We are just over a month into the NRL off-season and it’s time for the NRL to have a look over some ideas that could potentially expand their rating and excitement.
As an all-sports fan, there are not many more exciting days than draft day in sports such as the NBA and NFL.
Just in case you are unaware of what a draft is, a draft is a class full of rookies who are waiting to be picked by a team to be signed by.
It usually consists of several rounds and picks for each team, with the worse teams holding the opening picks and the best teams from the previous year holding the latest picks.
This day is not just exciting because of the new players entering the league but along with the intrigue of waiting to know which player is going where.
A draft can turn a team’s fortunes from being in the dumps into one of the strongest teams in the league.
For example, if we look at an NBA team such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, they were one of the poorest teams in the NBA as they were without a title before picking LeBron James at number one in the 2003 draft.
In James’ Cavaliers career, he strongly led the Cleveland franchise to five conference titles plus a championship. This defined how effective a draft can be.
This idea could have the same effect on the NRL as aren’t we all just tired of seeing the Storm be so dominant every year and seeing teams like the Tigers be near the bottom of the table every year?
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
I’m sure that if you’re a fan of the recent big teams, then you obviously wouldn’t mind not having a draft.
However, if you are a supporter of a team like the Warriors or Dragons, I’m sure that you would hope for a draft.
This could even the playing field in the junior system as teams like the Broncos won’t be getting every young star out of the Brisbane area.
It would be up to the NRL to decide how many picks for each team and the number of rounds needed.
Obviously, it would be designed to have 16 picks in each round as that is the number of teams in the competition right now.
However, of course, we will have a 17th team being the Dolphins in 2023.
We will not be able to have seven rounds like the NFL but maybe two rounds like the NBA will be enough.
Draft lotteries will make this even more exciting as the heart of every fan of a poor team will be beating fast when they’re hoping that their struggling team will be picked out in one of the first picks.
The lottery should include the bottom eight teams being picked out randomly with the worst team having the best percentage of gaining the first pick and the team who was one spot away from the finals having the worst chance of getting the first pick.
The remaining teams who finished in the top eight will have the identical thing happen to them but instead, the 16th pick is the best they can receive.
A draft could also evaluate the idea of trades as they could involve not only players but draft picks that teams own as well.
Overall, this would be a great path for the NRL to take, however it’s certainly too late to perform this before the start of the 2022 season.
But instead the NRL could aim for the 2024 season, which will be after the Dolphins’ first year in the league.
Glory Bound
Roar Rookie
Looking at Souths squad in 2021: Alex Johnston (La Perouse Panthers), Blake Taaffe (La Perouse Panthers), Campbell Graham (Coogee Wombats), Cameron Murray (Mascot Jets), Adam Reynolds (Alexandria Rovers, Kensington United), Keaon Koloamatangi (Mascot Jets), Peter Mamouzelos (Maroubra Lions), Davvy Moale (Coogee Wombats), Lachlan Ilias (Rabbitohs’ Jersey Flegg under 20s) and Josh Mansour (Rabbitohs NYC U20’s). . Only the Panthers can match that number of 9 juniors matth, because for some inexplicable reason they can include Dubbo, NSW 334.7 kms north-west of Penrith as part of their junior catchment area in order to include Isaah Yeo and Matt Burton. . Panthers juniors 2021 Squad: Nathan Cleary, Jarome Luai, Brian To’o, Stephen Crichton, Robert Jennings, Tyrone May, Moses Leota, Mitch Kenny, Spencer Leniu. . Note: Dylan Edwards (Bellingen), Charlie Staines (Forbes) and Liam Martin (Temora) are country boys not Penrith juniors. In reality, Isaah Yeo and Matt Burton should be added to that non-junior list too.
matth
Roar Guru
Well, we've all said it before. Let's see if this is really it.
matth
Roar Guru
I think that really that top 6 vs the rest was only a 2021 problem. If it becomes a trend for 5 years, then sure, otherwise it might just be an aberration.
matth
Roar Guru
Or for Corey Norman, or maybe just a busted Josh Reynolds.
matth
Roar Guru
So why don't Souths juniors like playing for Souths?
matth
Roar Guru
The AFL can have a draft because there is no alternative professional competition for the draft picks if they don;t like where they end up. Same for the US sports. League, union even more so and especially association football, would struggle with a draft because the kids can go an play in other leagues (in league's case they can go to union, in union's case, a number of countries, in football's case, anywhere in the world). So they get drafted, stay a year or two at most and then leave.
matth
Roar Guru
Maybe the Tigers already think a draft is in place :laughing:
matth
Roar Guru
"This could even the playing field in the junior system as teams like the Broncos won’t be getting every young star out of the Brisbane area." This is potentially a problem with a draft system in rugby league. The clubs primarily develop juniors. what is their incentive if they are developing them for others. In the US the college system does that job? The other reason a draft doesn't work in league (or in union or association football) is that players have alternatives if they don;t like their draft status. In AFL or the American sports there is nowhere else to go, so they take their spot in the draft. In league they can go to union and vice versa, in union they can go to France, Japan or England. In association football they can go literally anywhere.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
Draft works fine in several other major sports, including AFL which is similar in size and location. In fact, it is one of the things that makes AFL more professionally run than the NRL - a great game with a terrible administration
Rellum
Roar Guru
I find your attitude a souless corporate marketing driven response that is not progressive nor modern. To grow the game a Melboure or Perth or Adeliade gave to build local juniors to eventually fill their squads with local juniors. A draft will ensure that growth never happens.
Stormy
Roar Rookie
Agreed, Tim, & it will happen. We will see, when Bellamy retires, how strong our "culture" really is.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
The draft failed in RL because it was a restraint of trade. If it did eventuate Melbourne would probably turn the late draft pick into a winner while the early draft picks would go to the Dragons and remain in the "with potential" category.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
You've got a great team but there would have to be a coaches draft to have a real effect on Melbourne's dominance. Bellamy played 5/8 for a great team too.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
When you look at the junior bases NQ and Brisbane should eternally be entrenched in the 8. Had a junior cap concession system been in place, there’s a very good chance that a bunch of their junior stars may have stayed around a little bit longer in the knowledge that taking unders earlier can have significant financial payoffs later in their careers if they stay at their junior clubs.
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Um because for the period they keep winning they get the last draft picks. Sooner or later their talent will be at the back of the pack. Drafts ensure ebbs and flows of talent coming through clubs. Almost impossible to remain at the top and doesn’t benefit will run clubs that nurture junior talent. Clubs that are a rock show like the Tigers and Dragons deserve to be at the bottom. There needs to be a market mechanism that ensures areas where the community participate heavily in League are represented.
andyfnq
Roar Rookie
Absolutely not, that's just amateur hour! Qld clubs are always likely to have more Qld talent, and NSW more NSW talent, and NZ more NZ talent; however, that should be due to their identifying local talent and selecting it in the draft, and the "go home" factor of players with leverage organising trades to their home state. Uncontracted players not headhunted by a club should nominate for the draft and go where they are selected. My club only has one local player on their list and I am fine with it. The idea of clubs being made up of large groups of former juniors all from a local area is very 20th century and frankly I find it a bit provincial in a supposedly major national sport.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I am happy for the QRL, ARL, NSWRL to work with the clubs and be in control of the systems, they are already any way. I do not want players off playing in random locations, they should be representing the area they come from, at least clubs rosters should be full of local juniors
Stormy
Roar Rookie
Go for it, Mate. Whatever keeps your spirits up is great. I only know the Bears logo; almost nothing about the team. I've only been on board since the Storm came into being.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
... So I'm on antibiotics for life and I'm immune deficient but I'm lucky to be alive so I'm happy. I'm sad the little JRX terrier in my profile pic died but I'll keep posting and I've been composing a new article about NRL expansion. I might add a section on my favourite North Sydney game.
Tim Buck 3
Roar Rookie
Thanks Stormy. The public health system has saved my life before. Internal bleeding from my spleen punching a hole in my stomach lead to life saving surgery resulting in the loss of my spleen.