CLUBS will pay a fairer price for young talent if the AFL adopts a revised father-son and Academy bidding system presented to AFL CEOs.
Under the proposal, each draft pick would be assigned value according to a statistical formula that will allocate points to each draft selection.
These values would then be used to determine the fair price a club should pay if it wants to acquire a father-son or Academy selection.
Under the current system a club only has to select the nominated player with its next available pick if an opposition club bids for him.
The proposed system would also include a discount or credit to ensure clubs investing in father-son and academy programs retained enough incentive to continue to invest in developing that talent.
If accepted it would mean that a club might have to use more than just its first-round pick if acquiring highly sought-after talent.
In the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, the Western Bulldogs snared Mitch Wallis at pick No.22 and Tom Liberatore at pick No.41, gaining an advantage because they had two father-son picks in the same season.
Collingwood's father-son prospect Darcy Moore and Sydney Swans' Academy graduate Isaac Heeney are both considered potential first-round draft picks so those clubs may have to deliver more than a first-round pick if the new system is adopted for this year’s national draft. However it remains to be seen whether the system will be ready in time.
The proposal of the revised bidding system was presented to AFL CEOs at a two-day meeting and a working group will be set up to work through the three issues that need to be resolved:
- The statistical chart needs to tested to ensure it makes sense
- The discussion around incentives and discounts that apply for father-son and academy players needs to be determined.
- The mechanics of how the bidding system might work in practical terms leading into the draft needs be developed and tested.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said there was still a chance the system could be introduced for the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.
"If we can get it right … it'll come in, and if it's not it won't," McLachlan said.
McLachlan indicated there was support among club CEOs for the idea of finding fair value.
"People understood where it was at, why it was in place and what it could do. But it's got some iterating to do yet and we'll continue to discuss with the clubs," McLachlan said.
The amount of discount clubs will receive for running the academies remains a contentious issue for northern states although they are understood to accept the need to pay fair value to ensure the draft is not compromised.
AFL.com.au understands clubs were presented with the trade Collingwood and West Coast made during last year's trade period when the Magpies received pick six and 44 and gave the Eagles pick 11, 31 and 49 in return, to show how the allocation of points to picks might work.
Observers have suggested that although the revised system might seem more complicated, it should provide a more accurate representation of value when father-son and academy picks are considered.
On Wednesday, 35 draft-eligible club academy players were lodged with the AFL as potential bid selections for this year’s NAB AFL Draft.
The academy system is seen as an important method of growing the talent pool in northern states with the Sydney Swans investing more than $1 million per annum - funded largely through donations and corporate support.
The northern states argue academies need to be club branded to gain traction in non-traditional football states.
