Live trading, two-day draft on the table for 2018

THE AFL is open to live trading of players in the national draft but that could result in the draft turning into a two-day extravaganza from next year.

THE AFL draft could turn into a two-day live player trading extravaganza that also includes the rookie draft under one of a range of ­proposals to introduce next year.

The league is open to a move to live trading for the 2018 national draft, believing it would give clubs more flexibility to improve their lists.

Only players just selected in the draft could be used in trades between clubs, not ­players already on AFL lists.

Clubs could either move up the draft order to select a player still available or wait until that player is selected by a rival club then immediately trade for him.

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Under one model discussed, each club in the first two rounds of the draft would have five or six minutes after each selection to request that player via a trade of later or future picks.

That could see the first two rounds of the draft played out over three or four hours.

The next day the remaining rounds of the draft could be completed, possibly without trading of picks, before the rookie draft takes place.

The draft class of 2016: (front row) Tim Taranto, Andrew McGrath, Jack Bowes; (middle row) Sam Petrevski-Seton, Hugh McGluggage and Griffin Logue; (back row) Will Setterfield, Jack Scrimshaw, Will Brodie and Ben Ainsworth. Picture: Toby Zerna

Clubs believe there is no reason why there is a three-day wait from the national draft to the rookie draft — with the pre-season draft now largely irrelevant.

Host broadcaster Fox Footy would need cameras covering all clubs, which might be in separate rooms with a representative officially selecting players in a central location.

But the AFL will have to work through concerns over player welfare given the potential for draftees to be traded to a different club just seconds after they are initially selected.

A player could be picked up by a club in his home state, then suffer the shock of being traded across the country away from family and friends.

It also could lead to embarrassment for recruiters given the capacity to secure a player then trade him away.

For example, if a club secured players such as Carlton’s Charlie Curnow or Port Adelaide’s Sam Powell-Pepper but onpassed them to another club, the fan backlash could be exacerbated.

If a club handed over future draft picks to move up the order to secure a player who became a bust, the fan anger would also be considerable.

Even if a club had no intention of trading away their pick they would be allocated a five or six-minute window so others could make offers for that selection.

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan said this week he believed in live trading of picks.

“Trading players on the night I think is one where you can help clubs get better and get what they want, and I don’t think there’s too much leverage in it because you have to agree and you’re not trading the future so much, it’s just the right player,” he said.

“I think it’s a good thing. So at pick five, you might need a key defender but the best player’s a midfielder and then you’ve got a bit of leverage you can trade, so I think it’s something that’s a strong likelihood of coming in.”