What purpose the draft

[tdy]

What purpose is the draft for? Is it just to give clubs power over the players careers?
Is it just to fill the non footy period with news stories?
In the 70s plates could just swap clubs. This lead to good players leaving crap clubs to win premierships. Today this still happens, ala Tom Lynch. Now just average and poor players get less choices because the clubs own them. It is also impossible to get great players to leave potential premiership clubs aka Dustin Martin and North Melbourne. But that hasn't changed from the 70s.

Rugby League doesn't have a draft just a salary cap to limit strong clubs dominating the comp like soccer. Players move every year and the whole comp is pretty even. Clubs that rort the cap lose premierships like the Storm which does not happen in the AFL aka Carlton and Essendon come to mind. They lose draft picks.

Yet losing draft picks as a threat didn't stop Essendon trying to drug their way to victory nor did the salary cap in Rugby( at Manly was it? Or Cronulla?) It's an after the fact punishment that works only somewhat.

Has losing a Brownlow stopped players trying to cheat? Probably some. Has it stopped clubs trying to cheat, probably some again. Has losing 2 or was it 3 priershups stopped the Storm cheating, probably a lot.
So we can punish without the draft and it's probably much the same.
So why draft at all?
If you just allowed players to move then in theory the bottom team should be able to buy a bunch of average players to fill their gaps and become a middling team in one year.
Is this heresy?

What are people's thoughts?
Wherefore club loyalty, the dustbin of history?

[Diocletian]

Bring back the recruiting zones and rotate them every 5 years.

[Rampsation]

I liked the old form 4 system. Imho each club can get 3 form 4s to sign 3 players outside of the draft. The playets who dont get picked up under for 4 can go in a non compulsory club draft to be picked up by clubs who need to fill their list.

[Tiger Khosh]

The purpose is for equalisation as the bottom placed teams get access to the best young talent which over time should theoretically result in a premiership.

its no coincidence that a big core of our premiership side; dusty, Cotchin, rance, edwards, vlastuin, Riewoldt, etc. were all first rounds picks.

Heaps of variables though, hence it takes some longer than others.

[Andyy]

Edwards 2nd round.

Rance technically second round?

But you are right, all top 26 picks.

[tdy]

The purpose is for equalisation as the bottom placed teams get access to the best young talent which over time should theoretically result in a premiership.

its no coincidence that a big core of our premiership side; dusty, Cotchin, rance, edwards, vlastuin, Riewoldt, etc. were all first rounds picks.

Heaps of variables though, hence it takes some longer than others.

And yet with just a salary cap and no draft the NRL is reasonably equal too.  Not saying the draft doesn't equalize things, it does, I agree with you there and I'm not sure I'm even arguing against the draft just contemplating AFL without it.  Could North Melbourne buy a midfield this year to play finals next year? Would it happen? Would it be good?

[Tiger Khosh]

If you got rid of the draft the big market sides would dominate even more then they do atm. Suspect Gold Coast would fold, gws not too far behind then a couple of the small market vic teams too.

[Diocletian]

Now give us the cons....

[Rampsation]

If you got rid of the draft the big market sides would dominate even more then they do atm. Suspect Gold Coast would fold, gws not too far behind then a couple of the small market vic teams too.

That would be a good thing for the comp.

[Gracie]

What purpose is the draft for? Is it just to give clubs power over the players careers?
Is it just to fill the non footy period with news stories?
......

Rugby League doesn't have a draft just a salary cap to limit strong clubs dominating the comp like soccer. Players move every year and the whole comp is pretty even. Clubs that rort the cap lose premierships like the Storm which does not happen in the AFL aka Carlton and Essendon come to mind. They lose draft picks.

........

Interestingly there is some in Rugby League arguing that the NRL should introduce a draft

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2021-rookie-draft-andrew-abdo-peter-vlandys-bulldogs-tigers-broncos-cowboys/news-story/7702fc9ba2124e10cd67d8dbc2ac9446

[Diocletian]

If you got rid of the draft the big market sides would dominate even more then they do atm. Suspect Gold Coast would fold, gws not too far behind then a couple of the small market vic teams too.

That would be a good thing for the comp.

Yep.

Big 4, Geelong, Hawthorn, Melbourne, 2 WA teams, 2 SA teams, 1 each in the northern states & Tassie is all we need...and even then we could probably do without Melbourne & Tassie...just set up & fund a strong reserves/second tier comp with a Victorian & National conference and the leftover & expansion clubs included instead....

[WilliamPowell]

If you got rid of the draft the big market sides would dominate even more then they do atm. Suspect Gold Coast would fold, gws not too far behind then a couple of the small market vic teams too.

That would be a good thing for the comp.

Yep.

Big 4, Geelong, Hawthorn, Melbourne, 2 WA teams, 2 SA teams, 1 each in the northern states & Tassie is all we need...and even then we could probably do without Melbourne & Tassie...just set up & fund a strong reserves/second tier comp with a Victorian & National conference and the leftover & expansion clubs included instead....

 I can give you over 2 billion reasons why that won't happen

And FWIW, to suggest that the NRL is "reasonably equal" is just not accurate.... but a discussion for another day

[Diocletian]

Until they realise much more people will watch a high quality comp with real clubs they can identify with than they will the diluted half-arsed nonsense full of soulless franchises with generic seppo names playing second rate meaningless games..

[WilliamPowell]

Until they realise much more people will watch a high quality comp with real clubs they can identify with than they will saturated diluted half-arsed nonsense full of soulless franchises with generic seppo names.

TV networks especially pay TV and streaming want content, quality is secondary

[Diocletian]

What's the point if half the games on the weekend either overlap or clash....who the stuff's watching GC v Norf or GWS anyway? If all the anecdotal evidence is to be believed less & less people are watching neutral matches thanks to the crap rule changes and the increasingly thin spread of talent..with a well implemented & funded plan & proper vision they could still have plenty of content and even more......