Afl mid season rookie draft

As early as next year, they cannot be allowed to bring it in to rectify their mistakes, they have over the summer to get it right, they should not be able to interfere with state league clubs

Surely the sanfl will grow some balls & reject it totally

SANFL has questioned the AFL’s announcement of a mid-season draft – due to come into effect next season, saying the move will create uncertainty and confusion for SANFL clubs and players.



SANFL CEO Jake Parkinson said the League had written to the AFL earlier this year to express its concern about the impact a mid-season draft would have on the SANFL League competition and was disappointed by the decision of the AFL Commission.



“We have been on record as saying we are strongly opposed to any move by the AFL which causes disruption to SANFL teams and players – and subsequently uncertainty for their supporters – midway through the season,” Mr Parkinson said.



“We have a vibrant State League as highlighted by the attendance of over 40,000 at this year’s Grand Final. That’s something worth valuing and protecting in the football landscape by the AFL.



“While we naturally want to encourage players to aspire to the highest level, we do not believe that should come at the expense of clubs who are trying to win a SANFL Premiership only to have their best players cherry-picked midway through the season.



“There is a significant level of investment in terms of resource, time and energy by volunteers, members, players, coaches and administrators that goes into building a SANFL team in pursuit of the ultimate success.



“Additionally, the mid-season draft asks players to make huge sacrifices and take a leap into the unknown, potentially interstate, with no guarantees about the outcome on their future prospects.”



Mr Parkinson said SANFL has written again to the AFL executive asking for answers to a range of questions in terms of protecting the welfare of the players and the interests of SANFL clubs and the competition.



“We await their response and further clarity on how the mid-season draft will work for everyone involved,” he said.

All sanfl & perhaps wafl clubs should finally stand up in unison against it & perhaps just say enough is enough & if you go on with it we will cease accomodating their clubs in our competition.....if they don’t do something we’ll continue to dilute to nothing at all

Agree 100%.

Unfortunately whilst Olsen is at the helm I can't see the sanfl standing up to the afl on any front.

They should play hardball and remove Port and the Crows as well as enforcing current sanfl contracts. That may be harsh on a player but the integrity of the comp is at the redline. That is a bigger issue than players getting rookie listed.

Short of including non-exit clauses in contracts (which the AFL would legally fight and win) what can any of the state leagues do about it?

I agree with the sentiment of posters here and would love to see no AFL representation in our comp but the state leagues can only push back against the AFL so far. The AFL can simply threaten to turn off the flow of money to the state leagues and it's game over. And they honestly don't give a tinker's cuss about our integrity or independence. They care about us to the extent that we are useful to them.

Flag10 fair comment

Imo should be midyear draft between the afl clubss existing players and rookie listed players.

In all honesty and fairness however sanfl clubs and thier equals australia wide have for many years including now have grabbed contracted lower grade players to play at sanfl league or reserves totally disrupting that lower grades finals aspiration.

Perhaps what the afl is doing is no different to what the sanfl team have and are doing so whats good for the goose is also good for the gander. I see no difference in the afl and sanfl attitudes to teams in lower grades let be fair

So a realistic hypothetical.
We have at present a system that allows Port and Crows the ability to pillage the sanfl of players by rookie listing them at the start of the season.
Most of them end up playing sanfl against their old sides.

With this new mid-season draft the same will happen. So we can have a player start with one sanfl side and end up playing sanfl for either Crows or Port.

That is hardly fair to 8 sanfl clubs.
All of this is making a mockery of salary caps and such restrictions for those 8 sides.

Maybe those 8 sides should also be allowed mid-season recruiting too.
I am unfamiliar with the rules surrounding that.

But each chip the afl takes off the sanfl, the more the comp is diluted, threatened or rendered unequal.

Yes we take afl money, but at what point does all of this become untenable? I use the analogy of a heroin junkie needing his supplier to keep on going. Only by going "cold turkey" do I think we will restore the balance and fairness. And yes that would be a bumpy road. However, with some visionary ideas, could we be better off in the long run?

I’d vote for chambo to go onto the S.A football commission