By Michael C
November 18th 2008 @ 1:55am
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Drafts, equalisation and that AFL back door
Saturday, November 29 is AFL Draft Day. To some on The Roar, the combination of the AFL draft and the AFL salary cap is the embodiment of “manufactured” and “contrived” evenness in a regional, provincial and inconsequential sport. They may be right.
Although, like a lot of topics, it probably depends upon your point of view.
Certain aspects of this process are forced by the AFL rules.
For example, at this point, all clubs must have a maximum of 35 players on their list. This forces engagement in the draft at a satisfactory level and ensures, at very least, a perception of draft opportunities for a broader range of potential draftees.
It is not entirely unusual for AFL clubs to be forced to delete a player from their list, only to re-draft him. That sometimes just seems to cause more stress than is entirely necessary.
At any rate, the story published in Fairfax media about Daniel McAlister is interesting.
He is a Kiwi who moved to Tassie aged twelve. He came first to Australian football as a boundary umpire, then finally took up the game and excelled.
He was drafted to Essendon in the 1996 draft.
As it turned out, Essendon was entering a “premiership window” and McAlister managed just six games in six years. His story includes an unexpected debut, badly timed injuries, and personal growth via time spent on the fringe – including on the fringe of the 2000 Premiership.
He was also released, re-drafted, and, ultimately, found that his life has taken a different path than had he remained home on the farm in Tassie.
He seems to have “grown” with the experience.
However, he does illustrate a key factor: the off-field support of relocated players, residential and personal, as well as the one-on-one development that perhaps may have been light on at the time for a kid who hadn’t entirely “grown up” with the game.
This is a new era of Australian Football.
More kids from Ireland are having a crack. More kids from Queensland and New South Wales will be having a go – and from households not entirely indoctrinated with the game.
So, whilst the salary cap restricts total player payments, and the draft regulates the full listed player market, cubs have certainly focussed on developing the “competitive edge” where they can.
In the A-League, examples of working outside the salary cap are seen via marquee players and the like. The AFL salary cap has allowed a certain amount of “flex” around veterans (thus, back-ended contracts that for a club “champion” - such as Michael Voss at Brisbane or Kouta at Carlton - saw them on effectively their “pay out” for their last “listed season”, but only half went into the salary cap.).
There’s always a framework of legal loopholes to exploit.
Keep a watch on that back door, because that’s where the competitive edge is often operating at its hardest.
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Boris Buggeroff said | November 18th 2008 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
What Australian rules needs is a second rival competition. The AFL is a dictatorship.
No players will challenge the AFL’s rules on anything whilever there is nowhere else to go if they fail to suceed in challenging the AFL’s rules.
Time for a Super League style competitor to rise up and challenge the AFL for players, clubs, fans and sponsors.
Michael C said | November 18th 2008 @ 1:55pm | Report comment
Boris Buggeroff -
the reality though is that whilst the AFL HQ holds a power over the players that may seem dictatorial; it shouldn’t be ignored that a fair power sits in the hands of the player body.
The AFLPA is pretty powerful - - and there’s no co-incidence that Andrew Demetriou is a former AFLPA chief. The AFLPA is a reasonably effective body that as a great example - exerted influence on the issue of illicit drugs that forced the AFL itself to act and create the illicit drugs policy.
The recognition is that the two are sum parts of the whole - i.e. the game - and they need to balance it all. So, the free agency continues to be worked towards, and will probably be part of a future EBA. However, the AFL bosses answer to the AFL independant commission and any major decisions need to recieve a 75% ratification from club presidents.
So………….it’s not really anywhere near being a dictatorship. Demetriou is not the big boss - - he answers to the Commission and does their bidding (approved by the clubs).
Forgetmenot said | November 18th 2008 @ 2:02pm | Report comment
Boris,
All we need to do is increase the attendances to state league games, and hence increase sponsorship etc …
That would ensure alot more competiton for the low and mid-range payed players. I personally would love to see the state leagues florish.
Pippinu said | November 18th 2008 @ 2:13pm | Report comment
It’s a good point re the relationship between the AFLPA and the AFL - it’s been a pretty good partnership and both sides have benefited enourmously over the last 12 years.
Re the draft - I know it has its detractors, but I’ve come to enjoy the whole thing immensely over the years. There are big decisions to be made - really tough ones - and the people involved in the draft can effectively make or break a club depending on those decisions.
Everyone knows the bullies need a key forward to go another step - but will such a player present himself at pick 31? Should they go with youth or experience? What if a gun mid or flanker is still available at that point, do they forego the chance to get the key position player they need?
Anyone who thinks these decisions are easy ones (recalling that so much is happening in real time, and the club might have only 2 minutes to rethink its strategy), don’t really know too much about it.
Michael C said | November 18th 2008 @ 3:08pm | Report comment
I did actually have a portion edited out where I reviewed the Craig Bird scenario of the Syd Swans ‘burying’ him out of the draft via the ‘back door’ of the NSW scholarships.
This combined with increased ‘international rookie’ and ‘international scholarship’ activity - including the WEstern Bulldogs recent foray into Fiji - a nation without any regular AFL being played (unlike Samoa, PNG or Nauru) - - illustrates the growing moves to ‘back door’ activity designed to circumvent the ‘restrictions’ of the AFL main draft.
That was the main relevance of the back door stuff - - that, the future provides a fairly great combination of the stories of Craig Bird and Daniel McAlister - - back door rookies, buried from the draft, learning the game in non-core AFL ‘environments’ and the obvious benefit will be for the wealthier clubs to be able to dedicate resources to the ‘handling’ (management and development) of these ‘back door’ players.
Pippinu -
re the draft, the best fun I have each year is my group of 10 of us in a ‘private’ AFL ‘fantasy’ competition, we have our ‘draft night’ at one of the fellows houses - - and, it is ruddy hard to manage ones drafting in our ‘real time’, and that’s with picking known AFL players.
Michael C said | November 21st 2008 @ 11:09am | Report comment
very interesting news regarding the ‘back door’ of scholarship players and international attentions -
http://www.nzafl.co.nz/News/Acklandsettomakehismark/tabid/278/Default.aspx
Mt Roskill and New Zealand Falcons midfielder LIam Ackland will travel to Canberra and the Australian Institute of Sport at the end on November to take place in a week long camp. The camp will be attended by the cream of Australian Footballs youth with AFL talent scouts closely watching on.
Several international players from Papua New Guinea and Fiji have also been invited to the camp which is largely foccussed on earmarking talented 16 year olds for the AFL Draft in two years time.
The introduction of new scholarship concessions for International players gives New Zealand its best chance of securing interest from AFL clubs and the possibility of Ackland securing a Scholarship.
The camp is a very important part of the AFL’s highly successful NAB Rising Star Program which leads directly to the AFL Draft for players over 18yo. 30 players are selected at the Under 16 National Championships to participate in the AIS Camp. From there they are expected to progress through the AFL’s player pathway, the TAC Cup and into the AFL Draft.
The players will undergo testing that Ackland is familiar with due to his involvement with the New Zealand Falcons. This could involve three kilometre time trials, beep tests, vertical leap and sprint times.
Ackland is in his second year of senior football and after a best on ground six goal performance last weekend the timing is perfect for him to put his best foot forward.
the additional invitations to some kids from PNG and Fiji is certainly an interesting development as well.
Liam Ackland is of reasonable ’stock’, given that his father has been involved at assistant coaching the NZ Warriors below Ivan Cleary and actually coaching the Samoan RL side (inc. the present RLWC). So, it’s not as if Liam Ackland is not of what might be considered reasonable potential bloodlines. He seems completely determined to make it, and thankfully, a pathway is being ‘manufactured’.
This is important, because, there is the interest and potential in place to get a player from NZ or PNG through, if only the pathway can be paved.
Carn North Melbourne, sign him as an international scholarship player!!!!!
Michael C said | November 21st 2008 @ 11:25am | Report comment
actually, according to this,
http://www.afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=69961
the guys in Japan reckon
For those who follow Japan AFL, the standard and popularity of the game has grown rapidly here over the past few years and we look forward to the day when the first Japanese national lines up with an AFL side ……… based on some of the talent emerging in Japan this is surely just around the corner!
Mayweather said | November 21st 2008 @ 12:57pm | Report comment
Hey this is great and heart-warming stuff Michael C.
I was watching Stargate Atlantis and I noticed that each of the staff have a badge of their country’s flag stitched onto their jacket on their left shoulder bicep. I’m thinking this would be a really good way for the AFL to show that we are truly becoming a global game of the people. We could stitch a badge of each player’s country onto the his guernsey somewhere.
Michael C said | November 21st 2008 @ 1:45pm | Report comment
Mayweather -
not a bad idea at all - especially if some non-Irish lads come through.
Previously there’ve been youtube footage that featured players based on their nationality (but, effectively, by birth - because they learnt their footy in Australia) - (although, would’ve qualified for a World Cup) -
inc. clive Waterhouse (eng), Damian Cupido (Sth Af), I think Trent Croad (NZ) and Peter Bell (Sth Korea), and presently of course a couple from Fiji and Samo and recently retired Mal Michael (PNG).
but - -that’s all a fraction ’shallow’, but, certainly, if kids come through the system from NZ and PNG etc……….then…….certainly, put nat. flag badges on so that everyone everywhere (watching) would know.
Actually - on the basis of state as well - -for the benefit of those NSW folk especially who don’t realise all the NSW kids playing for clubs OTHER than the Swans, and to a lesser extent QLD players outside of the Lions.
Stuart said | December 16th 2008 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
How come no PNG players got drafted this year ??? I thought they had some good kids ?