North Melbourne believe it would be unfair if draft is postponed, support quarantine hub concept
Should the 2020 draft go ahead? With a trio of early picks in the upcoming draft, North Melbourne have made their views abundantly clear Meanwhile, see their stance on the quarantine hub concept.
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North Melbourne is adamant the AFL’s national draft should go ahead this year and will happily play games in whichever city or quarantine hub is most safe for its players.
There are calls to postpone the draft until the end of next season or limit clubs to one or two picks as the AFL looks to reduce list sizes.
But Kangaroos football boss Brady Rawlings said scrapping this year’s draft would be unfair on clubs which already hold extra future picks and the draft hopefuls trying to enter the top level for the 2021 season.
North has three selections in the first two rounds of this year’s draft including Melbourne’s top pick and Essendon’s second-round choice, while the Cats are also sitting on three first-round choices.
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Rawlings said his club already had a strong handle on the talent in this year’s draft and, in any case, would make informed calls on players, even if there were minimal underage games played.
“One hundred per cent, the draft needs to occur this year,” Rawlings said.
“When you bring in future picks, you do that knowing there are some risks involved. Players get injured and all sorts of things.
“But the risks should never be that the whole draft doesn’t eventuate at all.
“We know there will be reduced visibility of players, but each club is in the same boat, so there is no advantage. It is a level playing field.”
The league is in talks about resuming the season in quarantine hubs such as Perth and Melbourne once the coronavirus crisis subsides.
It means players could be sent interstate for four-week blocks to play a series of games off short breaks, but those plans hinge on the players’ support and suitable family arrangements.
Rawlings said the Roos had developed a strong program for players in the meantime, including morning workouts and afternoon education and connection sessions.
He said the Roos would be well-placed to resume the season, potentially as early as June or July, according to club sources.
“I think there is a fair bit to work through still and we don’t have any real clarity on how that is going to look,” Rawlings said.
“But our position as a club is we will do whatever it takes, as long as our players aren’t put at risk.
“So we will look to play the games any way possible. Wherever it is, we are up for it.”
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Rawlings said the club was pleased with the feedback it had received from the players throughout the postponement, after a stirring come-from-behind win over St Kilda in Round 1.
“We have put in place as quickly as we could a schedule and routine for the playing group,” he said.
“So the conditioning in the morning they have got to have that done by certain times and then we set up education sessions in the afternoon for them.
“We are covering different parts of the game from a football sense, and they have also got study groups, movie groups, coffee clubs.
“We have got a lot of optional sessions for them and plenty in their schedule to keep them engaged and getting them out of bed nice and early and that refrains them from playing PlayStation all day.”
Originally published as North Melbourne believe it would be unfair if draft is postponed, support quarantine hub concept
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