Draft Assistance Package

Football Discussion Trade week Duursma head in
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Given how big a deal the media likes to make about Essendon’s mediocrity and that it is no longer a strict formula, but must be applied for and then approved by the commission, I suspect if we had the balls to apply for it it’s not as unlikely as some here are saying.

Those who object to the concept and just want us to get good on our own, I get. Personally I don’t like the compensation stuff whether for assistance packages or Free Agents or academies… but as long as we’re playing in a rigged system, I think we should try for and take every advantage that is on offer.

Cue the wait for someone to link this to saga era “Whatever it Takes” :slight_smile:

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I said before we should have cynically applied for one this year to make WCE’s application seem less defensible.

It wouldn’t have worked, but we should have tried.

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The AFL know we are a gutless Club that will not challenge anything they do.

They just continue to ignore us and roll on over us in every situation.

In fairness, can you blame?

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FMD the persecution complex is strong in some.

We only have pick 5 this year because the AFL rushed through a change that benefited nobody but us.
Could easily have left it for this year.

We don’t deserve assistance.

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Applied, knocked back but have Draper’s compo bumped as consolation.

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I mean….. do we have any dignity left?

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Don’t get upset for supporting a dumb ass club. WC will jump past us in 4 years time like many others have, whilst we hold onto a captain that doesn’t want to be here and a whole heap of injury prone players.

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3 teams finished below us this year.
7 teams below us last year.
And 7 teams the year before.

Are those teams all getting assistance packages?

We had 28 wins over that period. West Coast had 9. When North received their assistance, they had won 8 in their preceding 3 seasons.

Not happening, genuine fairyland stuff that we would even apply.

If we were to only win <4 next year, maybe we are in the conversation, coming off a 13 game losing streak in 2025.

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IMG_1653

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You can have whatever discussion about what it should be about, but what assistance is about is getting embarrassing teams to be slightly less embarrassing. Essendon is an embarrassment to its supporters but, second half of this season notwithstanding, generally not an embarrassment to the league.

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Want to know something else that will blow your mind? Brisbane got assistance as well since we won a final…

That said, this is a ridiculous discussion. You get assistance under the current rules if you have a truly horrific run of years. This is stupid, since it means you only get picks after you’ve gone through pain, rather than to fix it before hand, but heh, its the AFL. Under those rules, we are nowhere near worthy of a priority pick.

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I wouldn’t have said no to some additional rookie list spots and ensuring Draper gets Band 1.

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my system would help the teams that haven’t seen success. And effectively penalise those who have had recent success.

finals series of cats, hawks, Lions, Pies

not really anyone a neutral can get behind due to all the success they have had.

I wouldn’t have helped the lions out.
AFl only did for the TV rights.

vossy blew up the list dud trades the same as Eagles have with Kelly etc.

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Last year C7 stated they wouldn’t show our games at the end of the year and then asked to make sure we do not have prime games next year.

That qualifies as an embarrassment to the league.

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As I said, second half of this season notwithstanding.

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They were discussing Essendon on TR if we have a horrible 2026 we should be entitled for compo.

Josh Jenkins reckons we won’t be any good next year

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If you want to fix equalisation, that is easy. Make changes along these lines:

  • The bottom 6 teams automatically get priority picks between the 1st and 2nd round every year.
  • The bottom 4 teams don’t have a free agency offset against compensation for players lost if they bring a player in.
  • Free agency compensation picks are paid for by the receiving team from their draft hand, with a discount. The discount increases or decreases based on the ladder differential between the losing and receiving teams. Compensation is increased, with a limit they don’t kick in before pick #11.
  • Bottom 4 teams get an additional 2 list spots for two years
  • Bottom 2 teams can spend 5% of their salary cap on coaches outside the soft-cap, with that money being paid across 2-3 years.

That would do an awful lot to fix equalisation.

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3 more years of less than 6 wins and we might have a case

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Club should ask regardless if they say no so be it

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How do you know that they haven’t

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