Academy Rorts - The 2025 Draft Thread

[irel]

The rorts continue.

foxsports.com.au/afl/draft/afl-draft-2025-date-top-prospects-stats-from-afl-academy-loss-to-richmond-vfl-daniel-annable-brisbane-dylan-patterson-gold-coast-jai-saxena-collingwood/news-story/c2ec6c04d3ef5a24ab676a21e0e1fc2d

This is promising. A mobile left footed ruckman. Just what we would need in five years time to support Smith.

On top of Annable, fellow Lions academy member Isaac Waller has also impressed AFL clubs across recent months. A 202cm left-footed ruck, Waller didn’t face Richmond’s VFL side but has caught the eye with his size and elite athletic ability.

 

[GenericUsername202]

Let's not peak just yet, i want to wait until cooper hodge nominates Brisbane over hawthorn as an academy pick before i start enjoying the opposition tears. Hawks board will probably go awol for a week.

 

[mpal6]

Let's not peak just yet, i want to wait until cooper hodge nominates Brisbane over hawthorn as an academy pick before i start enjoying the opposition tears. Hawks board will probably go awol for a week.

He's not at that elite level apparently, this is based on feedback from people who watch those lower levels. Hence the noise has died down a bit.

 

[mpal6]

You post this when Clug is leading the coaches votes as an inside mid, with like maybe 1-2 wing appearances at CBs all season?

View attachment 2284982

Wait until I make the same suggestion at the end of 2025 after McCluggage plays the whole season inside and wins Brownlow, AFL coaches award and even a Norm Smith !

 

[knaf]

Get back to me in October 2026 after this group’s got a threepeat, then we can talk…

My comments relate specifically to midfields. In terms of a relative strengths of both teams I still have the 2001 - 2004 group in front.

Also apologies for forgetting to include Shaun Hart in the 2001- 2004 group. One of my all time favourites. Problem with getting old.

 

[braddsey]

My comments relate specifically to midfields. In terms of a relative strengths of both teams I still have the 2001 - 2004 group in front.

Also apologies for forgetting to include Shaun Hart in the 2001- 2004 group. One of my all time favourites. Problem with getting old.

Fully get where you’re coming from.
No doubt we got a great midfield currently - that may improve as younger players gain experience… but i always think there’s a strong element of recency bias when trying to compare.
2001-2004 midfield had 3 brownlow medalists. The that’s quite an amazing feat, to go with 3 premiership medals each.

Regardless, I’m more inclined to enjoy both groups without comparison. Both are amazing groups of footballers!

 

[Nuggo]

Always hard to compare generations. Brute force of the 2001 team was scary but could they combat the run and spread and turnover hurt factor of the 2024 side. Both rides have been awesome - cheers to a few more!

 

[The Flying Belgian]

According to Ralphy, we're in line to pick up Beau Addinsall from our academy. Pillock.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Personally, I think we should get a priority academy pick .

 

[briztoon]

Personally, I think we should get a priority academy pick .

I hope every club gets 2 extra Cat B rookie spots (with the appropriate increase to the soft cap), that can only be used on nga/academy/father son kids, as part of the AFL's review in to academies.

 

[mpal6]

I hope every club gets 2 extra Cat B rookie spots (with the appropriate increase to the soft cap), that can only be used on nga/academy/father son kids, as part of the AFL's review in to academies.

Make it even stricter saying it's applicable for players who go through the system undrafted in their draft year but choose to persist via VFL or over ager in academy so they grow their skills and become draft eligible. For example Coleman and Bruce should be eligible for that Cat B spot.

Any club could've taken them, everyone passed, we persisted with them in the following year and we get reward for effort. It'll really make clubs invest in the overager space rather than just go for lazy pickings via NGA route checking parent lineage.

 

[briztoon]

Make it even stricter saying it's applicable for players who go through the system undrafted in their draft year but choose to persist via VFL or over ager in academy so they grow their skills and become draft eligible. For example Coleman and Bruce should be eligible for that Cat B spot.

Any club could've taken them, everyone passed, we persisted with them in the following year and we get reward for effort. It'll really make clubs invest in the overager space rather than just go for lazy pickings via NGA route checking parent lineage.

If the extra spots were in place, and only available for nga/academy kids, fair chance Coleman or Bruce would have been drafted in their 18th year this way.

Similarly, if it was in place last draft, kids like McFadyen and Gilder may have been added last draft.

 

[Miller1971]

Bruce Reville was a Cat B rookie, just 4 years later.

It is a good idea though, having extra Cat B spots for undrafted academy players.

McFayden and Gilder would have been prime candidates for this, same as Greenaway

 

[Nathan Barley]

If they're your 45th and 46th best players on your list, what's the chance of them playing anyway?

Just let them have another year in the academy, hopefully play VFL and then you can draft them a year later

 

[mpal6]

If they're your 45th and 46th best players on your list, what's the chance of them playing anyway?

Just let them have another year in the academy, hopefully play VFL and then you can draft them a year later

I think it kills the noise around academy being an unfair advantage only for top talent. It shows clubs genuinely investing in a couple of prospects who are not there yet but could come good if fast tracked in a professional environment.

If we make that 2 spots for NGA as well, then other clubs will also be incentivized not just to cherry pick talent but actually incubate and develop them so they can get the benefit out of it.

 

[Nathan Barley]

I think it kills the noise around academy being an unfair advantage only for top talent. It shows clubs genuinely investing in a couple of prospects who are not there yet but could come good if fast tracked in a professional environment.

If we make that 2 spots for NGA as well, then other clubs will also be incentivized not just to cherry pick talent but actually incubate and develop them so they can get the benefit out of it.

I thought we were discussing additional list spots

As long as I've been following this club we've clearly been keen to use later picks on local guys

 

[briztoon]

I think it kills the noise around academy being an unfair advantage only for top talent. It shows clubs genuinely investing in a couple of prospects who are not there yet but could come good if fast tracked in a professional environment.

If we make that 2 spots for NGA as well, then other clubs will also be incentivized not just to cherry pick talent but actually incubate and develop them so they can get the benefit out of it.

This was pretty much the argument put forward by the two WA clubs to extend the Cat B list, when the AFL ask for feedback re the draft and academies.

There’s no benefit for over agers to be playing in the academy series or the CTL games. Especially at the numbers we play in our team.

I’d rather us play more bottom agers or double bottom age kids in the team.


There’s a small chance that we miss out on a couple of our academy kids if we go to the draft where we have a strong draft age group, plus a couple of over agers who have improved to be draftable as well.

 

[briztoon]

I thought we were discussing additional list spots

As long as I've been following this club we've clearly been keen to use later picks on local guys

We were discussing two extra Cat B spots for nga/academy kids.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Surely we return to 46 men's players per club at the least.

I miss the days where you'd see about 44 names on Essendon's list and about 48 on Brisbane's and Sydney's.

 

[Nathan Barley]

This was pretty much the argument put forward by the two WA clubs to extend the Cat B list, when the AFL ask for feedback re the draft and academies.

There’s no benefit for over agers to be playing in the academy series or the CTL games. Especially at the numbers we play in our team.

I’d rather us play more bottom agers or double bottom age kids in the team.


There’s a small chance that we miss out on a couple of our academy kids if we go to the draft where we have a strong draft age group, plus a couple of over agers who have improved to be draftable as well.

No benefits for overage to play in those games? Way to overstate it

We're talking about late bloomers here not good enough to be drafted with the current system

 

[BuntonRules]

Bruce Reville was a Cat B rookie, just 4 years later.

It is a good idea though, having extra Cat B spots for undrafted academy players.

McFayden and Gilder would have been prime candidates for this, same as Greenaway

If you are going to do this, everyone should have access to them.