The women's draft is hard to get excited about because with the development pathways being so limited, there's not much evidence to consider who might be an outstanding prospect or not.

In the end, success of players and teams in the women's league will be determined by the effort put into development by the club and the players. Aside from core fitness, it'll be character that we need to look for, and that's hard to know about from the outside.

Still, looking forward to finding out who the newest Demons will be.

So just need a sanity check from you good folks.

regarding the Transgender player who wants to play AFLW... I can't help but think that if you are biologically male, it is an unfair advantage to play against biological women. I don't think it should be allowed

does anyone agree? am I a bigot who should broaden his mind?

these days I'm scared to voice my opinion so it would be great to get some constructive feedback.  cheers

23 hours ago, DubDee said:

So just need a sanity check from you good folks.

regarding the Transgender player who wants to play AFLW... I can't help but think that if you are biologically male, it is an unfair advantage to play against biological women. I don't think it should be allowed

does anyone agree? am I a bigot who should broaden his mind?

these days I'm scared to voice my opinion so it would be great to get some constructive feedback.  cheers

I think your opinion's understandable, especially as this isn't really something that has come up before in Aussie Rules. And I agree if we want to have an informed opinion, it's up to us to educate ourselves by asking for feedback. Luckily the internet makes it easy. Some links:

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/transgender-athletes/7669902

https://www.transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people

In terms of the specific case, the player has been undergoing gender transition treatment for years and meets the IOC guidelines for testosterone levels. She might be taller and bigger, but so are other women who identify as female. And what happens to her right to play sport if this isn't allowed? If not in the AFLW (should she be good enough to be drafted), where does she play?

Anyway, I hope that's helpful. I'm not trying to change anyone's minds but wouldn't want a sincere question to go unanswered.

43 minutes ago, Dees_In_October said:

I think your opinion's understandable, especially as this isn't really something that has come up before in Aussie Rules. And I agree if we want to have an informed opinion, it's up to us to educate ourselves by asking for feedback. Luckily the internet makes it easy. Some links:

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/transgender-athletes/7669902

https://www.transequality.org/issues/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-transgender-people

In terms of the specific case, the player has been undergoing gender transition treatment for years and meets the IOC guidelines for testosterone levels. She might be taller and bigger, but so are other women who identify as female. And what happens to her right to play sport if this isn't allowed? If not in the AFLW (should she be good enough to be drafted), where does she play?

Anyway, I hope that's helpful. I'm not trying to change anyone's minds but wouldn't want a sincere question to go unanswered.

thanks DIO! much appreciated.

Nice mix of facts and subjective feedback. :-)

I'll add it to the mix as I form an opinion over the coming years

On 10/16/2017 at 4:38 PM, DubDee said:

So just need a sanity check from you good folks.

regarding the Transgender player who wants to play AFLW... I can't help but think that if you are biologically male, it is an unfair advantage to play against biological women. I don't think it should be allowed

does anyone agree? am I a bigot who should broaden his mind?

these days I'm scared to voice my opinion so it would be great to get some constructive feedback.  cheers

Very surprised by the AFL decision.

Dubdee's was my fist reaction but when you do some reading the answer is obvious.

The IOC have been dealing with this issue for some time and have clear rules based on testosterone levels. Mauricey clearly satisfied the testosterone levels as a female athlete. End of issue from my viewpoint.