What you are asking is for kids who chose to be professional sportsmen, to take two years off their [limited] working life! I am not sure how the AFL Players Association will view that as a good idea!

This is where the whole things gone askew ( imho ) 2 years off what life ?? Who ever has outlined and documented what is or isnt a career ?

According to someone else's posting 3/4 of players never make it to 50 games , a third of which never even play a senior game !! There are NO guarantees . iIts a privileged life that of a professional competitor. Yes they put in the yards but the rewards are enormous but its very nature is of supreme competition and a lot fall to the wayside and meld into the rest of the working world there after

You can't change the draft age. Look how long we had to wait for Jack Viney. Very frustrating. He was ready to go for years....

It's up to clubs to be a little more thorough in their recruiting process, analysism scouting and interviews etc. At the end of the day most are largely guesses. Its good to know when we win a flag we will still be able to find draft gems anywhere in the top 60 or so.......

It's up to clubs to be a little more thorough in their recruiting process, analysism scouting and interviews etc. At the end of the day most are largely guesses. Its good to know when we win a flag we will still be able to find draft gems anywhere in the top 60 or so.......

Semi agree - It's up to clubs to be a little more thorough in their recruiting process, analysism scouting and interviews but accept that with so much development to happen between 18 and 22, and with so many unknowns about how these juniors will turn out despite intense scrutiny that whoever any club picks, 3 years down the track accept there was a better player (s) available at your pick.

You can't change the draft age. Look how long we had to wait for Jack Viney. Very frustrating. He was ready to go for years....

It's up to clubs to be a little more thorough in their recruiting process, analysism scouting and interviews etc. At the end of the day most are largely guesses. Its good to know when we win a flag we will still be able to find draft gems anywhere in the top 60 or so.......

The Jack Viney of the future can wait, maybe he would have learned how to bump and protect himself as he had to do when came to the club.

The clubs are thorough - the failures continue - and they will not cease. The most funded clubs will always have an edge, the edge will be diminished with more exposed form if kids were made to play two years of state league footy before being drafted.

The clubs with less are making less educated guesses and it hurts the league.

And you last point about winning the flag and finding gems in the 60s is tongue-in-cheek isn't it?

The drafting age is right, the kids need to get into the system at that 18/19 age mark so they can be trained and educated. You allow them to do this outside the AFL system you might find a couple but you will have a lot more be completely underdeveloped.

The drafting age is right, the kids need to get into the system at that 18/19 age mark so they can be trained and educated. You allow them to do this outside the AFL system you might find a couple but you will have a lot more be completely underdeveloped.

No, you will find the ones that will develop are already on their way to developing and the ones that were never going to make it are no longer costly mistakes.

The Jack Viney of the future can wait, maybe he would have learned how to bump and protect himself as he had to do when came to the club.

The Jack Viney 'bump' I think he has perfected. The tribunal thinks so!

The Jack Viney 'bump' I think he has perfected. The tribunal thinks so!

Yes, but the club had to work with him because he was endangering his own health with his technique.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-coach-paul-roos-says-coaching-staff-instruct-jack-viney-to-brace-for-contact-to-protect-against-concussions-wants-explanation/story-fni5f91a-1226909515291

The drafting age is right, the kids need to get into the system at that 18/19 age mark so they can be trained and educated. You allow them to do this outside the AFL system you might find a couple but you will have a lot more be completely underdeveloped.

We used to have a wonderful system of under 19's , Reserve grade and the Seniors. The kids would develop at under 19 level and if they were good enough would go on to the ressies and after a year or 3 would be physically ready for senior footy...... Strangely worked quite well ( with the exception of zoning). Strange concept of kids develpi g bodies for the rigours of league footy.

I am all for raising the age and returning to an under 19s comp.would be a much better Indicator of who.is going to make it at senior level

We used to have a wonderful system of under 19's , Reserve grade and the Seniors. The kids would develop at under 19 level and if they were good enough would go on to the ressies and after a year or 3 would be physically ready for senior footy...... Strangely worked quite well ( with the exception of zoning). Strange concept of kids develpi g bodies for the rigours of league footy.

I am all for raising the age and returning to an under 19s comp.would be a much better Indicator of who.is going to make it at senior level

Clubs can't afford to have under 19's and Reserves.......Footy is now a 24/7 occupation you would have to pay money to these players. I agree with your views, it was a good system but it has past it's use by date

We used to have a wonderful system of under 19's , Reserve grade and the Seniors. The kids would develop at under 19 level and if they were good enough would go on to the ressies and after a year or 3 would be physically ready for senior footy...... Strangely worked quite well ( with the exception of zoning). Strange concept of kids develpi g bodies for the rigours of league footy.

I am all for raising the age and returning to an under 19s comp.would be a much better Indicator of who.is going to make it at senior level

An under 19's comp would be great. Alternatively a new Under 21 team (well) funded by the AFL that plays in say the VFL with a list of the best forty or so under 21's in the land. The Young Guns.

An academy if you will (assuming interstators would want to come to Melbourne - but if it meant quality training and development environment i guess most would be keen, as they are with the AIS).

I would raise the age by one year as they are planning to do in the NBA next year (for all the same reasons as made here with the AFL). In my scenario the Young Guns VFL team would have the best young prospects for a year, before being drafted. Those who don't get drafted can remain in the Young Guns, continue to develop and try their luck in the following years draft(s). If not picked up by 21 they then could filter into the VFL or SANFL etc.

The Young Guns would have exposure and causal fans could become a lot more aware of and informed about who is coming through (as occurs in the states with college bball and football). Good facilities. Good training and development. Would be expensive but might be offset by generating some revenue and would be an investment in the future. I imagine might also be attractive to a stand alone sponsor - eg the NAB Young Guns.

The drafting age is right, the kids need to get into the system at that 18/19 age mark so they can be trained and educated. You allow them to do this outside the AFL system you might find a couple but you will have a lot more be completely underdeveloped.

You're kidding right

Barlow, Priddis, Ballantyne, Mzungai amongst others didn't take any time adjusting to the system the only difference is the increased training load and improved fitness at the full time professional level

The Hawks have shown that you dont need big hulking forwards to be successful! What you do need is taller high quality mids. That is where we will be going in the draft. Forget Mccartin....again!

The Hawks have shown that you dont need big hulking forwards to be successful! What you do need is taller high quality mids. That is where we will be going in the draft. Forget Mccartin....again!

I'd love for us to draft him, if only to see the huge apology/excuse you'd have to come up with!!!

The Hawks have shown that you dont need big hulking forwards to be successful! What you do need is taller high quality mids. That is where we will be going in the draft. Forget Mccartin....again!

Err Roughead 193cm David Hale 201cm And buddy the last couple of years at 196cm aswell.

Pretty sure you do need big haulking forwards come finals time.

No brainer.

The Hawks have shown that you dont need big hulking forwards to be successful! What you do need is taller high quality mids. That is where we will be going in the draft. Forget Mccartin....again!

Lets compromise and draft McCartin as a mid

Lets compromise and draft McCartin as a mid

Best of both options.

You're kidding right

Barlow, Priddis, Ballantyne, Mzungai amongst others didn't take any time adjusting to the system the only difference is the increased training load and improved fitness at the full time professional level

It's not that those guys were underdeveloped, it's that others don't develop without full time coaching, sports science and medical support. There's only 1 or 2 really good mature pick ups each year across the league, which is crazy when each year there is no way the recruiters managed to draft the 80 best prospects. Kids just as good as those drafted don't come back the next year which makes little sense.

Take all our failed draft picks. So much has been said how our lack of development culture stopped those guys become AFL players and the proof is in the pudding that the majority of them have been unable to develop when given second chances at new clubs. Crucial years from 18-21 in physical, emotional and skill development was wasted and it can't be fixed.

AFL teams bemoan the standard of footballing education given to a lot of juniors.

It's the same in several other sports. Take tennis where the Aussie juniors struggle out of the system. Or soccer where young guys fail when not in the right systems.

If you were to raise the draft age then you'd have to massively invest in making sure 18,19, 20 etc year olds are in the right programs. Which probably means not state leagues. Some clubs (Box Hill) would do well, other clubs across the 30+ teams of the VFL, SANFL, WAFL would see kids really struggle if anything close to their current programs.

You only need to look at the NSW and QLD academies to see the effect of professional development. Previously those kids only really had limited professional coaching besides from when they got with their state sides for the carnival. Now they have regular academy help. It's gone from very few NSW kids drafted and not many more from QLD to very quickly looking like most of those clubs will have multiple draftees each year and there will be more kids left over to be drafted.

Father sons as well. The dogs have set up an academy and have been training up teenagers giving them a boost along. I'm sure we passed on advice to Viney and Stretch to help their development. Raising the draft age could be doing the opposite for a bunch of 18-21 year olds.

AFL teams bemoan the standard of footballing education given to a lot of juniors.

If you were to raise the draft age then you'd have to massively invest in making sure 18,19, 20 etc year olds are in the right programs. Which probably means not state leagues. Some clubs (Box Hill) would do well, other clubs across the 30+ teams of the VFL, SANFL, WAFL would see kids really struggle if anything close to their current programs.

I think we're talking a chicken and egg scenario here, lifting the draft age sees no further need for TAC Cup and would see more money going into Grass roots footy namely VFL, SANFL,WAFL

This in turn would see these clubs putting more development into their zone and IMO holding these players over till they were 20years of age would not affect their development on the flipside you would see greater development towards natural footballers and the project athletes or players who some say never realise their potential would be found out before drafting, the likes of Cook, Watts, Oakley-Nicholls, Liam Jones, Lucas, Thorp, Mckernan, Strauss, Blease and numerous others would have been found out at this age after a couple of years being exposed to senior players and IMO the success rate of drafting would improve.

As you say there are a few exceptions to the rule of Ballantynes, Priddis etc but the same can be said of the Wines, Judds & Selwoods who make an impact from day 1

I think we're talking a chicken and egg scenario here, lifting the draft age sees no further need for TAC Cup and would see more money going into Grass roots footy namely VFL, SANFL,WAFL

This in turn would see these clubs putting more development into their zone and IMO holding these players over till they were 20years of age would not affect their development on the flipside you would see greater development towards natural footballers and the project athletes or players who some say never realise their potential would be found out before drafting, the likes of Cook, Watts, Oakley-Nicholls, Liam Jones, Lucas, Thorp, Mckernan, Strauss, Blease and numerous others would have been found out at this age after a couple of years being exposed to senior players and IMO the success rate of drafting would improve.

As you say there are a few exceptions to the rule of Ballantynes, Priddis etc but the same can be said of the Wines, Judds & Selwoods who make an impact from day 1

Now that makes a lot of sense you have my vote PSD

I think we're talking a chicken and egg scenario here, lifting the draft age sees no further need for TAC Cup and would see more money going into Grass roots footy namely VFL, SANFL,WAFL

This in turn would see these clubs putting more development into their zone and IMO holding these players over till they were 20years of age would not affect their development on the flipside you would see greater development towards natural footballers and the project athletes or players who some say never realise their potential would be found out before drafting, the likes of Cook, Watts, Oakley-Nicholls, Liam Jones, Lucas, Thorp, Mckernan, Strauss, Blease and numerous others would have been found out at this age after a couple of years being exposed to senior players and IMO the success rate of drafting would improve.

As you say there are a few exceptions to the rule of Ballantynes, Priddis etc but the same can be said of the Wines, Judds & Selwoods who make an impact from day 1

Erasing the TAC cup won't improve the standard, more likely it would do the opposite. You would still need an elite junior program for teenagers.

It seems that Brayshaw is a lock for pick 2 but there is so much conjecture and uncertainty over pick 3 it wouldn't surprise me if at draft time when it comes to pick 3 we call out "pass".

I'm extremely happy to think we've practically traded Frawley for most likely McCartin or Petracca.

Edit forgot to add Frawleys name.

Erasing the TAC cup won't improve the standard, more likely it would do the opposite. You would still need an elite junior program for teenagers.

Spot on. A simple and elegant solution would be to have the tac cup play for another year. If cost was an issue you could simply have the kids start a tear later

Erasing the TAC cup won't improve the standard, more likely it would do the opposite. You would still need an elite junior program for teenagers.

But the problem with the TAC cup is its a hybrid bastardised version of the game really. All the little kiddies in cotton wool doesnt reflect how they'll go in a 'real' game of footy and thats where all the problems associated with the great draft-lotto emanate from