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.
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