THE AVERAGE age of a draftee has spiked by a year-and-a-half since 2008 as clubs have looked to more mature prospects to fill their lists during the AFL's expansion era.
Amid calls from some clubs to lift the minimum draft age to 19, the AFL's wide-ranging talent review has found the average age of players drafted and rookie-listed rose to 20.6 years in 2013.
Before new clubs Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney took hold of the country's top prospects from 2009, the average age of a player who was drafted and rookied in 2008 was 19.1 years.
That jumped to 19.7 years in 2009, then 20.4 years in 2010. There was a slight dip in 2011 (20.2 years), before successive increases over the past two years as clubs look more broadly for players who are ready to step into the AFL system and thrive.
The average age of a draftee has increased since 2004, when the average new player in the AFL was 19.8 years. However, whether the trend continues will be interesting, with the drafting of state-league players dropping by 46 per cent in the past two years.
The findings form part of the review of talent pathways undertaken by the AFL's operations manager Mark Evans and projects manager Tristan Salter, who will present to clubs and state bodies in a forum on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium.
They will address the audience of list managers, recruiters, football bosses and state talent representatives about the League's talent strategies, and what can be done to improve a system which is largely viewed as successful within clubs and the competition.
Their research has found significant insights into the current talent model, and where it could be headed.
Statistics over the past 10 years showed Victoria contributed 51 per cent of the draft pool, with Western Australia (17 per cent) and South Australia (16 per cent) nearly on par.
Queensland has produced seven per cent to be next most effective, but the introduction of the Giants has seen New South Wales-ACT become the "best performed" non-traditional market in the past three years.
But the figures reveal the number of players drafted into the League fell by 22 per cent from 2012 to 2013.
While that supports recruiters' views the 2013 draft crop lacked depth, it also indicates clubs are being more patient with players on their lists rather than delisting them and bringing in more draft selections.
The review found that although club expenditure and the salary cap had continued its rapid upward curve since 2009, the League's investment into the talent pathway had not changed apart from small staggered consumer price index gains.
Last year, the AFL and states contributed $18.75 million in the talent area, while club football departments spent a combined $132.75 million on non-player expenses.
It is understood in the past four years the club spend on recruiting has almost doubled from approximately $10 million to $18 million last year, with some discussion on Tuesday set to focus on how and where the AFL best uses its funding.
Diversity issues have also been part of the review, with it finding 75 per cent of indigenous players who are drafted will play an AFL game, compared to 68 per cent of non-indigenous players.
However, using the data from 1998-2013, once those players have debuted, the non-indigenous player will play on average 21 more games in his career than the indigenous player.
The role of the AFL National Academy will be another talking point, with the selection and size of the squads, their funding and future plans to be evaluated. The League's talent review showed since 1998, 80 per cent of Academy players were drafted onto senior or rookie lists.
Last year saw only 73 per cent of the Academy squad picked, which was the lowest since 2004, when almost a third of the squad did not get drafted.
Whether draftees enter football in good enough health and fitness, and capable of making the leap to the top level, is another point the AFL's study has researched.
A survey completed showed 82 per cent of players drafted in 2008 reported an injury during their draft year, with most of them due to being overworked.
Clubs are adamant the gap is widening between the top level and Under-18 competitions, with the central point of Tuesday's forum, and the months-long review, to be what measures can close that so players arrive more prepared to last – mentally and physically – in a demanding environment.
