Drafts Keep AFL Above Other Australian Sports
Every year there are player managers complaining about the AFL draft. They mention that young players should not be forced to move interstate, they say that the draft is not necessary, but a lot of what the player managers say is not in the best interests of the sport. If there was no AFL draft then what would happen?
The results of sports not having drafts is clearly evident all throughout Australia. From the manufactured A-League soccer to the traditional rugby competitions, where there is no draft there is not a fair playing field.
If the AFL draft was disposed of, and that is very unlikely to ever happen, then you would want to be a fan of the Eagles, Crows and Magpies. They would finish in the top 4 every year. Basketball and soccer provide reasons for this thinking.
The NBL has become a Sydney and Melbourne league, these two teams have the greatest resources and the largest populations to find local players. Maybe Perth or Adelaide can win again but even they struggle to match the two big teams in the league. Fans of Cairns should not be planning a Grand Final parade. While the A-league soccer is supposed to be made up of only 8 teams, in reality there are actually 2 or 3. Sydney and Melbourne will win every year, with the Brisbane team an outside chance. Everyone else is just making up the numbers as all prospective soccer players will want to play for one of the big-market teams. To further increase the gap between the teams with everything and the teams with close to nothing, the soccer league allows teams to sign someone outside their salary-cap. This is another benefit to the Sydney and Melbourne teams and their multi-millionaire owners, and is something the other teams with their small fan-bases cannot afford to do.
In Rugby League, Brisbane have had a huge advantage finding players in Queensland while all the Sydney teams would compete for players in their areas. While obviously Brisbane are happy with this, it means that many other teams don't have any real hope of competing.
These sports would be a lot more competitive, and successful, if a draft was used so all teams could add talented prospects. But don't expect basketball, soccer or rugby to implement a draft anytime soon.
Without the draft, young football players would have a choice between the teams. Collingwood would be a wanted destination for many players, while the Kangaroos could struggle to attract players. The two teams in Western Australia would split an entire state, but the Lions might not do to well recruiting only from their state although there is some talent there.
It wasn't too long ago that the Hawks were going to be merged, but their future is bright now because of the draft. They drafted some talented Victorians and also added Franklin, Williams, Bateman and Bailey from WA and Birchall from Tasmania. With the draft they built a team, and while they had some down years they are on the up now.
While the West Coast have a lot of things in their favour, like a huge number of members and plenty of money to spend, it was their ability to find talented players in the draft that made them the powerhouse they are today. Judd was pick 3, Kerr was pick 18, Hansen was pick 38 and Cox was a selection in the rookie draft. Any team could have drafted some of those stars, one example is the Saints who were in a position to draft every single one of those players.
The AFL draft also has the potential to be a large-profile event. This is the day that shapes the future of the AFL and an increased television coverage, along with AFL fans in attendance, would produce an interesting show.
If the AFL draft disappeared then so would quite a few AFL teams. Less fans, less TV games, less money, not what anyone would want.
The draft has also made leagues competitive overseas. Every soccer league in Europe has 3 or 4 teams that win every year, and everyone else struggles to put a competitive team on the field. Compare that with the NFL in the USA which currently is the most successful sport there. It is not just because of Ben Graham that they are so popular, it is because the league is so competitive because of the draft. The New York teams would be expected to win every year, but with the draft allowing all teams a shot at great players there are smaller cities like Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and even Green Bay who have won recent SuperBowls.
While the AFL isn't perfectly fair, it is a lot more even than other sports in Australia. The draft is a very important part of the AFL, and they get the benefit of the draft helping all the teams in the league. All 16 teams have a chance at building a great team and the fans of every team have the hope that their pick will take them to the cup. The drafts give all teams a shot, some of them just have to do a better job of identifying talent.
The results of sports not having drafts is clearly evident all throughout Australia. From the manufactured A-League soccer to the traditional rugby competitions, where there is no draft there is not a fair playing field.
If the AFL draft was disposed of, and that is very unlikely to ever happen, then you would want to be a fan of the Eagles, Crows and Magpies. They would finish in the top 4 every year. Basketball and soccer provide reasons for this thinking.
The NBL has become a Sydney and Melbourne league, these two teams have the greatest resources and the largest populations to find local players. Maybe Perth or Adelaide can win again but even they struggle to match the two big teams in the league. Fans of Cairns should not be planning a Grand Final parade. While the A-league soccer is supposed to be made up of only 8 teams, in reality there are actually 2 or 3. Sydney and Melbourne will win every year, with the Brisbane team an outside chance. Everyone else is just making up the numbers as all prospective soccer players will want to play for one of the big-market teams. To further increase the gap between the teams with everything and the teams with close to nothing, the soccer league allows teams to sign someone outside their salary-cap. This is another benefit to the Sydney and Melbourne teams and their multi-millionaire owners, and is something the other teams with their small fan-bases cannot afford to do.
In Rugby League, Brisbane have had a huge advantage finding players in Queensland while all the Sydney teams would compete for players in their areas. While obviously Brisbane are happy with this, it means that many other teams don't have any real hope of competing.
These sports would be a lot more competitive, and successful, if a draft was used so all teams could add talented prospects. But don't expect basketball, soccer or rugby to implement a draft anytime soon.
Without the draft, young football players would have a choice between the teams. Collingwood would be a wanted destination for many players, while the Kangaroos could struggle to attract players. The two teams in Western Australia would split an entire state, but the Lions might not do to well recruiting only from their state although there is some talent there.
It wasn't too long ago that the Hawks were going to be merged, but their future is bright now because of the draft. They drafted some talented Victorians and also added Franklin, Williams, Bateman and Bailey from WA and Birchall from Tasmania. With the draft they built a team, and while they had some down years they are on the up now.
While the West Coast have a lot of things in their favour, like a huge number of members and plenty of money to spend, it was their ability to find talented players in the draft that made them the powerhouse they are today. Judd was pick 3, Kerr was pick 18, Hansen was pick 38 and Cox was a selection in the rookie draft. Any team could have drafted some of those stars, one example is the Saints who were in a position to draft every single one of those players.
The AFL draft also has the potential to be a large-profile event. This is the day that shapes the future of the AFL and an increased television coverage, along with AFL fans in attendance, would produce an interesting show.
If the AFL draft disappeared then so would quite a few AFL teams. Less fans, less TV games, less money, not what anyone would want.
The draft has also made leagues competitive overseas. Every soccer league in Europe has 3 or 4 teams that win every year, and everyone else struggles to put a competitive team on the field. Compare that with the NFL in the USA which currently is the most successful sport there. It is not just because of Ben Graham that they are so popular, it is because the league is so competitive because of the draft. The New York teams would be expected to win every year, but with the draft allowing all teams a shot at great players there are smaller cities like Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and even Green Bay who have won recent SuperBowls.
While the AFL isn't perfectly fair, it is a lot more even than other sports in Australia. The draft is a very important part of the AFL, and they get the benefit of the draft helping all the teams in the league. All 16 teams have a chance at building a great team and the fans of every team have the hope that their pick will take them to the cup. The drafts give all teams a shot, some of them just have to do a better job of identifying talent.
