By Troy Chaplin
August 6th 2009 @ 1:10am
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AFL can end tanking by copying NBA’s draft system
Richmond coach Terry Wallace looks on during a Richmond training session at Punt Road Oval, Melbourne. Slattery Images
Along with the new Gold Coast franchise and the 2010 National Draft, the other big talking point in AFL right now is the issue of Tanking. The AFL are continually looking to sweep this under the rug, but the issue is snowballing.
It is clear amongst our football community that players would never cross the white line and not give 100 percent for their Football Club. We all want to taste the success that comes with winning football matches.
Unfortunately, though, when a team’s season seems over and there is no chance of making the finals, they often put the cue in the rack. By this, I mean that football clubs put their most experienced players in for surgery, if required, and also look to give inexperienced players the opportunity to face the rigours of senior AFL football.
Players are trialled in different positions, which coaches believe will enhance their games. But in hindsight, this often gives their team no chance of winning by not sticking to selecting their best available players.
On most occasions, despite their current form, it is usually the veterans that make way for these young players, who often don’t deserve to play based on their current form in the reserves.
So is this giving the club the best possible chance to win football matches, for not only the club itself, but for the supporters who turn up week in week out?
No.
I cannot fathom why clubs would not try and win every game. As a player, that is what we set out to do.
This is the last chance for clubs to gain priority picks before the Gold Coast close in on these picks in the 2010 and 2011 drafts.
Teams are more willing to put the “cue” in the rack to obtain the best young talent in the land, which they can build their side around in the future.
The AFL, I believe, needs to adopt a similar, if not the same, draft process as the one the NBA currently uses.
By using their system, it would mean that the eight teams that missed out on playing finals would enter a draft lottery (the NBA Draft Formula is based on fourteen teams). The draft uses a formula that would mean that the team that finished with the worst record would then have more combinations than the other seven teams.
And the combinations work their way down from the team that finished 16th to the team that finished 9th on the ladder.
Although there is an advantage with the amount of combinations you receive for finishing last, this does not mean you will gain the priority pick in the draft.
Teams could run the risk by playing young players to enhance their potential. But by finishing lower on the ladder, this would not guarantee that they receive the Number One draft pick.
Until the AFL can admit that ‘tanking’ is becoming a serious problem, it will continue to be an issue that will resurface for years to come.
The AFL need to step in and take action now to put every team on an even playing field, without teams being able to manipulate the system in order to give themselves a distinct advantage in the future.
The draft lottery is the best way and should be implemented by the AFL to finally put the issue of tanking to rest.
Troy Chaplin is a current player with the Port Adelaide Power and a new columnist for The Roar.
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Brian said | August 6th 2009 @ 9:20am | Report comment
Why not just award picks based on ladder positions after Round 15. While they’re at it everyone should play each other once up to Round 15. That way games played Rounds 16-22 won’t affect draft picks.
Tom said | August 6th 2009 @ 9:46am | Report comment
The NBA system reduces certainty, but it still gives clubs who finish lower a greater chance of getting top picks, therefore gives a greater incentive to finish lower.
ohtani's jacket, said | August 6th 2009 @ 10:05am | Report comment
Tanking is rife in the NBA because the team with the best non-playoff record has a 0.5% chance of receiving the top pick, while the team with the worst record has a 25% chance.
Dave said | August 6th 2009 @ 10:09am | Report comment
The NFL doesnt need a lottery….get rid of priority picks and the problem goes away. there is no differance between getting pick one or two (Chris judd was number 3 in 2001) the problem is getting the extra pick.
Pippinu said | August 8th 2009 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
I too am convinced that the solution is probably as simple as that.
Dave said | August 8th 2009 @ 1:53pm | Report comment
i think our work here is done Pipp, on to the next major problem for us to sort out
Pippinu said | August 8th 2009 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
sportsfanslife.com said | August 6th 2009 @ 11:36am | Report comment
If you’ve ever read Bill Simmons’ work as ESPN’s ‘Sports Guy’, you’ll have heard of his ‘Tankapalooza’ theory for the NBA….Adopting that system won’t eliminate tanking unfortunately…
WA said | August 6th 2009 @ 12:06pm | Report comment
Anyone else completely sick of this topic? Errrgh.
Dave said | August 6th 2009 @ 12:08pm | Report comment
i say the same thing each time. ww need someone who know a bit about the NFL to tell us what happens there. Everyone always gives the NBA examples
Mushi said | August 6th 2009 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Tanking isn’t considered as big a deal in the NFL because there is far less benefit for far more risk.
The biggest difference between the NBA and NFL drafts, in my mind is the ability to project production of the drafted players.
The ability to project how good a player will be as professional based on their amateur career is significantly more difficult in the NFL than in the NBA.
The mechanics of American Football are such that your production is very heavily impacted by your team mate’s ability, your coach’s ability and the role in your team’s system.
Whilst in basketball is more of a sport where good player can produce regardless, sure numbers are still impacted by other factors but they are both more obvious and less influential than in the NFL.
Generally, in basketball, the only thing that will stop a truly great young player from becoming at least an occasional all star is injury.
Of the last ten top draft picks in the NFL, five are either already out of the league or are back ups, none are perennial pro bowlers and only one has played a role in on team that has gone to a super bowl. In other words it’s a crap shoot.
Then you have the financial impacts, the NBA has a fixed salary for drafts pick that is below the average for a starting player and it has a soft salary cap.
The NFL has no rookie salary scale and because of this high draft picks which, know they are going to be marketed as the saviour of the club, command massive contracts which are typically quite long dated.
Under a fixed salary cap, like the NFL has, these contracts can cripple a team for years.
David V. said | August 6th 2009 @ 1:09pm | Report comment
Let’s not forget that the NFL and NBA have much bigger talent pools and a wider spread of teams. They can easily fill their rosters with league-standard players, whereas Australian sports leagues have a bigger problem.
Pippinu said | August 8th 2009 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
Just listening to the Coodabeens, and one “caller” has reminded everyone that the bulldogs have been tanking for 100 years!!