Tanking Is Here..Bring In The Lottery!!

[Oxygeneral]

Seriously, our draft system is flawed. It just does not work and it encourages mediocrity. Why on Earth would Richmond want to win another game this year if it means getting some rewards. Don't give me that 'we always play to win' line, I will throw up like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
I really believe it's time we have the Lottery like they do in the States. I reckon it would be fun. I would do it for the first round, though. The way it works is if for example Richmond finish last, 16 balls would go in the barrel with number 16 on it, Melbourne would have 15 balls with number 15 on it and it would have Geelong only having 1 ball with number 1 on it.
The thing is that ball number 1 could be the first pick, but then the next four balls would be 16. Something like that anyway.
I would also bring in free agency and a mid season draft so guys like Jason Cloke, Lance Picaone, Ty Zantuck and Steven Greene aren't lost to the system forever.

 

[Austin_McCrabbs]

Seriously, our draft system is flawed. It just does not work and it encourages mediocrity. Why on Earth would Richmond want to win another game this year if it means getting some rewards. Don't give me that 'we always play to win' line, I will throw up like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
I really believe it's time we have the Lottery like they do in the States. I reckon it would be fun. I would do it for the first round, though. The way it works is if for example Richmond finish last, 16 balls would go in the barrel with number 16 on it, Melbourne would have 15 balls with number 15 on it and it would have Geelong only having 1 ball with number 1 on it.
The thing is that ball number 1 could be the first pick, but then the next four balls would be 16. Something like that anyway.
I would also bring in free agency and a mid season draft so guys like Jason Cloke, Lance Picaone, Ty Zantuck and Steven Greene aren't lost to the system forever.

I don't think the above players mentioned are the best advertisement in promoting the benefits of a reintroduction to the mid-season draft.

 

[Oxygeneral]

Fair call, Austin! Cloke still might get a gig, but the other three were about as useless as an ejector seat in a helicopter.

I don't think the above players mentioned are the best advertisement in promoting the benefits of a reintroduction to the mid-season draft.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

Agree.

Its not even necessarily a question of the likes of Carlton and Richmond saying 'gee we better not win' its just the disincentive of draft picks stops sustained appalling results from creating any real sting.

The current draft system only works where there are clubs with sufficient pride and professionalism to refuse to accept multiple awful seasons. At the moment, there are several sides which are quite happy to do nothing to help themselves, and sit back and suck for the best part of a decade until the draft picks work themselves.

Got nothing against their club or their supporters, but Carlton are a deadset disgrace to this league at present- put simply, losing doesn't seem to hurt anymore. They've gone from a club who prided itself on never having won a spoon to one which looks like it would be quite happy to compile a whole dinner set if it means the AFL will eventually restock their team out of sheer charity.

The idea that a club like that is eventually going to experience success to the detriment of sides who worked hard to get off the canvas as quickly as possible, is a pretty distasteful one.

 

[Seethus]

Fair call, Austin! Cloke still might get a gig, but the other three were about as useless as an ejector seat in a helicopter.

I think bottom teams shouldnt be rewarded at all for playing crap. sure they can get money, but they shouldnt get automatic draft gold.
Also id hate to be a highly ranked player, doomed to play at Richmond or Carlton

 

[RICHO: A GOD AMONGST MEN]

If you were going the lottery approach, surely you'd limit the first picks to those teams outside the 8. Imagine the uproar if, fresh from winning the premiership in a canter, the Cats then were lucky enough to land the number one pick as well! Bugger that.

But I agree something has to be done.

Personally I'd like to see a greater reward for effort. For example, maybe they could make it that the last, say, four rounds of the season are used to determine which of the bottom sides get the best picks, ie. the better you perform, the better picks you receive. Now obviously there'd have to be some kind of weighting system in place to factor in who you were playing and where, but I'm sure they could come up with something.

Imagine actually cheering your side on to win in the final rounds, with the reward of greater draft picks for those that do so. That round 22 clash between the Blues and the Dees would suddenly become something really worth watching.

 

[CF]

Everyone but the AFL agrees that Draft picks should be position 9-16 get picks 1-8, and then postion 8-1 gets picks 9-16. You could still give priority picks if teams finish bottom 2 years in a row. But this system rewards the teams having a crack and just need a couple of good players to push into the 8.

 

[Dylan82]

Simply make a rule where if a club wins less than 15 matches over a period of 3 consecutive seasons then their AFL license is revoked.


You would see a lot less blatant tanking with something like in the picture.

 

[Cruiserweight Champ]

The draft lottery alas NBA is the best method...the lower you finish on the ladder the better the chance of obtaining the lucrative number one pick...it shouldnt just be handed to you cos you finish last.

 

[Spadge]

while i also agree that the drafting system is shit and its better off for carlton, richmond and melbourne to lose games but...im sick of people using the term "tanking" when the more likely scenario is that these teams are poo and arent actually capable of playing decent footy

the term "tanking" is a copout used to for supporters of these teams to feel better about themselves

 

[The Mongrel Punt]

I agree, but limit the lottery to only the teams not playing finals. You'd hate to see the system backfire entirely and have the premiers beating the odds and getting the #1 pick.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

Personally I'd like to see a greater reward for effort. For example, maybe they could make it that the last, say, four rounds of the season are used to determine which of the bottom sides get the best picks, ie. the better you perform, the better picks you receive. Now obviously there'd have to be some kind of weighting system in place to factor in who you were playing and where, but I'm sure they could come up with something.

Imagine actually cheering your side on to win in the final rounds, with the reward of greater draft picks for those that do so. That round 22 clash between the Blues and the Dees would suddenly become something really worth watching.

Interesting idea, one thing which could make that work easier is from Rd 11 onwards rank the bottom 8 on head to head and percentage against other bottom 8 sides (as of the end of the year)

So in other words, if a bottom 8 side is down there because every good team in the league has beaten them comprehensively, but they've got a good record against the other cellar dwellers, that rates them higher in the draft
than a comparable side which has lain down for all and sundry?

Would make things like last years Bryce Gibbs Cup games which teams would actually be desperate to win.

 

[scarecrow2k1]

Why would we tank? We can win another 2 games and the ladder stays the same, its Carlton who cant afford to win one

 

[baconb]

Its funny when you teams are doing bad you are all high and mighty but as soon as any other team does bad you write us off... sure we need to have a different system just give us a fair go guys please

 

[Herbs]

Agree with a lottery, but only for the bottom 4, maybe 6, but preferably 4.

 

[yeah-nah]

Seriously, our draft system is flawed. It just does not work and it encourages mediocrity.

Fans of teams about to finish 9th post this every year. Im sure Richmond feel your pain.

 

[rocketmac360]

Everyone but the AFL agrees that Draft picks should be position 9-16 get picks 1-8, and then postion 8-1 gets picks 9-16. You could still give priority picks if teams finish bottom 2 years in a row. But this system rewards the teams having a crack and just need a couple of good players to push into the 8.

I don't agree at all, in fact i think it's a stupid idea.

As mentioned before they should have a lottery for the teams that finished 9th to 16th. The lower the team is is, the more balls they get.

The lottery worked great in the NBA this year, Boston tanked their way to second last only to get the fifth pick.

 

[yeah-nah]

The lottery worked great in the NBA this year, Boston tanked their way to second last only to get the fifth pick.

Which is proof that a lottery system doesnt stop tanking.

 

[greennick]

Fair call, Austin! Cloke still might get a gig, but the other three were about as useless as an ejector seat in a helicopter.

They have ejector seats in some helicopters.

 

[greennick]

Seriously, our draft system is flawed. It just does not work and it encourages mediocrity. Why on Earth would Richmond want to win another game this year if it means getting some rewards. Don't give me that 'we always play to win' line, I will throw up like Linda Blair in The Exorcist.
I really believe it's time we have the Lottery like they do in the States. I reckon it would be fun. I would do it for the first round, though. The way it works is if for example Richmond finish last, 16 balls would go in the barrel with number 16 on it, Melbourne would have 15 balls with number 15 on it and it would have Geelong only having 1 ball with number 1 on it.
The thing is that ball number 1 could be the first pick, but then the next four balls would be 16. Something like that anyway.
I would also bring in free agency and a mid season draft so guys like Jason Cloke, Lance Picaone, Ty Zantuck and Steven Greene aren't lost to the system forever.

I wouldn't have used Richmond as an example. They can win a fair few more games and still be dead last. Carlton are the ones who would be tanking. That is probably why they won't sack Pagan till at least after the season is over. Wouldn't want to risk the new coach curse.

 

[telsor]

Doesn't matter if teams are or aren't tanking.

The common perception that they are damages the competition.

 

[liz]

Forget the lottery - just rotate the top couple of round draft picks so that all clubs get even access to the cream of the talent over the long term. Then it really will be up to teams to identify - and develop - talent from all reaches of the draft to sustain success. The cap will still prevent clubs stockpiling talent.

If we want to give the lower finishing clubs a leg-up, give them more early picks in the pre-season draft to encourage them to pick up some experienced talent cheaply to bolster their lists and get rid of the ridiculous situation of clubs being uncompetitive because their lists resemble u19 teams.

 

[thejester]

The draft system is fine. I pose the question: what happens if a team finishes last not because they tanked but because they are genuinley woeful? This system has the potential to keep teams in a forced cycle of 'mediocrity', to bring out the buzz word that everyone is so keen on. With absolutely no proof that teams deliberately tank, I don't see any reason why the draft system should be changed.

 

[peternorth]

Question: when did tanking start? Im pretty sure it wasn't around in the 90s.

 

[W. Smithers]

The draft lottery alas NBA is the best method...the lower you finish on the ladder the better the chance of obtaining the lucrative number one pick...it shouldnt just be handed to you cos you finish last.

You still have a good chance of getting number 1 in the NBA if you finish last. The Cavs tanked to get LeBron James.