The AFL is poised to revamp the bidding system for father-son and academy players at the draft after club frustrations reached fever pitch, report the Nine papers.
The league and club GMs of football will meet on Thursday with one of the top agenda items to include a review of the current system.
While it has always been controversial, notably with Collingwood landing Nick Daicos a couple of years ago, Gold Coast’s ability to secure four academy prospects in the first round of the 2023 draft as part of seven total players receiving bids drew the attention of the footy world.
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AFL head of football Laura Kane informed the clubs the system would be reviewed before the draft, according to Michael Gleeson’s report.
While it’s unlikely any changes would be made for the 2024 Draft because future picks have already been traded, a number of options to simplify the system are on the table.
READ: How the Suns exposed the draft’s big flaw – and how to fix it
Collingwood head of football Graham Wright and long-time Geelong list boss Stephen Wells had previously proposed a system where teams must use a pick inside the round a bid is received.
For example, the Suns would have needed to use four first-round picks to match bids for Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham.
Alternatively the system would have meant clubs needed a pick within nine picks (half a round) of the bid, so the Walter bid which came at Pick 3 would’ve meant the Suns needed to acquire Pick 11 or better.
Another option would see clubs only able to use two picks to match a bid – meaning the picks required would be much higher in the order. For example, instead of being able to use picks 42, 43, 44, 45 and 46 to match a bid at pick 3, a team would need to use picks 20 and 21 (or better).
It is unclear whether changing the actual points values of the picks themselves is on the cards, but it is clear by the way teams behave that later picks do not have as much value as the system currently claims.
Other options would include scrapping the 20 per cent discount given to teams who are matching bids, or in an extreme example, tweaking the rules to how Next Generation Academy players are accessed – only when they receive a bid outside the top 40.
The review comes as Brisbane CEO Greg Swann argued critics of the system were overreacting.
“The Vics will whinge and carry on so they’ll put pressure on,” Swann said on SEN.
“But this is a little bit of an anomaly and people are carrying on a bit much just because of one draft.”
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