Rookie revamp rejected
Caroline Wilson
The Age
December 7, 2006
THE AFL and its senior coaches have fallen out over the league's refusal to amend the rules relating to the rookie draft next Monday, which John Worsfold and Terry Wallace say will end the careers of at least two footballers.
The AFL Coaches Association has failed in its last-minute bid to make footballers who are over 23 and have previously been on AFL rookie lists or senior lists available for next Monday's rookie draft.
Worsfold and Wallace learned on Monday night that, despite the endorsement of AFL Players' Association chief executive Brendon Gale, their respective bids to draft Brad Smith and James Podsiadly had failed.
"You begin to wonder whether it's worth having a coaches' association," Wallace said last night. "The spirit of the rule change was to allow kids over 23 a second chance at playing footy and giving boys a second chance in life.
"We made no attempt to get this rule through by the back door … West Coast and ourselves went through the official channels with our submissions which we put through, explaining our situations, and we hear back that they have ruled against us. It's very disappointing. James is one boy who will probably never get another chance now at playing AFL …
"I think they just need to be a bit careful with this rule. We are trying to get kids out of soccer and basketball who come into the draft having only played footy for a year or two.
"Physically or mentally they might not be up to it, having only been in the system since they were 16 or 17. But three or four years later they might be ready. The AFL tells us we have the opportunity to put them on our senior lists but that can be difficult in a quality year like this year."AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said: "It was only three weeks ago that we debated and discussed and approved each club having one player over 23 being allowed onto the rookie lists. That was put forward in a bid to try and attract a basketballer or late maturer into the game.
"Then Richmond and West Coast put through their submissions but I don't think it's a good practice to bring in another rule change two or three weeks after the last one."
Podsiadly, 25, has not played a senior AFL game — one criterion Wallace and Worsfold pushed for — but has been on Collingwood and Essendon's rookie lists. The Werribee player said last night that the AFL's decision had been devastating.
"I'll just go back to Werribee now," he said. "Terry has been fantastic in the time I've been training with Richmond and the progress I've made was great. I felt like I could have matched it with the elite. It really doesn't make any sense."The Eagles, who Demetriou insisted could have placed Smith, 23, on their long-term injury list, wrote to the AFL six months ago pushing the cause of the unlucky player.
Said club CEO Trevor Nisbett: "We were disappointed to learn we had not been successful. John just wants to give players as many opportunities as he can.
"When the (Adam) Ramanauskas situation came up there were extenuating circumstances and John's been extremely strong on the fact there should be allowances for other circumstances."
Said Demetriou: "Brad Smith is a very unlucky footballer but I don't see that we should be changing a rule two weeks after we've already changed it just to suit the circumstances of two clubs. If the situation continues to be a problem in the next few years then we'll look at it again."
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