Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has called on the AFL to bring forward the national draft, arguing the current timing creates unnecessary complications for clubs and overshadows the women's competition. The suggestion comes as all 18 club CEOs and the AFL executive gather on the Gold Coast for a two-day conference in the coming days.
Beveridge's Proposal for an October Draft
The draft is traditionally held at the end of November, after most prospects have finished their final exams. This means new players often arrive at clubs while pre-season training has already begun. If the draft were held in October, players would arrive while coaches and medical staff are still available. However, the obvious downside would be the distraction for teenagers during a stressful period with their schooling.
Beveridge, who also believes the draft should be for 19-year-olds, put forward his suggestion to AFL CEO Andrew Dillon at a recent catch-up. “One thing that I put forward for the whole industry and I pushed for back when we were talking about pathways ... I’m still big on the draft being a 19-year-old draft with clubs being able to take one player from the under-18s, especially with Tasmania coming in, I think there is an opportunity to adjust to that,” he said after Sunday’s win over St Kilda.
Addressing Exam Concerns
“The one thing I suggest for the industry was for the draft to be at the end of the third week in October. The only reason it isn’t is because we’re paranoid about the potential draftees having to find out whether or not they’re being drafted before their exams,” Beveridge explained. “If that’s the only consideration, I think there’s an argument the other side of that to say that the students would just rather know. Just let them know and then they can concentrate on their exams. And for everyone in the industry, it just makes sense. Like we’ve got medical staff still going, coaches still going, the media build up to the draft is madness. We could get it all done.”
Benefits for the AFLW Competition
Perhaps the most significant benefit would be that the draft becomes the last major event on the AFL calendar, giving the AFLW competition “clean air.” “And the other thing that it does, it gives the women’s competition clean air. Totally clean air because (at the moment) it clouds it a little bit,” Beveridge added.
CEO Conference Agenda Revealed
Meanwhile, Channel 7’s Tom Morris revealed the key items on the agenda at the CEO conference, and said future proofing the competition will be the most relevant for fans. “Winning the next gen of fans is mostly about how Australian sports can take inspiration from other sports like the NBA and the soccer over there,” he explained on Seven. “Decoding the new Australia is about multiculturalism and how we can lean into that. The creator-athlete era — that’s where Mark Evans, the Gold Coast CEO, will host a panel of players to talk about how athletes can help bring money into the game and clubs. Future proofing the competition is probably the most relevant for fans, that is about how the fixture will look once Tasmania comes in; how many rounds will it be, what’s going to happen to the bye weeks and whether opening rounds and other rounds still exist.”
