Draft discounts may fall into lineCallum Twomey
afl.com.au
April 1, 2015 3:28 PMCLUBS would be offered the same 25 per cent discount for father-son and academy prospects under the proposed new bidding system to be presented to the AFL Commission this month.
Under the bidding reform tabled by the AFL in January after months in the pipeline, each draft selection was allocated a points value on a sliding scale.
Clubs nominating a player as a father-son or academy draftee would then be forced to use their existing draft selections to match the value of the pick used by the club bidding for the player.
The AFL suggested a discount of 25 per cent be given for academy graduates and 15 per cent for father-sons.
The discount to the total points required to match a bid was added to ensure clubs have an incentive to maintain the father-son tradition and invest in northern state academies.
But as AFL.com.au reported in February, clubs shared varied feedback on the discount that should apply for each category of players, with some recruiters believing they should be equal.
It is understood the recommendation to be put to the Commission is likely to have both discounts at 25 per cent, with a decision expected this month on whether the new system will be in place for the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
There are unlikely to be many major tweaks to the original revamp proposal.
The Commission will also rule on including the new bidding system as a live element of draft night.
The live concept has gathered widespread support from clubs, who have previously complained about the father-son and academy bidding meeting being at the start of trade week in early October – sometimes nearly eight weeks before the national draft.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2015-04-01/draft-discount-on-the-cards
