SANFL clubs concerned of damage mid-season draft will cause to their playing lists
THE AFL confirmed it will hold a rookie draft in the middle of next season which has South Australian state league officials worried about the knock-on effect and the future of their clubs and players.
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NORWOOD chief executive James Fantasia has claimed it would be irresponsible for AFL clubs to pick up elite talents such as Magarey Medallist Mitch Grigg in a mid-season draft.
And he believes the potential damage to state league clubs created by the AFL’s controversial mid-season draft, to be introduced next year, will be enormous.
Fantasia said any player taken in the draft should be offered at least a two-year contract to compensate for the upheaval in their life and there needed to be a restriction on the number of players taken from a club.
“Of course we don’t want to lose Mitch as a player, but it would be great for him and great for the competition and the club,” Fantasia said.
“But to take him in a mid-season draft is irresponsible in every shape or form with regards to the benefits of the state league and even the player.
“If they put him on for four months and delist him, does that help Mitch Grigg? It has done absolutely nothing for him. He has probably lost his job.”
Fantasia said he was okay with a mid-season draft provided it did not impact at a state league level.
“The minute they start messing around with the state league level it is a massive concern for what we believe is the betterment of the game, not the betterment of AFL footy,” he said.
“Back in the day when we had the Australian Football Council, they made decisions best for football, the game itself. You have got to be really careful you are not letting your elite top tier dictate what is best for you, as opposed to what is best for the game.
“The gain for an AFL club is so insignificant compared to the disruption to SANFL clubs and sometimes I don’t think they think the whole process through.”
Fantasia, who has worked at Adelaide, Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn, said it will impact clubs in many ways, including future sponsorships and memberships.
Central District chief executive Kris Grant said a mid-season draft showed a lack of respect from the AFL to state leagues.
Grant said the move was not great for the overall game.
The clubs are also concerned they will lose key players to Adelaide and Port Adelaide and be forced to play against them in the same season. While the two AFL clubs will be strengthened, the state league clubs will be weakened.
The SANFL again spoke out in opposition to the mid-season draft and has questioned the peak body on protecting the welfare of players and the interests of state league clubs and the competition.
SANFL chief executive Jake Parkinson said the league had expressed its concerns on the impact of a controversial mid-season early this year and was disappointed with the AFL Commission’s decision to introduce it in 2019.
“We have been on record as saying we are strongly opposed to any move by the AFL which causes disruption to SANFL teams and players, and subsequently uncertainty for their supporters, midway through the season,” Parkinson said.
“We have a vibrant state league as highlighted by the attendance of over 40,000 at this year’s grand final. That’s something worth valuing and protecting in the football landscape by the AFL.
“While we naturally want to encourage players to aspire to the highest level, we do not believe that should come at the expense of clubs who are trying to win a SANFL premiership, only to have their best players cherry-picked midway through the season.
“There is a significant level of investment in terms of resource, time and energy by volunteers, members, players, coaches and administrators that goes into building a SANFL team in pursuit of the ultimate success.”
Fantasia said administrators needed to be conscious of the situation in Tasmania, a traditional football state which had lost two traditional clubs.
“It is the same as losing South Adelaide and West Adelaide and is caused by not looking after grassroots and state leagues,” he said.