Lift draft age to 19 and relieve students' stress

Ted Richards - The Age - 22 June

THE AFL has made modifications to the game over the past few years, and many of these changes, such as the concussion rule, have been introduced with the players' welfare in mind.

But there is another change the AFL should consider, one that would be a significant shift and that would have an impact on players on and off the field. The AFL should increase the minimum draft age a further year to 19.

For aspiring AFL players, the most important year of their school life, year 12, unfortunately coincides with the most important year for football, the year they are trying to get drafted. For all potential draftees, year 12, which is already an incredibly difficult year, is all the more demanding and stressful.

Article in full...

I was determined to hate this article when I opened it but the thought of watching potential draftees running around in the VFL/WAFL/SANFL for a year would be pretty cool.

The VFL clubs would push to have their kids continue to play with them after they've been drafted like they do in the SANFL.

Student stress = fair enough.

Not all talented footballers are studying though...should they come under a different rule???

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Originally Posted by mjp

Student stress = fair enough.

Not all talented footballers are studying though...should they come under a different rule???

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Good point MJP but I think the tide is turning, clubs realizing that they are paying for some players for 2 to 3 years when they arent ready.
Older rookies ready to step up all ready been noticed.
I think its a great idea as they play a year in the lower leagues against older players, no school pressure and you get a better idea of the junior talent being good enough for senior footy against ex Afl players.
At 18, 95% arent ready.
Perfect example Hawkins of Geelong, a beast in under 18s but was caught up by senior footy.
Jack Watts, Ayce Cordy, the list goes on...

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Originally Posted by mjp

Student stress = fair enough.

Not all talented footballers are studying though...should they come under a different rule???

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Would that not just provide incentive to drop out of school for those kids who perhaps don't have a solid parenting environment?

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Originally Posted by bornadog

Libba, Wallis, Dahlhaus;)

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As i said 95% and Wallis and Libba spent 2 years preparing at the club because the club and they knew where they were going.
For every name you pick there would be approx ten who dont play in first year, some not even until 3rd year or not at all.
I think if you have 40 odd players on a list you want them all to be able to play seniors if required.
Clubs are hungry to pick up young talent so others dont get them even if not ready, they take the gamble meaning they are 3 to 4 players down on the list every year.

I say make them a year older, a year in senior footy, a year showing their wares without clubs spending money on a list clogger because of age for one to two years.

Any thoughts on whether starting a year later might translate to players staying in the game longer as well?

Bear in mind that the average age to finish school varies from state to state.

After reading the article through to the end, I have to say, it's worth a look. Another idea worth looking at is for AFL clubs to be able to draft a player at 18 as the current system stands, but they then are required to go off and spend a year studying / finishing Year 12 / getting some life experience / travelling or backpacking / playing in the state leagues / etc.

The club wouldn't pay their salary until the next year, and the guys can go off and work out what they want to do after footy, or at least see a bit of the world, knowing they have an AFL career waiting for them.

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Originally Posted by Maddog37

Any thoughts on whether starting a year later might translate to players staying in the game longer as well?

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I don't think so. Most 30-something players hang the boots up because their body won't take any more punishment, and whilst a year later might alleviate that to a degree, their age is a major factor. 30 year olds just dont recover as well as 20 year olds. I'm approaching my 30s and starting to realise that as well :)

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Originally Posted by BornAScragger

I'm approaching my 30s and starting to realise that as well :)

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Try approaching your 40's - powers of recovery are almost non-existent!

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Originally Posted by Sedat

Try approaching your 40's - powers of recovery are almost non-existent!

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or into your 50's:(

Wallis got a 98 or so ATAR, Libba 90+, Wood 96, Cordy 98, and there are countless others around the leauge with outstanding academic performance.

Maybe it isn't really a factor?

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Originally Posted by ledge

As i said 95% and Wallis and Libba spent 2 years preparing at the club because the club and they knew where they were going.
For every name you pick there would be approx ten who dont play in first year, some not even until 3rd year or not at all.
I think if you have 40 odd players on a list you want them all to be able to play seniors if required.
Clubs are hungry to pick up young talent so others dont get them even if not ready, they take the gamble meaning they are 3 to 4 players down on the list every year.

I say make them a year older, a year in senior footy, a year showing their wares without clubs spending money on a list clogger because of age for one to two years.

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You can't have it both ways though. The clubs don't HAVE to pick them...a club could quite easily institute a policy whereby they did not draft players who had not played senior footy at state level. But as you say they never would (though you might say Fremantle 'nearly' have!) because they can't resist the talent on offer.

Not everyone is going to be a rocket scientist. For some kids, it really is a 'play footy and make a go of it' or 'become an unskilled laborer' type scenario - given this, I don't understand why we are suggesting they need to wait. I just can't be convinced that forcing a kid to play state league footy and dig ditches (or worse, live at home using his footy income for spending money and play playstation 24x7) for 12-months is better preparation for AFL footy than being part of an AFL footy club is.

Some guys are blessed and have the ability to attain good tertiary entrance scores/successfully negotiate a uni course AND play good footy...others have only one path open to them.