A recent article in a Sydney paper has again ignited debate into the merits of a draft in the National Rugby League.
This is a concept that is a staple of all the major American sporting leagues and is a key feature of the AFL. It has never been implemented in rugby league in Australia, except for the 1991 NSWRL draft that was banned by the courts.
One of the biggest opponents to the draft in recent years has been David Gallop, but the former NRL CEO is now governing the FFA and new CEO Dave Smith seems to have an open mind about the concept.
Before we delve into the merits of a rookie NRL Draft it is important to understand why the 1991 draft failed.
Firstly, it is important to note that this was not a rookie draft, this was a draft of all the free agents or unsigned players prior to the start of the season.
Picking in reverse finishing order, teams had their pick of any player who was not contracted to a team for the 1992 season.
The most high profile opponent was Terry Hill. Hill had agreed to join Western Suburbs however he was drafted by the Roosters.
Hill did not want to play for the Roosters and was just one of over 150 players who commenced legal action arguing that the draft was a case of restraint of trade.
That is the players were not being able to ply their trade as they saw fit, instead they were being forced to work for another entity. After the NSW court system initially found this system to be legal, the Australian High Court found it an unreasonable restraint of trade.
The 1991 draft was created in order to even out the NSW Rugby League competition after years of imbalance. This was typified by clubs, such as Manly, recruiting players on big contracts even if they already had a star player in that position – with the sole purpose of preventing players from playing for rival clubs.
Some people argue that today’s competition is imbalanced, well the 80s was far worse. Unfortunately the 1991 Draft was implemented without the support of the players and as a result, it was doomed to fail from the start.
It is also important to note that a rookie draft will have absolutely no impact on players signing contracts with a new club a year before their current contract runs out.
To deal with that issue the NRL needs to implement a free agency signing period, much like the AFL and NFL in which off contract players are not able to sign with a new club until the final season of their contract finishes.
Supporters of a rookie draft claim that one of the major benefits is that a draft system helps even out the spread of young talent in the game. It helps clubs (such as the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters) who cannot develop a large stable of young talent, ultimately the backbone of the club.
So a draft will provide these clubs with young talent and eliminate the need for these sides to throw huge wads of cash at young players that other clubs have developed. Hold on. A draft will stop clubs buying junior talent by giving them junior talent?
That hardly seems fair or a reasonable solution. More on this later.
Proponents of the draft also regularly cite the success of the drafts used in the American professional leagues and the AFL. Before I get to the AFL, it’s important to touch on the significant differences between American sport and the NRL.
Firstly, in the American major leagues the professional clubs do not develop their juniors, with the minor exception of baseball and ice hockey, which I will get to. Children play for club sides, which may or may not be affiliated with the local professional side, but you do not move up through the ranks of that side until eventually you play for the side professionally, like rugby league.
Instead if you have ambitions to play professionally you play high school sport with the goal of earning a scholarship at a college.
Once in a college team, players then hope to enter their respective draft, either when they are eligible or upon completion of their degree. As such, in this situation the college system is spending the money to develop the athletes and then the professional teams select them in the draft.
In hockey and baseball, athletes can choose to skip college and enter the minor leagues through the draft, here these athletes are selected by the professional side and, unless the athlete is of exceptional talent, they are sent to develop their games with a minor league club aligned to the respective major league side.
As I’m sure you can see, there is a clear trend present; teams have no involvement in developing players until they are drafted.
This is not the case in Australia. The NRL clubs have a direct involvement in the development in talent that grows up in their regions. Penrith spends money to develop players from the age of six, as does every other club.
Those Penrith juniors then have the potential to get picked for rep sides, Harold Matthews Cup in U16s, S.G. Ball in U18s, and then Holden Cup in U20s.
Once athletes have graduated from Holden Cup they then move into NSW or Queensland Cup or if good enough, they progress straight through to the NRL.
In the American system, the clubs start paying for their players’ development at the NSW Cup level and all levels of development below the NSW Cup level have no affiliation with the professional sides.
As I mentioned earlier, it would be unfair for clubs to have the talent that they have developed just taken away from them in a draft.
So, if the NRL wants to ensure that those with a large junior catchment area, such as the Broncos or Panthers, are not disadvantaged by the draft, they must remove all club affiliations from junior rugby league sides and completely fund junior rugby league in Australia.
The NRL might subsidise the clubs for their junior operations at the moment, but they do not have the sort of money to completely fund it. This would not work. Even if the NRL could fund the junior rugby league programs, the local clubs would be losing a significant connection with their youths.
This connection is one of the key way clubs create fans for life – not every junior can represent their senior club at NRL level, but every single junior can support their club at NRL level and this support is fostered by clubs from a very young age.
The NRL is struggling as it is to generate fans at the moment, such a change could be devastating for the clubs and could potentially alienate the fans of the future.
For more discussion on the merits of the NRL draft, see Part II tomorrow.
The Magic Man
Guest
Spot on. For every reason to have a draft there's 60 reasons not to have it. The NRL without a Draft is much more even and unpredictable than the AFL and the AFL has the Draft. What the draft does is create a situation where it could take years for a club to get out of the doldrums. In the NRL the Roosters can go from last to runner up in a year, Penrith from last to Premiers in 2 years and we have a 2014 competition where so far 60% of favourites are losing. Spare us this golden chalice called the Draft. This code has bigger issues.
The Magic Man
Guest
Spot on...
Will
Guest
I have to admit im getting tired of everyone who is an NRL fan saying "In America" this and that. We have a fraction of the players, supporters and money. The salary cap doesn't work, otherwise we wouldn't have a few clubs that seem to magically have multiple super stars (Manly, Storm, Roosters and Souths) and stay at the top of the table, while other clubs struggle to maintain their one star player before they are pouched by another club (Raiders, Panthers, Eels and NZ) and always struggle.
Will
Guest
Really, straight to French Rugby?
Cameron Mee
Roar Guru
If you want to see my views on tanking, make sure you read Part 2
Bearfax
Guest
The problem with the present system is that we have clubs who have the advantage of huge junior resources and others that have very little. It amuses me when those small demographic clubs are then blamed for their plight. If there are no juniors there then they have to get them somewhere. And the problem with those in the larger demographic areas holding onto all of their juniors, it would ensure that potential stars never get an opportunity because there is likely a glut of good players and someone chosen ahead of them ends their career. Going to another club is all they can do. The good example is Cherry-Evans. He was brought through the Brisbane system, but was virtually not wanted. Had he been required to stay with Brisbane, we may never have heard of him and he could well be doing something else. The issue is about achieving as equal a playing field as possible and ensuring as many of the potential first graders have the opportunity to achieve their goal. A draft could solve that problem. A redistribution of junior areas is another. Asking other clubs to pay for other's juniors merely impoverishes the club without a decently sized junior resource area It would also ensure the same problem where potential first grade players miss out in getting picked in their club and then are deemed too expensive to be taken on by another club. In the end everyone loses, especially the players who want every opportunity to reach their dreams. Its unfortunate that certain clubs spend lots of money developing a player only to see them go elsewhere. No different though though the player snapped up from virtually park football and then being well coached into a top player and then having to leave because of the salary cap. There has to be a better way.
Football United
Guest
Yeah if i was a young lad from Brisbane or Melbourne who got told i had no choice but to live and play in some dump like Penrith or Parra (sorry but they are) rather than my local team it would be straight to Top 14
turbodewd
Guest
A draft isnt necessary here per se (and Im an NFL and draft concept fan). But what is crucial is that each team have roughly similar revenue so they can equally access the talent. And what's the point of an NRL draft if the player in question chooses to move on after his intial 2-3yr contract anyway. The biggest issue facing the NRL is competition for players and fans from AFL, A-League, Super 15. NRL crowds last year were down 3%...we are already behind on crowds again this year...not good! The NRL needs a makeover. It needs a refurb!
Storm Boy
Guest
So Fifita goes into a draft where he has to go to a NRL club not of choice. Or like Saammy he just avoids the draft by signing with RU. every Sydney kid that looks like he is about to get drafted to Townsville or Perth will just sign with the Waratahs instead. More dumb thinking from the NRL here.
Cadfael
Guest
Having each club look after a group(s) should be the way to go. This used to be the go in VFL. South West NSW AFL competitions were feeder sides to South Melbourne. Northern Riverina was looked after by Essendon hence Ungarie's Daniher brothers all played for Essendon. The clubs would be required to run coaching clinics for their group and should play an NRL match there (not a trial). This way the players and supporters in the group take ownership of their club. In the old Amco Cup days they got SRO crowds at country venues.
Football United
Guest
I'm sorry but a draft will just means i stop watching NRL. A massive part of following a club for me is seeing local players come through their local club, you have no idea how important it is to Melbourne Storm fans to see their club invest in the local competitions while the NRL do bugger all. The likes of Garreth Widdop and Mahe Fonua who finally came through that local system are a source of great pride to the supporters and a draft would ruin all that hard work as the club would no longer would have incentive to work with the local area.
Xnowmann
Guest
A draft will only incite "TANKING"...Who the hell wants to see that like the AFL or the NBA.
Vivalasvegan
Guest
I think we all agree that the cap works as long as clubs are incentivised to develop talent. Clubs need additional space in the cap to keep kids they have developed and especially to keep the stars they have produced. Can't stand Glenn Stewart but it will be a tragedy if he leaves Manly due to salary cap issues. I am sick of our game punishing success and rewarding failure. Rather than reward failing clubs, they should be relegated to Division Two, playing Perth, Central Coast etc. now that makes each game valuable.
Matt
Guest
This system will not work simply because of one thing. In the U.S, the NFL and even the AFL back in years passed, the draft may have worked but that was because these sports do not have any competition for their playing pool. Rugby league does have competition for its playing pool.... Rugby Union..... Now that the players have also decided that they can cross to AFL as well it has made this draft even more set to fail. If you impose a draft and someone gets drafted to some god forsaken place they dont want to go to like "penrith or Parramatta" (sorry i hate the areas) then what is to stop them just saying "screw this i am going to rugby union or even AFL." Good idea lets turn young players away from our game by forcing them to go some place they dont want to go. Its ridiculous. The NFL does not have this problem and either does the AFL because they do not have any direct competition for their players, Rugby league on the other hand certainly does.
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
Don't write part 2. All that is needed is tweaks to the salary cap to help clubs keep juniors and long term players.
Gurudoright
Guest
Sorry but I have to disagree with the article. What will happen to the junior leagues, who will run them. Why should Penrith or Parramatta(neither of them are my team) who both have huge junior catchment spend money on their competitions if they get no benefit from it. As stated above why would they bother developing players from SG Ball etc to only lose those players to a draft. A better idea would be give each club a NSW country( not sure how it works in Qld) group division to find new talent and use as a junior development. Eg Souths could have Group 16, the far south coast to develop players from as well as their South junior comp
julian Taylor
Guest
Good call jay c
Jay C
Guest
You need the kind of junior system that the US has for a draft to work. If players are drafted then no clubs are going to funnel thousands of dollars into developing teenagers into NRL quality players just to have them drafted to anyone. And if NRL clubs don't train them, who will? In the US Colleges train athletes because it is hugely cash flow positive for them to do so. A draft will not work here. What we need is more compensation paid to clubs that invest heavily in junior development. Also, I'm sorry, but it helps Melbourne and The Roosters? Because they are struggling sooo much, I don't know how they cope. Ridiculous. The clubs that are struggling are teams like Penrith, Canberra and the Broncos who spend HUGE money on player delopment only to have them stolen by other clubs for slightly more money.
Walter Penninger
Roar Guru
Why the draft, isn't the salary cap achieving the objective?