I agree with your post. People going on about how well Rosa played this draft, and how jackets would never of been this creative is being overblown. It’s kinda like when we draft a kid and they are a super star, until they have an average game and we get all down on them. Time will tell if Rosa is any good.
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It’s laughable that Private schools don’t like the reference to scholarships.
I went to school with a couple of lads who went on to play AFL, they got hassled weekly by a certain private school who demanded they swap schools. They said that they had been threatened by schools and local footy clubs saying ‘we’ll make sure you won’t get drafted’…… if they didn’t join the elite school & club.
Then when we got to playing school footy, those boys would get targeted off the ball…… as per the coaches instructions.
These schools are elitist, and they want to put all the AFL names up on a board in school reception so they can say they’re the best and stroke their big egos.
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I just noticed that random kid “LJ” who would somehow interview a whole heap of draftees throughout the year on his “Into the Fire” YouTube channel seems to have pulled the pin. Maybe puberty has struck and he’s out chasing girls or something.
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The NGA should mean that category B list are filled at every club.
But that’s not the case. Previously, there is no incentive for the NGAs to be great because you couldn’t bid on players inside the top 40. That’s changing which is good. But I don’t think it resolves anything.
Those good NGA prospects will find themselves on the main list, but the category list will continue to be vacant.
This is something the AFL need to get onto. But there’s a long list of stuff for them to deal with. Increasing football department spend, extending football lists, increasing AFLW lists, increasing AFLW & VFLW support staff, etc. They could reduce executive spend to bring these things forward, but we know that’s not happening.
You almost need something more radical like pushing the majority of the NGAs through a VFL list and get them into a professional sports team at a lower level earlier than when they first get to a club and are having to get used to an ‘AFL lifestyle’ that’s already hard enough to do let alone also having to get used to being away from your usual network of family and friends (which is a bigger issue for Indigenous people than is for another typical junior footballer).
I think whatever solution occurs for it, it’ll eventually push itself towards the current results. That’s been the long term trend (reduction in participation). Let’s face it, there is a far greater commitment (at both junior and AFL level) to be made to become an a professional footballer nowadays than thirty years ago. It’s just a bigger uphill battle for an Indigenous player.
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Jealousy is a curse! 
In regards to trying to get more indigenous kids coming though, could the AFL set up a club based out of Darwin that plays in the VFL so the kids could do an apprenticeship sponsored by their respective NGA clubs. Then maybe come into the AFL system a little later?
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So is unfounded pride.
We are coming from 20 years of failure, time will tell of course but you cannot condemn peoples want for change
I’ve always said they need to scrape the rookie list, then increase the cat b list size to say 6 and mandate that to use the 6 spots that half need be indigenous.
Or scrap the rookie list leave cat b as it is add a extra three list spots that can only be filled by indigenous rookies who missed the draft that is outside the salary cap
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It is fair not to get carried away, but also it’s fair to provide some context. Since 2007 when the first pick swap occurred, 87 straight pick swaps have happened during the trade period. Here’s a full list of Essendon’s by year:
2007-2023: 0
2024: 1
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I’m not sure how affective it can be. It’ll be better than what there is now, but may fester the same results.
Who is coaching the players? Are they any different to what’s being taught now at other local levels?
Is it setting the player up for the discomfort of leaving your cultural home and playing in Victoria (or another state) under a professional coaching group against players at a similar age but have had a different coaching / training upbringing that still needs to be worked on and developed just to make it in the AFL?
The problem is that a high majority of Indigenous players aren’t ready for the AFL professional system. And I don’t think the level of professionalism will be reduced to suit an Indigenous player, but there are cultural issues with bringing them up to speed.
BTW…
I’m talking about the majority. Guys like Cyril Rioli and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan are a small subset of the players coming through the NGA development path. Someone like Tippa put a lot of effort for very little return and still waited until 23 years old to get his opportunity.
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Yep, its been clear that Dodoro had no interested or appreciation for getting creative with this stuff. Other clubs have greatly benefited from advantageous pick swap deals over the years and we’ve done nothing.
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This is not right. I think you need to look harder into this.
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I’ll just add here before someone gives me the old “um, actually” that we have done two pick swaps in larger trades involving other players (Tim Kelly and Dow/Coffield). In the first we turned 37/52 into 33/57 and in the second we turned F3/52 into 35/F4. But this year was the first trade we’ve been involved in that was picks only.
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I think the mindset needs to shift even further. From coaches, support staff and other club leaders.
You can have support staff that treat the category B player the same way as any other 18 year old draftee and just keep cycling through them every year or two.
How many would gain the fitness and professionalism to reach the same level as a typical 18 year old draftee would across the same time?
I think indigenous players need quite unique plans and different timelines to assimilate to a professional football environment.
Whatever solution there is needs to change the environment and culture of a typical football club and how the football program functions.
That will also filter down into recruitment as well as you are taking a chance on a player with great instinct and skill, but without the running ability to run the 15km that football demands.
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Typically calling someone out on a matter of fact involves providing some sort of evidence that they’re wrong. Here’s why I think I’m right:
Here’s the list I looked through:
https://www.draftguru.com.au/trades
Several pick swaps on draft night, not during the trade period. Two trades where all Essendon received/gave were draft picks, but they were in multiple team trades involving players, not straight pick swaps.
I may have miscounted the number of straight pick swaps, it might be in the 85-90 range rather than exactly 87. If I’ve missed a straight pick swap by Essendon during the trade period, please tell me what it is and I’ll correct my post.
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Get rid of the bidding system for Indigenous kids in NGA’s completely. Clubs aren’t investing in them anyway. When you’ve got one club looking after a broad area, I don’t think they’re cultivating it properly. They may pick one good kid in that area and that’s it but because other clubs aren’t even bothering to look in that area either, there are less eyes on the kids than there was pre NGA.
I would create a separate rookie list. Any club can sign any indigenous player once they turn 18 from anywhere in the country pre draft. If a player is from a clubs zone they can sign them as a 17 year old. This will force clubs to properly monitor what is in their zone because no club will want to have another club pluck a player from underneath them.
In nearly every facet of life in Australia, indigenous people get left behind and now that’s happening in the AFL too.
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cos a_s_b is thinking draft night pick swaps
I hate to get picky…
But we did get two years of draft bans in that period.
Which severely hampers what you can and can’t do.
We also chose to effectively trade out of two drafts to secure Saad, Smith, Stringer & Shiel.
I’m not saying Dodoro was right in what he did and have no troubles with what Rosa is doing.
But he didn’t exactly have the same hand in this ■■■■ measuring contest.
I think we need to move on and close the book on Dodoro. Stop the ■■■■ measuring and just see how Rosa eventuates.
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