Warren Partland opinion: The AFL Commission decision to introduce mid-season draft shows no respect for SANFL or other state leagues
THE decision to introduce a mid-season draft next year shows contempt for the SANFL and is not warranted. The AFL Commission has taken the eye off the ball and that ball is the game itself.
AUSTRALIAN rules football is all about the top-tier elite, there is no other conclusion following the announcement on a mid-season draft from next year.
What the AFL Commission is saying with its decision to rubber stamp the mid-season rookie draft from next season is it does not care about state leagues or grassroots football.
To rob clubs of leading players half way through a season is nothing short of a joke. Imagine if Norwood had lost Mitch Grigg, Matthew Panos and Cameron Shenton midway through this season?
The Redlegs instantly go from premiership favourite, which they were, to looking over their shoulder in the race for a finals spot due to circumstances completely out of their hands.
Even worse, what if Grigg was drafted to Adelaide for a second time? It is a massive boost for the Crows reserves, while it significantly weakens the Redlegs. He could be playing for the Redlegs one week, and against them the next.
And when those players are delisted at the end of the season, their welfare becomes the issue for the SANFL clubs.
SANFL clubs work extremely hard to develop and provide fantastic environments for players with limited resources and they have been treated with a total lack of respect.
AFL clubs have 40 players on their list. Injuries are part and parcel of the game and building a list is a skill. It is a challenging skill and that is why vast numbers of recruiters are employed. It is not the fault of the SANFL if AFL clubs are not doing their job.
There should be no need for a mid-season raid. Maybe a mid-season trade period between the AFL clubs?
The AFL Commission has taken the eye off the ball and that ball is the game itself. There is so much more to the game than the AFL and the people running the sport need to be very careful.
There has already been a funeral service for, as Norwood boss James Fantasia describes them, two traditional football clubs in the traditional football state of Tasmania.
The role of the AFL Commission down the track is going to be a rescue mission if the obsession with the national competition continues without consideration for those who actually provide the players.