My opinion on the AFL.....is that I actually do not like it. Although my last few posts may appear to suggest otherwise, it is just a relic of the fact that I have been following the swans for so long (and hate the eagles so much) that I felt a need to comment. I do however love aussie rules football.
Let me expand. The AFL decided at some point that all teams should have equal opportunities and the comp should be run so that each team will win the premiership once every twenty years or so. What they have achieved, is that now the AFL represents nothing to anybody except for jumper colours. The draft system now means that all clubs are no longer required to do anything! no player development....no community assistance and no need to even win games anymore. Just come last and watch all the great kids roll in to the club next year. This means that the clubs are no longer community based like they used to be, in fact, very few players actually play for the club where they grew up and so the result is that somebody who supports Fremantle for instance is just following a bunch of blokes wearing Freo colours who come from Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, etc. What is the bloody point.
My suggestion - The first two picks for each club in the draft must come from your zone or local area and these 'zone draftees' would be excluded from the salary cap for as long as they remain at the club. By doing this the clubs would start to invest again in the grassroots game to make sure that there zone produces the best juniors. The teams would again be made up predominantly of players that actually represent the teams zone. If players are worthy of a pay rise, they will receive it to keep them at their club to not disadvantage the individuals.
Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome.
posted by Spud Mack @ 12:40 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Yeah. I agree with where you're heading on this, Spud.
The draft is for whusses. I don't mind a bit of dominance, given the most popular teams are the ones most likely to dominate.
The only problem with this logic is if that were to happen, the Eagles and Dockers would win every year, and where would that leave grassroots supporters of, say, Footscray or the Kangaroos.
Still, who really cares about them anyway?
My only tweaking to your suggestion about forcing clubs to pick 2 locals would be to make it less prescriptive. Why not encourage clubs to pick locals instead by discounting local player picks by 5 draft places?
Only problem there I spose is you start squabbling about district boundaries.
That's why I like the father-son rule. 100 games by dad at a club and that club can over-ride draft to pick son.
Well too much dominance shouldn't happen because if an area was to produce say 5 superstars in the one year, then they still only get the top two, with the remaining three up for grabs to the likes of the bullies and tigers, etc.
I just feel the way it is now has taken the passion out of the game and the community they represent. It is too much like the NFL and NBA.
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