Young Guns series could be answer for AFL draft hopefuls
With the under-18 season on hold for another three months and the VFL in doubt, a VFL captain says there’s a way for AFL draft hopefuls to showcase their wares to recruiters.
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The NAB League season has been delayed until at least September.
The AFL this afternoon told officials from the under-18 competition that all staff would be stood down for another three months.
The league indicated they will be brought back sooner if possible.
It’s unclear how the season will be structured when it resumes but one NAB League official said this afternoon: “We might be able to have a handful of games in September and October but it’s not many for the kids, is it?
“Who knows what they (AFL) will do with the draft.’’
The news comes after a VFL captain said today the AFL should run a Young Guns series for emerging talents if the VFL season was scrapped.
Sandringham’s Brede Seccull said the year wouldn’t be a complete a write-off if likely prospects from the VFL, NAB League, and suburban and country competitions were brought together for matches.
AFL Victoria staged three Young Guns matches in 2019.
“I’ll put myself in their shoes. If I was 19 or 20 or a top-age Sandy Dragons player, those three or four years where you really want to get drafted, I’d be gutted to have a season taken away from me,’’ Seccull said today.
“I’d be absolutely gutted and I’d think, ‘Could this cost me a chance to get on an AFL list?’
“Why not throw together some Young Guns games? If it’s 10, at least they will have a chance to put their best foot forward, play some footy and put their names in front of recruiters.
“Otherwise they miss out on a year when they could potentially have been picked up.’’
Seccull, a two-time best and fairest at Sandy, said a Young Gun series would be preferable to adding NAB League players to the VFL in the second half of the season.
A number of VFL clubs had suggested a VFL-NAB League model to the AFL as a means of getting a season started and spotlighting draft prospects.
“If your goal is to get exposure, I don’t think the best way to do it is in a compromised VFL season,’’ Seccull said.
“The best way to do it is through Young Guns games, rather than throwing these kids to the wolves. Imagine them playing against Port Melbourne or Williamstown in a full-scale VFL game.’’
He said it would be up to recruiters to nominate players.
Seccull, a two-time best and fairest at Sandy, said he doubted the VFL season would go ahead.
If it does, AFL clubs will have no involvement, leaving stand-alones Coburg, Frankston, Port Melbourne, Williamstown and Werribee and aligned teams Sandringham, Box Hill Hawks and Casey Demons in the fixture.
Seccull said it was hard to see how Sandy could take part.
“I can’t see the season going ahead, to be honest,’’ he said.
“Everyone misses footy, everyone wants to play footy, but the league isn’t structured up to work this way.
“The stand-alone clubs, absolutely they could come in and play a season, but I can’t see how an aligned club could. For example Sandringham have structured their coaching staff and the list around having St Kilda involvement. If you take that away, we wouldn’t have a senior coach, head of strength and conditioning, we wouldn’t have assistant coaches.’’
Seccull said the lack of information about the VFL season had frustrated players. But they continued to prepare to play.
“It would be nice to have some direction on whether a season is likely, or some sort of date,’’ he said.
“The guys are like, ‘Are we training for footy, is there going to be a point?’ I’m just trying to say look, you always have to stay ready so you never have to get ready.’’
VFL clubs are due to talk to AFL talent pathways and state leagues competitions manager Tristan Salter early next week.
READ MORE: Push for AFL to bankroll VFL season | Clubs split on local footy return | Radical plan to showcase AFL hopefuls