The likely move of the four SA and WA teams into the AFL probably in 2025 provides the AFL with an opportunity to reduce some of the inequities in the competition that currently exist.
The reserves teams together will hopefully be able to have full access to anyone in their state - as well as players from other states as well - the only restriction being a possible salary cap for those non AFL players on the list.
For the SA and WA teams this plan would see their respective states broken up between the two clubs with 4 of the city and country zones in each state given over to each of the AFL teams. Each of the AFL clubs would be expected to develop talent within their zones in partnership with SANFL and WAFL sides. In return each of the AFL sides would have first call on local players from their respective areas, in the first and second rounds of the national draft unless players from those zones specifically nominated to go into the open draft instead. The players, similar to those in the northern academies, would have a bidding system employed if other clubs were prepared to make a bid on those players in these rounds.
The Victorian clubs could also have their state divided up into city and country zones (10 teams for 6.6m people - meaning 660,000 for each club). They could also be given the opportunity to pick up a player from their zone from the first round of the national draft - under the same conditions as the SA and WA clubs to provide some form of compensation and compromise with these VFL teams.
One of the objectives of allocating specific areas to clubs around Australia, would be more the money, time and effort spent by the clubs developing talent in their respective states. The clubs would actually gain some benefit from developing talent within their zones and plan accordingly
NSW and QLD would continue to have their academies to ensure that the game grows in their respective states, but eventually it would be hoped that the north Queensland, Northern Territory and maybe even northern WA areas could be assimilated into a team playing out of Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs , making a 20 team national competition, with the impending entry of Tasmania.
It would be easy to criticize such an initiative, and it can tweaked in manner of ways, but something needs to be done to redress the serious imbalance which now exists for teams like the crows, Eagles, Power and Freo compared with the Victorian teams and some aspects of the other interstate rivals with their own academies. There has been few interstate premiers since 2005 and particularly when non Victorian teams are pitted against their Victorian rivals. Something needs to be done to even up the competition for SA and WA teams in particular.
The reserves teams together will hopefully be able to have full access to anyone in their state - as well as players from other states as well - the only restriction being a possible salary cap for those non AFL players on the list.
For the SA and WA teams this plan would see their respective states broken up between the two clubs with 4 of the city and country zones in each state given over to each of the AFL teams. Each of the AFL clubs would be expected to develop talent within their zones in partnership with SANFL and WAFL sides. In return each of the AFL sides would have first call on local players from their respective areas, in the first and second rounds of the national draft unless players from those zones specifically nominated to go into the open draft instead. The players, similar to those in the northern academies, would have a bidding system employed if other clubs were prepared to make a bid on those players in these rounds.
The Victorian clubs could also have their state divided up into city and country zones (10 teams for 6.6m people - meaning 660,000 for each club). They could also be given the opportunity to pick up a player from their zone from the first round of the national draft - under the same conditions as the SA and WA clubs to provide some form of compensation and compromise with these VFL teams.
One of the objectives of allocating specific areas to clubs around Australia, would be more the money, time and effort spent by the clubs developing talent in their respective states. The clubs would actually gain some benefit from developing talent within their zones and plan accordingly
NSW and QLD would continue to have their academies to ensure that the game grows in their respective states, but eventually it would be hoped that the north Queensland, Northern Territory and maybe even northern WA areas could be assimilated into a team playing out of Cairns, Darwin and Alice Springs , making a 20 team national competition, with the impending entry of Tasmania.
It would be easy to criticize such an initiative, and it can tweaked in manner of ways, but something needs to be done to redress the serious imbalance which now exists for teams like the crows, Eagles, Power and Freo compared with the Victorian teams and some aspects of the other interstate rivals with their own academies. There has been few interstate premiers since 2005 and particularly when non Victorian teams are pitted against their Victorian rivals. Something needs to be done to even up the competition for SA and WA teams in particular.
