Get tanking for the draft out of AFL
Roar Pro
By Luke D'Anello, 16 Jul 2009 Luke D'Anello is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- AFL, Melbourne Demons, Tom Scully, West Coast Eagles
Tanking is an ugly word in the AFL. No one likes to hear it, but it is reality. And the time has come for the league to make some adjustments to its draft system.
Simply, it is not right for such heavy attention to be focused towards the fight at the bottom of the table.
Melbourne (currently three wins) and West Coast (four wins) are two teams that could benefit greatly this season if they each win four games or less.
The Eagles have no room to move, but if each team satisfy the requirement, they will gain a prized priority draft pick before the first-round.
Teams who win four games or less in two consecutive seasons are eligible for a priority draft selection.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that, in 2010, the Gold Coast team will enter the draft. The new side will be given a number of concessions that will affect other clubs.
The Gold Coast will receive nine of the first 15 picks in 2010, making this year’s draft crucial for the competition’s bottom teams as they seek to bolster their lists.
What, then, is the motivation for Melbourne and West Coast to win?
They both can’t make finals and winning, apart from the two hours of joy after the final season, is insignificant given the positions of the two clubs.
Tom Scully is touted as this season’s No.1 draft choice. The best young kid in the country could further enhance the Demons’ chances of climbing further up the ladder. Ditto West Coast.
So, firstly, the priority pick must be banished. There is little doubt that it encourages teams to play for picks. And why wouldn’t they when the rules allow it to happen?
Whether teams say they are putting players in for surgery early or playing kids for their future, it all, sadly, relates back to the same thing.
The AFL must, as a result, remove the carrot. And not just the priority draft pick.
Currently the team that finishes in last position after the home-and-away season receives the first pick in the first-round of the draft (after the priority selections).
The team that finishes second-last receives pick two, and so on.
To put a stop to the tanking discussion at this time of the season, there needs to be no guarantees. As a result, the bottom-four teams should be placed in a hat and the first removed gets the No.1 selection.
It may be a team which finished in 14th position, but at least all debates and talk of tanking will be removed.
In essence, under this system, the team that finishes 12th will always receive pick five (as is the case now). But it is the early draft selections which cause the most controversy.
Regardless, the side lucky enough to receive the top-pick will need it.
The wooden-spoon team, at worst, receives pick four. But, in the second-round, the order will return to normal, according to ladder positions (as is the case now).
This minor change will ensure that winning becomes a priority for clubs.
Remember the farcical situation in 2007 when Melbourne and Carlton played a Round 22 encounter, dubbed the “Kreuzer Cup”, that no team wanted to win?
We can only hope there are no repeats of that day, because the game, and its fans, deserve better
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- Explore:
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Ben Somerford said | July 16th 2009 @ 2:08am | Report comment
I suppose this is always a popular topic on places like The Roar and we’ve all got our ideas.
My thoughts on your suggestion Luke is that this idea doesn’t get rid of tanking, it just changes the nature of it. Bottom 8 teams will want to finish in the bottom 4. For example, 12th could play 13th in the last round of an AFL season much in the same circumstances as the infamous Kreuzer Cup. I do like the concept of ‘no guarantees’ though.
Nevertheless I thnk the best way to eradicate tanking is with a bottom 8 system, very similar to the one you’ve suggested except not with the bottom 4, but (you guessed it) bottom 8. There’s no way a team ranked 8th coming into Round 22 will tank for draftpicks when they can make the finals.
But of course from there, there’s the problem 9th might get top pick. So to decrease the chances of that, people have suggested a system based on the NBAs, whereby the lowest ranked club gets the most chances in the pot (ie.8 balls in a pot, then 15th gets 7 balls in the pot and so on). Potential problem there is sides’ll want the most balls in the pot so they’ll still tank, but perhaps not to the same degree.
So maybe tanking is inevitable? Perhaps the best model to aim for, is a model which reduces the incentive to tank the most.
Michael C said | July 16th 2009 @ 6:12am | Report comment
The problem is that ‘tanking’ exists firstly in the minds of the media who are able to switch on this topic annually to fill newsprint and on air hours.
what gets defined as ‘tanking’?
In 1983 North Melbourne finished top of the ladder, but, the aging list went out in straight sets in the finals, early days in 1984 season it became obvious that change was required, suddenly a generational change is obviously required. Losing round 1 to Carl by 137 pts was just the start. Suddenly previously regular players and heroes of the ’70s are pushed aside and the kids from the under 19s are elevated. Kids like Matty Larkin, Peter German, Darren Steele and Ross Smith appeared.
If that were today – - it would be called tanking and regarded as an absolute example.
Redb said | July 16th 2009 @ 9:27am | Report comment
Agree. Though most clubs don’t lower themselves to take advantage of the rule.
The intention behind the priority pick is fine but the comp has find another way and perhaps a lottery system as Bombers Coach Knights suggested is the way to go. But it too can be manipulated although not to the same degree.
Redb
Michael C said | July 16th 2009 @ 11:48am | Report comment
The early incarnation of the priority pick was a shocker, and perhaps acted more as a means of ensuring that whilst Carlton were penalised for their salary cap breaches, that they were also given the boost back up – - and so they have about 5 priority picks running around each week at the moment.
And now the Eagles are putting players out to pasture, seeking a 2nd successive ‘down’ year – having contested back to back GFs just 2.5 years ago.
Lazza said | July 16th 2009 @ 12:09pm | Report comment
Why do we need a draft system? Just give every team an even share of the TV & sponsorship money and make them operate under a strict salary cap. That’s all you need for an ‘fair and even’ competition.
The beauty of the A-League is that every team has a chance of winning every season. You can properly judge the coach, the team and recruiting. In the AFL, teams have their hands tied and you just have to wait for the cycle to come round and hand you the best young talent.
Dave said | July 16th 2009 @ 12:46pm | Report comment
get rid of priority picks
Also have a look at what they do in the NFL they have the same system. so they must have come across this before
One thing is with Gold coast having all the picks there is no great advantage to be found by tanking.
Chop said | July 16th 2009 @ 1:02pm | Report comment
What you are suggesting is done in the NBA, the last 4 teams in a ‘lucky dip’ to see who actually gets the first draft pick.
Personally I don’t think it avoids teams tanking that much because they still get an early pick if they finish in the bottom 4.
I may get shot down for this but, do professional clubs really tank? Take a club like Fremantle (unfortunately my team), they have very little choice but to play first year guys, do people think that is tanking? Or is it exposing first year players to the AFL so they have the experience going into next season because this season’s chances of making the finals are already gone?
Redb said | July 16th 2009 @ 1:22pm | Report comment
Chop,
“do professional clubs really tank?” Most don’t. a good example is Essendon who have gone through some lean years without bottoming out and have re-built with a young list.
I think it is soul destroying for a clubs supporters and whilst some clubs like Carlton might have done it, they probably lost a few fans along the way.
Conventional wisdom says the players dont go out to lose, but the club at the seclection table gives the younger untried players a run towards the end of the season rather than fully fit senior players.
Not that the practice of blooding youngsters is a bad thing once your finals hopes are gone.
Either way the perception is more damaging than the reality thus the AFL needs to change the system.
Redb
Lazza said | July 16th 2009 @ 1:42pm | Report comment
How do you define ‘tanking’? If you have nothing to play for then just try out your youngsters and if you lose then no matter?
It short changes fans who want to see the best possible team and does no favours to other clubs. If their rivals are playing a team with nothing to play for then it’s a huge disadvantage for them. Just get rid of the draft, you can still have an even competition without it.
If you need to help some clubs do it in a different way like salary cap concessions etc.
Michael C said | July 16th 2009 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
Lazza -
no – fans don’t always want to see the best possible ‘short term focus’ team on the paddock.
if the season is lost – and the existing ‘mature’ cattle are either carrying injuries or have been exposed as being just not good enough – - then, fans are generally crying out to see the kids given a game – - it’s well known that most young talent needs to get to the 50 game mark (give or take) and suddenly they can really blossom.
Like Redb with Essendon – North Melb have done their best to NOT bottom out. And yet – a couple of years ago sent off Shannon Grant and Simmo for surgery with about 6 wks to go. Was that tanking? Well, apparently only if you finish bottom 2.
The perception of tanking makes it tanking. The draft and more particularly the priority picks – give that perception.
I agree with Dave – remove the priority picks – - or, perhaps allow only via an act of the Commission that a priority pick be granted.(a hardship clause).