St Kilda President Andrew Bassat tees off on the AFL draft system, specifically father/son and the Northern Academies

[Lavender Bushranger]

To be fair, while a lot gets made of Geelong's successes with F/S (Hawkins, Scarlett, Ablett), we've also taken the punt on a lot of father/sons that actually weren't very good. In fact, basically all of them since Hawkins have not been highly touted juniors, and we have picked them up more because of who their father was rather than because of the player the son is.

Guys like Bews, S. Simpson, Brownless, Riccardi were kids we picked up who probably wouldn't have been drafted by us, or maybe anyone, if not for who their dads were. We would have loved these players to come good (and Bews sort of did in his role) because of the story of it, and that's perhaps why they get picked. There are definitely some big advantages to it when you pick up the guns, but not every son of a superstar is also one, but it seems my club at least still feels a bit of an obligation to give them a go.

Do you think clubs should be forced to Draft these guys?

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

No amount of under the table brown paper bags from Allen is going to entice decent players down to St Kilda.

But that's why the AFL introduced an uncompromised Draft and Salary Cap system to ensure the equalisation and integrity of the competition.

Oh wait...

 

[Sully111]

I like the Saints though and want them to do well and see success. But they continually let themselves down at every level of the organisation. When is the last time the Saints had serious people running and operating the joint? When is the last time the Saints were a serious organisation?

Your president is getting up at the B&F telling the players they're the scraps and telling anecdotes about going up to AFL Commissioners on grand final day.

View attachment 2128588

Yeah, if only we had a president that knew how to run a successful organisation.

 

[sydney_gws]

Correct
It ain’t hard pay full price
For anyone whingeing about St Kilda stuff ups - the prez stated we’ve been our own worst enemy
Doesn’t change the fact the system is cooked

It should have changed, at least on an interim basis for 2024. It didn't because of Richmond, Carlton and to a lesser degree Brisbane. Did it go to a vote?

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

The irony is so many responses to Bassat's comments are proving him very right.

It's clear quite a few think we should just shut up, cop it and keep making up the numbers in AFL.

Footy classisim rears it's head as usual

 

[Supersuns]

Either you have equalisation or you don't. You guys want an EPL style free-for-all where only a few clubs can win a flag? The more of this crap you put in, the more it moves towards that.

Every club bar Gold Coast has had a grand final appearance in the last 25 years. So you're right we need more equalisation for us!!

 

[SeaOfFire]

The irony is so many responses to Bassat's comments are proving him very right.

It's clear quite a few think we should just shut up, cop it and improve our organisation from within to achieve better on-field results.

Footy classisim rears it's head as usual

FTFY

 

[wannabewinner]

That speech was a bit incoherent.

But I agree that the father son rule is a joke. I have still never heard a good argument for it to exist.

You know everyone hates it when the other team gets it and loves it when one’s own team gets it.

I think there shouldn’t be any discount or the rule should not exist.

It would apply to all teams including my own.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

FTFY

He actually addressed that.
You like so many clearly didn't listen to his entire speech and not the small grab.

 

[Elixuh]

your totally right, its just an attitude problem. not fairness or fixture issue. Once we have the right attitude the cheap F/S and preferential fixturing will come our way. it's gonna be glorious when we have such a good attitude that they stop sending us to Kardinia park

‘We can’t win a flag because of the fixturing’. Every excuse under the books being thrown out by the mighty sainters.

The lions had the worst fixture of any club this season - 3x SA and 2x WA - and won the flag. You play 17 odd games a season with no travel. Ffs how much more do you want?

 

[mpal6]

Agitating in the manner the prez did is exactly what his job is - he’s done the behind closed doors stuff and has been all year
The rest is dribble btw and off topic
Want the top FS picks ???? Awesome … pay up or don’t get them it’s that simple
Academies? - AFL run, give us all access no more freebies you lot have had enough premiership handouts …time to stand up in QLD on your own

Shows how much you understand about being an AFL club in NRL land. There is no grassroot level AFL establishment to create opportunities or jobs like coaching, training etc. Gold Coast is starting to change but in Brisbane and far north QLD there are private school boards who have blocked playing AFL as a sport in their school system. Until you see broader changes in the way AFL has penetrated into the state, the inequality will continue to exist and there will be a reliance for QLD based clubs to source talent from Victoria.

I'd say our academy - even though it's not doing a stellar job so far in terms of identifying good talent early like Gold Coast have done so far - has been helping us to level the playing field slowly and build our list out with more QLD focused talent like Andrews (pick 61), Hipwood (14), Coleman (undrafted 18 yo, anyone could've taken him in that draft), Reville (drafted as 22 yo), Payne (pick 54) and so on.

Gold Coast this year and possibly in the next 2 years have talent coming through their ranks where they can't draft all of them. That's how you change the system rather than having a mindless go at academy and rambling about "stand up on your own".

 

[BurnUp]

Something being unique doesn't make it good, maybe it is worth asking why the AFL is the only league that thinks it makes sense?

It is a shit rule.

Nah you're a whiney little sook.

The AFL isn't the uber serious competition you think it is. It's entertainment. Father/Son picks add to the spectacle and emotional investment. Cry about it you boring sook.

 

[BurnUp]

Question....

If Father-Sons are so inconsequential and irrelevant to a teams success - why do clubs want them?

Is it just for the joy of it?

And if it is, why do they just want the good Father-Sons, and not the hopeless ones?

Surely the joy would be the same?

Lol sooky sooky sook sook still getting all worked up about this.

Father Sons add to the spectacle of the game, sook. It's exciting to see the son of a past footballer continue the family legacy. You can cry all you want about muh fairness all you like, you just don't get it. You're the type looking to get mad about anything

 

[Teflon]

Shows how much you understand about being an AFL club in NRL land. There is no grassroot level AFL establishment to create opportunities or jobs like coaching, training etc. Gold Coast is starting to change but in Brisbane and far north QLD there are private school boards who have blocked playing AFL as a sport in their school system. Until you see broader changes in the way AFL has penetrated into the state, the inequality will continue to exist and there will be a reliance for QLD based clubs to source talent from Victoria.

I'd say our academy - even though it's not doing a stellar job so far in terms of identifying good talent early like Gold Coast have done so far - has been helping us to level the playing field slowly and build our list out with more QLD focused talent like Andrews (pick 61), Hipwood (14), Coleman (undrafted 18 yo, anyone could've taken him in that draft), Reville (drafted as 22 yo), Payne (pick 54) and so on.

Gold Coast this year and possibly in the next 2 years have talent coming through their ranks where they can't draft all of them. That's how you change the system rather than having a mindless go at academy and rambling about "stand up on your own".

We’ve been in Sydney funding it for how long …at what point does that model work or is deemed unable to stand on its own?
Academia can still exist - open them up allow the AFL management of them
Lions are a hit ticket right now or are you saying it’s only the benefits keep you afloat ??
Doesn’t sound sustainable…..in. “Fitzroy” kind of way (who ironically had backers and at the time were more solvent than Carlton….) but the VFL / AFL didn’t want that ….manufactured

 

[Verdun]

Interesting read this thread. Most posters choose to ignore the points raised by Bassat and take the opportunity to lay the boot into the Saints....whatever floats your boat I spose.

I supported Brisbane in the GF mainly due to the Tasmanian connection with Fagan, reading some of their supporters on here not showing a great deal of humility.

Maybe just enjoy the win and stop bringing your club down.

The Saints are now in a solid position with a good list and admin, personally pleased the President is proactive and not just accepting of the status quo.

 

[mpal6]

We’ve been in Sydney funding it for how long …at what point does that model work or is deemed unable to stand on its own?
Academia can still exist - open them up allow the AFL management of them
Lions are a hit ticket right now or are you saying it’s only the benefits keep you afloat ??
Doesn’t sound sustainable…..in. “Fitzroy” kind of way (who ironically had backers and at the time were more solvent than Carlton….) but the VFL / AFL didn’t want that ….manufactured

Model needs to be maintained or continued for AFL as it directly correlates to their media contracts. You need the clubs across all states for 7/fox to cough up $4.5 Billion in TV rights.

To be fair, Sydney was happy to withdraw from national draft and get their players exclusively from NSW as far back as 2009/10. Their model is starting to sustain now and they had so much faith in finding talent via academy pathway that they said happy to draft exclusively from NSW. AFL blocked it.

Swans had plan to pull out of draft

Sydney would have completely withdrawn from the national draft and started recruiting exclusively from New South Wales under a radical proposal put to the AFL.

www.theage.com.au

Lions had a combination of mismanagement and poor planning post three-peat in the last 20 years. Our training facility / gym used to be the dump under Gabba or the open ground at Giffin park - https://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/giffin-park.

We've come a long way since then and able to cash in far more shrewdly in our current window starting from 2019. Built our $80m springfield training base in 2022 - thanks to Ipswich council, state and federal funding. It helps us provide comparable facilities on par with other clubs and able to attract talent in a more even playing field. I believe we'll make a good dent on our $3 mil deficit in the next few years and move towards being solvent on our own.

 

[Elixuh]

Interesting read this thread. Most posters choose to ignore the points raised by Bassat and take the opportunity to lay the boot into the Saints....whatever floats your boat I spose.

I supported Brisbane in the GF mainly due to the Tasmanian connection with Fagan, reading some of their supporters on here not showing a great deal of humility.

Maybe just enjoy the win and stop bringing your club down.

The Saints are now in a solid position with a good list and admin, personally pleased the President is proactive and not just accepting of the status quo.

Most non-vfl teams are just sick of the same tired routine. We sit back and watch over decades as the VFL clubs are advantaged by these rules far and above any non-vfl team.

As soon as a non-vfl team gets a lick of the ice cream a club like St Kilda comes out and is critical of it. It’s a tired routine. Where were these criticisms when teams like the Pies and Doggies were getting F/S year on year?

What Bassat is upset about is St Kilda being a small club doesn’t get the same advantages as the big VFL clubs and wants a lick of that ice cream. But he can’t outright say that so just a waits until a non-vfl club is advantaged by a rule and tees off. It’s pathetic.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Correct
It ain’t hard pay full price
For anyone whingeing about St Kilda stuff ups - the prez stated we’ve been our own worst enemy
Doesn’t change the fact the system is cooked

Even if you pay full price - why should a club get to jump the queue to be able to get that player?

It defeats the whole purpose of the Draft.


The other issue I have with the Father-Son rule is, who is it trying to make happy?

Is it the player? The player's family? If so, that's just outrageous. No kid gets to choose which club they go to. It defeats the entire point of the Draft.

Is to make the fans happy? Which fans???
Peter Moore played his last game for Collingwood in 1982 FFS!

No fan under the age of 32 when Darcy Moore was drafted was even born when Peter last played for Collingwood!!

You're basically completely rooting the integrity of the Draft and the comp to make a bunch of 50 year old tragic fans happy.

It's just so bizarre.

Honestly, the most bizarre thing about it is that some people think it's a great idea. I just can't wrap my head around it.