priority picks academy picks and first rd father son picks since our last priority pick. And yet you believe you’ve been worse off than freo??? 30yrs with no flags is suffering

If you want to make this a Freo v Lions thing, fine. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall the Lions ever getting a beginning of first round priority pick. But Freo did, in the greatest draft of all time. Whose fault is it that Freo didn't draft and trade well? You gonna hang that on anyone else? You've also had multiple NGA selections including a top 10 pick. And multiple good players wanting to come home.

I think the Lions are far worse off when it comes to being able to keep talent when we're down. While a couple of your WA boys left for Melbourne, the vast majority of them don't up and leave when the going gets tough. That's the difference. And when the Lions are down for an extended period, the financial losses start to accumulate. Running a football club in Queensland isn't the money printing machine that it is in WA.

 

[RonnieRaven]

This is true, but you also have attracted a lot of talent home. Since you bring up Neale, the trade return on him was used to select a young superstar player, it just worked out poorly. The point is WA produce many superstar players and Freo have shown numerous times that they're capable of attracting them.


That's a fair point, Freo were set up poorly, but you also had advantages the Suns didn't, like a strong local league. If we're doing a comparison, make it a full comparison. And just like Gold Coast, Freo also made poor decisions with what they were given in the early years.

I'd argue giving an expansion club a hundred draft picks isn't a great idea anyway, as they won't be competitive initially and all the top players might leave right as they come good, which is what happened to Gold Coast.


Blame the AFL and their biased rules.


If you want to make this a Freo v Lions thing, fine. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't recall the Lions ever getting a beginning of first round priority pick. But Freo did, in the greatest draft of all time. Whose fault is it that Freo didn't draft and trade well? You gonna hang that on anyone else? You've also had multiple NGA selections including a top 10 pick. And multiple good players wanting to come home.

I think the Lions are far worse off when it comes to being able to keep talent when we're down. While a couple of your WA boys left for Melbourne, the vast majority of them don't up and leave when the going gets tough. That's the difference. And when the Lions are down for an extended period, the financial losses start to accumulate. Running a football club in Queensland isn't the money printing machine that it is in WA.

I’ll happily swap your 3 flags for our competition wide first rd priority pick we got 23 yrs ago.
I’m happy for suns to get a bit of help but the bears are older than freo merged with a Victorian club steeped in history and in the top 5 most successful teams in the AFL era.
I support help for the two newest clubs but lions and swans getting any sort of help is a joke

 

[Engimal v3]

We deserve it.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I’ll happily swap your 3 flags for our competition wide first rd priority pick we got 23 yrs ago.

Too bad you can't. Freo have had more than enough time since then to put together a flag-winning team. That they haven't isn't down to them being located in WA and not having a Non-NGA academy. Just look at your neighbours.

I’m happy for suns to get a bit of help but the bears are older than freo merged with a Victorian club steeped in history and in the top 5 most successful teams in the AFL era.

And just emerged from a lost decade where they were running multi-million dollar losses almost every year and had multiple top draft picks leaving.

I support help for the two newest clubs but lions and swans getting any sort of help is a joke

You know teams do well in some periods and terribly in other periods, right? People don't remember because the Swans have been doing well for most of the past 30 years, but the last time they were really struggling, just like the Lions they had huge financial losses and had top draft picks leaving. If you want to create that again and stall the expansion of the game in the Northern states, fine, but don't expect the powers that be to agree, they have too much to lose from it.

 

[RonnieRaven]

Too bad you can't. Freo have had more than enough time since then to put together a flag-winning team. That they haven't isn't down to them being located in WA and not having a Non-NGA academy. Just look at your neighbours.


And just emerged from a lost decade where they were running multi-million dollar losses almost every year and had multiple top draft picks leaving.


You know teams do well in some periods and terribly in other periods, right? People don't remember because the Swans have been doing well for most of the past 30 years, but the last time they were really struggling, just like the Lions they had huge financial losses and had top draft picks leaving. If you want to create that again and stall the expansion of the game in the Northern states, fine, but don't expect the powers that be to agree, they have too much to lose from it.

you’ve hit the nail on the head
Freo are one of only 4 clubs to ave over 40k the past 3 years and one of two without a top 4 finish.
AFL don’t need us to be successful so they won’t help us.
I got in to footy as a kid because I loved the sport.
Now it seams some cheer on the business not the sport

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Doesn't that apply to every bottom 4 team?

Who has North recruited recently? And lost JHF in the process. McKay was picked off in FA, Zurhaar has a 6 year deal in front by Collingwod etc.

Isn't it as much an issue around ladder position than geographic location?

I don't see players clambering to go to the Eagles and they are the richest team in the comp.

That's down to the salary cap, specifically the floor and ceiling. The floor is too high for North to save enough money to make an offer that a big fish can't refuse, and the ceiling is too low for the Eagles to use their riches to dominate. I'd argue the ceiling is helping keep competitive balance and should remain as is, but the floor is acting against competitive balance and should be lowered.

North's problems aren't because they're located in Victoria and West Coast's aren't because they're in WA.

OK so it begs the question, if you become a "good" NSW/QLD team on account of exclusive rights to the NSW and QLD talent pools (as that's their function in your opinion)

Surely you shouldn't be able to double dip in Free Agency or even Trade Week?

How does this possibly make sense?

Why, do good players only come from Queensland and NSW? Need me to spell out which states the last 20 years worth of Brownlow winners were raised in?

If you are a great team and by extension have no recruitment problems and player retention issues, surely the rights to the Academy need to be turned off for this period?

No issues? You're just engaging in hyperbole at this point. Sydney lost good players like Dawson and Aliir. They may yet lose McDonald. So they do have issues with retention.

The trick is they combined their academy haul with good drafting and trading. Chalking it all up to the academy would be nonsensical, and it's certainly not the sole difference between being strong and being weak. North and West Coast are where they are mostly due to poor drafting and trading.

Because there aren't retention issues, because they are correlated to ladder position and you have the ability to recruit like anyone else (as we see with Dunkley and Danniher)


It's surely one or the other?

No, you just want to sulk that someone else is getting something you're not, regardless of what other inherent disadvantages they have.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

you’ve hit the nail on the head
Freo are one of only 4 clubs to ave over 40k the past 3 years and one of two without a top 4 finish.
AFL don’t need us to be successful so they won’t help us.
I got in to footy as a kid because I loved the sport.
Now it seams some cheer on the business not the sport

I want our game to expand and do well, especially in Queensland. I make no apologies for that. Creating more homegrown players is a necessary part of that.

 

[RonnieRaven]

I want our game to expand and do well, especially in Queensland. I make no apologies for that. Creating more homegrown players is a necessary part of that.

I want to watch sport
Let’s agree to disagree
Good luck in your endeavour

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I want to watch sport
Let’s agree to disagree
Good luck in your endeavour

Do you? Then you should feel happy watching your club regardless of whether northern clubs have academies or not.

 

[ApplecrossWC]

You couldn't give me one convincing argument as to why North will still be in the competition in it's current format in another 15 years.

Many a was saying the exact same thing 15 years ago

 

[Tas]

Eventually yes, but we're not there yet. In the women's game Queensland might have achieved parity with WA and SA in terms of the volume of talent generation, but it hasn't happened in the men's game so far, and won't for a long time. Until that happens, I think there's some value to zoning, though the current system is far too generous. Perhaps having a bidding war between the two clubs in Queensland/NSW for talent would ensure a fairer price is paid for talent.

It hasn't happened because the AFL doesn't do enough for junior development, anywhere. The only reason Victoria produces half the players is because the private schools in Victoria hate each other and get a hardon when their school is triumphant in one of the two private school leagues that drives junior development.

Given how much of the revenue the AFL retains, they should be doing a whole lot more than they do.

I don't think it's the reason that it's done, but it is important to not have northern clubs struggling for too long, or it kills off their fanbase and the momentum behind the game expanding. I remember back in 2003-2005 when the Lions were huge and Akermanis had a regular spot on the evening news in Brisbane. Then the Lions struggling for a decade completely killed off the buzz and the footy presence in the media here. It's never risen to the same heights since, though at least we have stars doing endorsement deals once again.

Both Swans and Lions are doing well with the status quo as it is at present. The numbers are elevated though, a huge chunk of any supporter base is fair weather, that will thin out as soon as the going gets tough. I understand the challenges the clubs have in these states, whilst there are only two clubs, the market is congested with NRL clubs and it is the same for the Storm, their numbers aren't fantastic given they have a city of 5m people to get support from.

Whilst I do think it is desirable to have an even competition, I don't think it is acceptable for it to come at the cost of it being a level playing field. Saints are somewhat competitive, but they are ZERO chance of winning a flag with their talent pool. How are they going to be given an equal chance to have success? I'm avoiding using my own club as an example, for obvious reasons.

As to Brisbane, despite the home and away performances, the club hasn't had the same finals buzz and whilst it has a lot of very good players, Neale is probably the only one that is in the same league as the glory days squad, there is no Akermanis, but no Black, Voss, Brown, etc. That side was stacked with exceptional players. I'd be a nervous wreck going into a final and having to hope Daniher and Hipwood kick straight. I think Brisbane has in some part are really strong inr recent times because of how bad the opposition is, part of the reason Geelong has rarely been forced out of the top 8.

Aside from the father-sons they got cheap. Not sure the priority picks Richmond got back in the day did much for them by the time 2017 rolled around. What assistance did West Coast get? Or Collingwood?

Richmond got Deledio with pick 1 priority in 2004, traded him out in 2016 for a first and third round pick prior to their rush of flags. Also got Alex Rance with an end of first round priority pick. West Coast got Darling and Luke Shuey with priority picks.

Collingwood got Dale Thomas in 2006 for their 2010 flag, the PP system was changed in 2012 so it didn't impact their recent flag. Since the 2012 change the priority pick system, access has been restricted significantly and AFL has made rules up on the fly in regard to what kind of assistance and what conditions are on them.

Even if player X or Y wasn't there to lift the cup, they do have a lasting impact, having high quality players around helps to improve the standard of players around them. When they are traded away it usually gives you picks you can use to improve your side, I don't think Cooney or Griffen where there on Grand Final day for the dogs, but if you don't think two #1 priority pick players of that calibre didn't help them getting to that point I think is a stretch.

Have you seen how many players both those teams have lost? Every year there are multiple good players seeking a trade to Victoria. Your club just hasn't benefited because you've been at the wrong end of the table.

Most players who leave don't disappear into the void, GWS in particular have done very well in turning exiting players into good young future talent.

Brisbane used this excuse that they couldn't stop players leaving but as soon as Fagan went there the bleeding stopped and you attracted talent. Players are always going to leave and want to go back to their home state, that loss is an inevitability, as long as it is not excessive... if it is excessive, it is usually the fault of the club itself.

I didn't blame JHF for wanting to go back to SA, our environment was shit. It is on us to fix the environment and I think there have been big improvements over the last few years, there are some players who just don't buy in to what you are doing and for the sake of the club and the player, they need to part way regardless how painful the short-term loss is. If you can't get everyone on the same page you are just wasting valuable time.

 

[MelbourneGWS]

The plan for Hawthorn is apparently Cairns. They already have a multi year deal to have a community camp and play an AFLW game at Cazaly’s Stadium each season. AFL Cairns have expressed a desire to get the men’s team playing there from 2026 (after their current Tassie deal expires).

wouldn’t it be better for Gold Coast to play the 2 games they are currently playing in Darwin, in Cairns? Yes, there is a difference in culture between North Queensland and Gold Coast, but won’t NQ have more in common with fellow Queenslanders than a Victorian team?

 

[geelong_crazy26]

The issue with being a team from Queensland or NSW is that the way you retain and attract good players is being a good team, as you're usually also trying to attract them away from where they are originally from.

Where were the likes of Dunkley and Daniher deciding to move away from home to Queensland when Brisbane were a struggling side in the early to mid 2010's? Neale joined a Brisbane team that was on the up despite their ladder position, and Cameron came back home.

The nature of the AFL cycle means at some point Brisbane will be back on the way down again, and I suspect will again struggle with retention and recruitment when they're a struggling bottom 4 club.

Which is the case for most bottom clubs, not exclusively brisbane.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

It hasn't happened because the AFL doesn't do enough for junior development, anywhere. The only reason Victoria produces half the players is because the private schools in Victoria hate each other and get a hardon when their school is triumphant in one of the two private school leagues that drives junior development.

Victoria was producing a lot of talent long before the private schools competitions became dominant.

Given how much of the revenue the AFL retains, they should be doing a whole lot more than they do.

I agree.

Both Swans and Lions are doing well with the status quo as it is at present. The numbers are elevated though, a huge chunk of any supporter base is fair weather, that will thin out as soon as the going gets tough. I understand the challenges the clubs have in these states, whilst there are only two clubs, the market is congested with NRL clubs and it is the same for the Storm, their numbers aren't fantastic given they have a city of 5m people to get support from.

You're correct to say it will thin out massively. The Swans have just been both good and fortunate for a very long time. But it won't last forever, and the crowds will crash, as it did for the Lions in the 2010s.

Whilst I do think it is desirable to have an even competition, I don't think it is acceptable for it to come at the cost of it being a level playing field. Saints are somewhat competitive, but they are ZERO chance of winning a flag with their talent pool. How are they going to be given an equal chance to have success? I'm avoiding using my own club as an example, for obvious reasons.

The Saints are where they are primarily because of drafting and trading and developing badly. They made many drafting decisions that are terrible in hindsight, like McCartin over Petracca, Billings over Bontempelli and Coffield over Naughton. Any club that makes a lot of mistakes like that will find it tough.

If they're zero chance of winning the flag with their talent pool, they should have realised this earlier and bottomed out instead of trading valuable draft picks for someone like Brad Hill who was in his prime. I'll give them a pass on Dougal Howard since he was a good young player at the time, but they've ended up wasting his prime because they didn't surround him with good enough players, which is down to not developing their draft picks well enough. Clark and King are both talented players but don't really look like they'll reach their potential at St Kilda. Let's hope things turn around and Phillipou doesn't follow a similar path.

As to Brisbane, despite the home and away performances, the club hasn't had the same finals buzz and whilst it has a lot of very good players, Neale is probably the only one that is in the same league as the glory days squad, there is no Akermanis, but no Black, Voss, Brown, etc. That side was stacked with exceptional players. I'd be a nervous wreck going into a final and having to hope Daniher and Hipwood kick straight. I think Brisbane has in some part are really strong inr recent times because of how bad the opposition is, part of the reason Geelong has rarely been forced out of the top 8.

I would agree with most of this, though I'd say Brisbane have also played some exceptional games in that span too. The likes of the three-peat side probably won't ever be seen again, and the current side certainly are nowhere near as good outside of Neale. Luckily Ashcroft's kids are coming in and we continue to draft and trade well so we should be competitive for several more years and the crowds will hopefully remain strong leading up to the Olympics when everything will be chaotic.

Richmond got Deledio with pick 1 priority in 2004, traded him out in 2016 for a first and third round pick prior to their rush of flags.

As I've said above, if start of first round priority picks didn't exist, Richmond would have still had pick 1 and drafted Deledio. Tambling was the player they wouldn't have drafted without priority picks being a thing.

They didn't get to use any of the picks until after the first flag, and when they did, they traded down to select Balta, who every other club had the ability to draft first. The only flag Balta played in was 2020 where he got 12 disposals and no goals in the GF. So I think it's fair to say the start of first round priority pick had no real bearing on Richmond's flag wins no matter which player one believes they truly got from it.

Also got Alex Rance with an end of first round priority pick. West Coast got Darling and Luke Shuey with priority picks.

I don't have a problem with end of first round priority picks if a team is really struggling for an extended period. If every team has the opportunity to select someone (or trade their selection for value) before a priority pick comes in, to me that's acceptable. Whether you agree with that or not, I'm sure you'd agree it skews the draft a lot less than a start of first round priority pick, which was the real screw up. I can understand why they brought it back in 2019 to save the failing Suns, but that should never happen again for anyone, it's too powerful.

Collingwood got Dale Thomas in 2006 for their 2010 flag,

As above, they would have got the second pick regardless and used it on him, but I'll accept that they got Pendlebury that way. I was more thinking about 2023 since the post was talking about the past decade, but Pendlebury did well in that game too. Although I reckon the Pies still would have won the game without him, Brisbane were lucky to kick relatively straight.

Even if player X or Y wasn't there to lift the cup, they do have a lasting impact, having high quality players around helps to improve the standard of players around them.

Franklin and Pendlebury, yes. Tambling and Sampi, I doubt it.

When they are traded away it usually gives you picks you can use to improve your side, I don't think Cooney or Griffen where there on Grand Final day for the dogs, but if you don't think two #1 priority pick players of that calibre didn't help them getting to that point I think is a stretch.

I know I'm repeating myself a lot here, but again, those players would have still gone to the Dogs without priority picks being in place. Substitute Farren Ray and Tom Williams for those names and the point doesn't hit anywhere near as well.

Most players who leave don't disappear into the void, GWS in particular have done very well in turning exiting players into good young future talent.

Sometimes. But they also lost a lot of players and turned the resulting picks into players who all left in turn, like Aiden Bonar, Jackson Hately, Jye Caldwell (who they ironically had to sell back to the same club they got the pick to draft him from), Bobby Hill and Tanner Bruhn. Most of them had to be sold for cents on the dollar (or nothing in Hately's case), partly because some of them were poor players, but in all cases GWS had no leverage. The point is the draft is a gamble after the first few picks. Ask any GWS fan if they'd rather have Jeremy Cameron and Bobby Hill or the picks they got for trading out those players, I'm sure you know the answer already.

Brisbane used this excuse that they couldn't stop players leaving but as soon as Fagan went there the bleeding stopped and you attracted talent. Players are always going to leave and want to go back to their home state, that loss is an inevitability, as long as it is not excessive... if it is excessive, it is usually the fault of the club itself.

All teams can attract players when they do well. The key is how many want to leave when they're not doing well. When most of your playing list is from another state, there ends up being a lot of good players wanting to move back home. Unless you're a Victorian club, who all have mostly Victorian lists. All clubs go through poor periods no matter how good their management is, but the amount that it costs them is different based on where they are and how much talent their state produces. That's the inequality. That's the problem.

I didn't blame JHF for wanting to go back to SA, our environment was shit. It is on us to fix the environment and I think there have been big improvements over the last few years, there are some players who just don't buy in to what you are doing and for the sake of the club and the player, they need to part way regardless how painful the short-term loss is. If you can't get everyone on the same page you are just wasting valuable time.

Okay, that sets you apart from many other North fans then. But if North wanted to avoid that situation in future by not drafting players from other states with high picks, they can afford to do that. Teams in other states usually can't. And if northern academies didn't exist, NSW and Qld teams certainly couldn't.

 

[JasRulz63]

Which is the case for most bottom clubs, not exclusively brisbane.

Most teams can at least take a few of their first round picks from their home state when they are struggling to mitigate some of that go home risk. It was hard for Brisbane to do when they were struggling because the Queensland talent wasn't there. To be honest, with only one top 20 pick taken as a result of the Brisbane academy, it's still not there.

It's not an accident that Geelong have similar number of players from the Geelong Falcons as Brisbane have from the state of Queensland. There's an inherent advantage of having more local players on your list.