Assistance package and a compensation pick are 2 different things - completely unrelated (or at least should be unrelated).
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The logic of the AFL never ceases to amaze me. They are refusing to provide any meaningful support to a team coming off one of the worst seasons in recent memory and that hasn’t won a final in more than 20 years.
The AFL appears to be justifying its position by saying Essendon is already effectively receiving an additional pick. But that completely overlooks the restrictions this places on the club.
For starters, it removes our ability to trade the No. 1 pick - for example, splitting it into two top-10 picks - while still retaining the end-of-first-round selection. That flexibility could be incredibly valuable for us given we are desperately needing to bring in as much elite young talent as possible.
It also effectively forces us to bid on either Walker or Cochrane if we want to secure the additional pick. We may well rate them as the best one or two players in the draft, but the AFL’s approach still takes away our options and forces our hand.
There’s also the possibility, however small, that a bid isn’t matched. In that scenario, we end up with the player we bid on but we aren’t entitled to the end-of-first-round pick at all.
It’s such poor logic, particularly when next year’s draft is going to be so heavily compromised.
I really hope that, at a minimum, a support package is provided next year that gives us the ability to acquire Bewick and Darwish by matching bids. If the AFL isn’t prepared to provide meaningful assistance now, it should at least ensure the club isn’t further disadvantaged when trying to rebuild through the draft.
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Except where compensation is manipulated to give one team pick 2 for a free agent and a team they like less pick 20.
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What would be the point of that?
it’s not only pick 20, it also wipes out more picks before our next pick by making both clubs pay up.
Like I said, pick 20 or better.
I do think that Rosa is trying to mend a few bridges that Dodoro burnt over the years. We are going to be in a similar situation with NGA’s next year so if something amicable can be worked between the 3 parties that would be ideal.
There are literally dozens of ways we could improve our draft hand via pick upgrades etc if we are mature enough to sit down and work things out.
I think Rosa will work something out and I wouldn’t at all be surprised if we don’t end up bidding on one or either player
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Not really. We’re getting some assistance much faster other clubs in previous years. Blitz wanted the AFL to do us a special favour; now they haven’t they’re not happy and blaming the AFL.
Because they’d had multiple seasons as bad as our 2026, duh. Because they weren’t already getting a bonus pick. Because the AFL wasn’t concerned that the season sucked due to bad injuries, coaching, and that the club might bounce back on its own.
We are well aware of your stance. But the AFL appears to be arguing they are giving us something but it’s half baked, restrictive and not even guaranteed.
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We’re getting assistance faster than other clubs, and if (when) 2027 sucks we may get significant assistance if it helps us get Bewick and/or Darwish while keeping our first pick.
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I’ll also say that with Tasmania coming in next year and essentially in a position to take the best players from those drafts now it was only a logical solution to give us the helping hand they gave West Coast last season. It really isn’t that much as far as assistance goes. If I were Rosa and Welsh I’d reject the extra picks.
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Which is what the media reported was the AFL’s view back in March. What we are getting (extra rookies) is still earlier than other clubs got.
Sorry, what assistance are we getting?
Extra rookie slots, according to that Age article.
Wow, that’s HUGE!
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And yet it’s more than any other club got this quickly this decade.
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Depending on what your metrics are….
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They didnt have the looming spectre of Tassie which is the key difference.
We finished 15th last year and got pick 9.
The top 2 players this year are club tied.
We will likely be bottom 4 next 2 years when the draft is as heavily compromised as it can be.
It is a disgrace they conditioned the club to think we’d get one and then to renege last minute.
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What do you mean this quickly?
Do you mean our record over the past 18 months, which is one of the worst in AFL history?
Or do you mean by the metric you keep using that our past 5 years haven’t been bad enough? Or do you mean that we’re on the longest streak of any club not to win a final?
Twice as long as any other club.
You accuse of choosing a metric to fit an argument, but I’d argue we’ve struggled long enough to be given assistance - particularly considering Tasmania’s about to enter the competition.
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Not bidding on one for a mutually beneficial outcome, certainly. There is next to no chance we won’t bid on either.
Did all the other teams get the third best player for finishing last? Or likely next year to get the 8th best player for finishing last and pay relatively more for a FS than anyone else?
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Arrhh but history says we haven’t lost enough games for enough seasons
