AFL scraps priority picks

[one-eyed]

AFL scraps priority pick
By Adam McNicol
Tue 21 Feb, 2012


THE AFL has scrapped the special assistance rule, under which poor-performing clubs were automatically granted priority picks in the NAB AFL Draft.

Stricter criteria for any assistance has been developed to replace the old rule, which was consistently linked to tanking.

Under the old rule, any team that accumulated 16 match points or fewer in a year was entitled to a selection prior to the second round of the draft, while any club with two consecutive seasons of 16 points or less, was entitled to a selection prior to the first round of the draft.

Clubs getting a priority pick after just one bad season had become particularly controversial.

The most recent example of that was when the West Coast Eagles received a priority pick (it was No. 26, which they used to select highly touted key forward Jack Darling) in the 2010 draft.

Although the Eagles had won the wooden spoon that year, the situation was seen as unfair because the club had won a premiership in 2006.

The new system, which is yet to be finalised, will take into account a number of factors.

They are: a club's premiership points over a period of years; its percentage over a period of years; any finals appearances in recent seasons; any premierships in recent seasons; and club injury rates in each relevant season.

"The commission accepted a recommendation that stricter conditions for any special assistance should be developed," AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said.

"The old rule had become a permanent feature of the draft that skewed the draft in favour of the bottom clubs of that particular year, relative to other clubs near them on the ladder.

"The draft, along with the salary cap rules, are designed to ensure an even spread of talent between the clubs and clubs should not be over-compensated for a short period of poor performance.

"As clubs have become more sophisticated with talent identification and development of young players, the success around early picks in the draft has become much greater."

Port Adelaide, the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast would all have qualified for picks at the start of the first round if they'd had poor seasons this year.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/129293/default.aspx

[gerkin greg]

First Conca now this. Don't they normally wait until we are eligible for something before changing the rules? Bizzaro.

[Penelope]

I wonder how much Bailey's retracted non admission to cheating had on this decision?

It should be a good a move, but history tells us they will still eff it up.

[The Mole]

Lets hope we dont have to worry about the priority pick for along time

[Dubstep Dookie]

On the positive side, if we continue to finish out of the 8 a top 10 pick beckons......

Nah eff that, bring on finals

[mightytiges]

So after saying year after year that tanking wasn't happening, Andy D and AA are abolishing PPs because there's the perception of tanking. Righty-o  .

As for what they should do - the PP should be only for clubs that fail to make finals over a long period (say 5 years). So if a club misses the finals for a 6th year in a row irrespective if they finish 9th, last or anywhere in between then they get a PP. And yes off the top of my head we would be one of just a few clubs that would be currently eligible  .

[Hellenic Tiger]

If that's the case MT given our recent 30 year record we should have the first three rounds of the draft all to ourselves.