The AFL has come under fire for its handling of North Melbourne’s assistance package request, while Kangaroos coach Alastair Clarkson has copped criticism for comments around Ben McKay’s impending exit.
The Roos on Monday were given three extra end-of-first round draft selections spread over two years – one this year and two next year – as well as two extra rookie list spots for 2024, as part of an AFL assistance package.
The club can trade the two future picks this year, even though the AFL reserves the right to review the pair of 2024 draft selections at the end of next season.
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AFL coaches Chris Scott and Ross Lyon both lamented the AFL’s decision, with the former suggesting on Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night it was “blatant manipulation”.
Speaking on Channel 9’s Footy Classified, veteran reporter Caroline Wilson suggested Lyon and Scott weren’t the only key AFL figures left disappointed by the call.
“I think the way the AFL handled this was deplorable,” Wilson told Footy Classified.
“They put this out before the Brownlow started, they released it to the presidents and CEOs then. The presidents, I don’t think a lot of them understood exactly what was going on.
“The competition committee has been completely left out of this entire argument – why even have it?
Are Roos receiving too much assistance? | 03:22
“There’s real disappointment at Laura Kane from some clubs. I’m not suggesting this, but Laura of course was at North Melbourne when the initial assistance package request went in back in 2021. There’s anger at Andrew Dillon, anger at Gillon McLachlan, who’s done this as his last move, some believe, to help Alastair Clarkson.
“Alastair Clarkson’s had a really tough year, North have had so many tough years. But Damian Barratt for years has been saying: ‘How many chances? How many players have they allowed to come into this club and let them go?’
“The phone calls to AFL headquarters (on Tuesday) have been ongoing. We heard from two coaches, there were at least another five I saw at the Brownlow who were white with fury.”
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Asked if the Roos didn’t deserve any assistance from the AFL, Wilson said: “I think three (picks) was too much.
“I have enormous sympathy and I really admire what all the leaders at North Melbourne have been trying to do. But to do this without any consultation to the clubs and to just completely ride roughshod over the rest of them, I think it’s too much.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan on Tuesday night defended the league’s call, claiming on AFL 360 Scott and Lyon’s criticism didn’t paint a full picture of the concessions and that North’s lengthy subpar period was the major reason behind the AFL’s decision.
But four-time Port Adelaide best and fairest winner Kane Cornes said he could understand why rival clubs would be angry.
“I would be embarrassed if I was North asking for that … and if I was Chris Scott I’d be embarrassed as well because they (the Cats) refuse to rebuild,” Cornes told Footy Classified.
Roos granted 3 1st Round picks by AFL | 00:58
“Adelaide were in a similar position to North … and they’ve rebuilt on their own and Hawthorn are doing the same now without any assistance.
“It is a little bit embarrassing.”
The Roos now hold three first-round selections – Picks 2, 14 and 19 – and three 2024 first-round selections ahead of this year’s AFL exchange period.
And they could soon add Pick 3 to that draft hand, with McKay’s request to move to Essendon as a free agent a strong chance to trigger a compensation pick in the first round
Clarkson on Monday night told SEN’s Sportsday the Roos can’t lose McKay “for a back-end of first round or second-round pick”, adding: “We’ll see how that plays out, but hopefully the compensation will be somewhere at the top.
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“That’s what’s very, very difficult for us. We spent seven years building Ben up to be the player we thought he could be for the next seven and now he goes to the Bombers.”
Cornes suggested that was somewhat hypocritical coming from Clarkson, considering Hawthorn used trade and free agency aggressively when he led the club through its premiership dynasty.
“He continues to speak about the loss of Ben McKay … Once again it’s a short memory,” Cornes said.
“This is how they built the premierships (at Hawthorn) by poaching players from other clubs.
“He said (he was) frustrated they spent seven years (developing) McKay. Well look at those names that came directly from other clubs that spent a lot of time there developing there to build that premiership dynasty under Alastair Clarkson.”
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