How the AFL's focus on private schools is creating a Northern Territory talent drain

The AFLNT’s announcement of a new Youth Academy this week is welcome news. But more needs to be done and it might require some radical thinking, writes Matt Cunningham.

There were no players taken from the Northern Territory in this year’s AFL draft.

That should surprise nobody.

The NT has produced some of the greatest players the game has ever seen.

Players like Andrew McLeod, Michael McLean, the Riolis, Darryl White, the Bowdens, the Motlops and Nathan Buckley have brought with them unique skills that have made the game far more exciting to watch, and have no doubt helped boost the AFL’s mighty coffers through expanded TV rights and increased match attendance.

But getting drafted from the Territory today is almost impossible.

In fact, getting drafted from anywhere but an “elite” private school in a metropolitan area is a hard ask.

This week, the Weekly Times – the “bible of the bush” in country Victoria – published an analysis of the AFL draft over the past decade.

This year, just six players were drafted from under-18 Talent League clubs based in country areas.

Tony Frawley, the inaugural manager of the Ballarat Rebels in the under-18 competition and a former chief executive of the AFLNT said the situation should be concerning for those at AFL head office.

“The under 18s were formed so that country kids could stay at home, get good coaching and get as many drafted,” he said.

“Sadly, all the elite country kids are accepting scholarships at private schools which has resulted in the current poor percentage of country kids being drafted.”

The situation is the same here in the NT.

By the time they reach year 10, most kids here with a bit of talent are accepting scholarships to private schools interstate.

They know there is no pathway for them here.

This is one of a number of things that has severely weakened the local junior competition, which is now in disarray.

Kids who head south will probably play more than 30 games of footy in a season, between their school, their local competition and the Talent League.

Here, they’ll be luck to play 10.

We’re about to head into Round 9 of the AFLNT season, and Round 7 of the junior season, which for some unknown reason starts two weeks after the seniors.

At this point there are players in my son’s under 15 team who have played less than 10 quarters of football, thanks to byes, player rotations and cyclone cancellations.

And these quarters are only 12 minutes long – even shorter when the AFLNT implements its “heatwave” policy.

Almost half-way through the season, some kids have played the equivalent of one senior game of football.

The AFLNT has made this situation worse by implementing a by-law – contradicting the national guidelines – that actively discourages talented players from participating in a higher age group.

When they do get to play they are usually forced to endure some of the most oppressive conditions you could imagine.

The under 15 and under 17.5 age groups play most of their games during the heat of the day on Sundays, while many of Darwin’s floodlit ovals sit vacant at night.

It’s little wonder kids are taking the first opportunity to get on a plane to a school interstate. Talented kids are leaving the Territory in large numbers.

In many cases they end up taking the rest of their family with them.

And it’s hard to blame them for leaving.

The AFLNT’s announcement of a new Youth Academy this week is welcome news.

But more needs to be done and it might require some radical thinking.

Top of the list of priorities should be shifting the junior competition to the dry season, with a commitment to play full-length games on full-size grounds.

Territory teams once punched above their weight at national carnivals.

These days they routinely get thrashed, in part because most of the players haven’t played a competitive game in several months when they’re suddenly asked to compete against the best players in the country, who are in the middle of their seasons.

Without change the talent drain will no-doubt continue.

Talented Territory kids are now helping to play a part in one of the slickest marketing campaigns you’re ever likely to see.

The AFL, run largely by the private school alumni, seems to have little issue with what is happening.

The media, particularly members of the AFL commentary teams who often either went to these schools or have children there, all play their part, routinely calling out which private school a player went to when they get the ball, conveniently leaving out the part about them being a talented junior long before they were offered a scholarship at Xavier or Scotch.

This has allowed the perpetuation of a myth that if you don’t go to a private school, you’re probably going to be too much hard work.

Former West Coast Eagles coach Adam Simpson accidentally said the quiet bit out loud in 2021, when clubs were having their budgets cut post-Covid.

“We’re probably a coach short and a couple of medicos short as well and I’ve said this before but it does affect who you draft and develop,” Simpson said at the time.

“You’re more inclined to go safer in the draft and you’ll draft the same type of player — Mum and Dad are still married, kids go to the private school, not too much of a hassle off-field.”

But you have to wonder what the AFL is missing out on, particularly from the Territory, because it’s now seen as too much of a hassle.

Originally published as How the AFL's focus on private schools is creating a Northern Territory talent drain