Social media erupts over young AFL star’s honesty ahead of draft

The football world went into meltdown after a promising young star’s comments ahead of the AFL Draft caused widespread backlash.

Archie Perkins sent social media into a spin.

Every young footy playing kid dreams of one day hearing their name read out at the AFL Draft as they ascend to the big time.

As the AFL boss strolls to the podium tonight, hundreds of rising stars will eagerly await to hopefully hear their name called and find out where their AFL careers will begin.

Watch the 2020 AFL Draft Live on Fox Footy on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your free trial now & start streaming instantly >

Of course everyone has a destination in mind of where they’d like to end up, but in a national competition the ability to pick and chose isn’t afforded in the Draft.

Ahead of tonight’s 2020 AFL Draft however, one promising youngster – expected to land inside the top 10 picks – made his intentions clear.

Archie Perkins didn’t outright name the club he hoped would pick him, he did however put half the competition on notice to not pick him.

“I have (told clubs he wants to stay in Victoria). I hope they take that on board. I get that they do what’s in the best interests of their footy club, but I just think personally I’m not ready for that in my stage of life and I feel it would impact me too much,” Perkins said on SEN's Whateley.

“I don’t think it would be in their best interests as a footy club to have me there because I wouldn’t be 100 per cent with it if I was going over there and couldn’t really commit myself 100 per cent as opposed to staying here where I’d be 100 per cent ready to go and fully committed.

“I just don’t think I’m ready for that and I wanted to be honest about it.”

Perkins at the Draft training day.

The honest comments from the talented 18-year-old well and truly divided the AFL landscape.

Footy fans varied from not liking the comments of trying to pick and choose where he wanted to land, while others applauded the honesty in a day and age where we ask for athletes to be more open and honest.

Former AFL media journalist Marc McGowan wrote: “Lots of people defending Archie’s stance. I get their perspective, but this is simple: it’s draft tampering and shouldn’t be allowed. If he’s not willing to go anywhere, he shouldn’t be able to nominate until he is.”

ESPN’s Matt Walsh agreed with McGowan’s thoughts: “There are great leagues around Victoria that will pay him handsomely to play locally or in the bush if he’d prefer to stay in Victoria.”

Former Fox Sports journalist Paige Cardona wasn’t on board: “Yeah nah, don’t like this one bit. It’s a national competition pal – you don’t dictate who you play for or what state you live in when you enter a national draft. Sounds like football isn’t for you.”

ABC journalist Richard Hinds however believed the Draft age needs to be raised, while also calling out those who were ripping into Perkins: “Another reason 18 is too young for AFL draft. Some kids are fine leaving home for uni or sport or travel at 18 (I did it at 17). Others are not. Another year or two makes a big difference at that stage of life. And those piling on an 18 year-old for simply having the honesty to state his preference to stay in Melbourne? Seriously?”

Herald Sun reporter Lauren Wood backed in Perkins’ refreshing honesty: “Self awareness & maturity. Imagine backlash if he desperately wanted to come home & it emerged he knew he wasn’t personally equipped to go in the first place. “Suck it up & cop it” is surely over. If it helps him become the best player he can be, power to him. Good luck, Archie.”

AFL player agent Robbie D’Orazio believes the comments from Perkins weren’t meant in the manner they were said.

“(Perkins is) a complex character but he understands that footy’s a team sport and he’s probably learning the ropes in that regard,” D’Orazio told AFL Draft Radio.

“I know that all he wants to do is play footy. He said something this morning that probably didn’t come out the way he meant it.

“He understands that it’s a draft and he needs to enter the draft and he could end up anywhere. He’s excited about that.

“Look, boys want to be him and girls want to be with him. He’s a ripper.”

D’Orazio said the feedback from interstate clubs entering the Draft hadn’t been bad following Perkins’ comments.

“The feedback’s been ok, to be honest with you. Archie, as much as he says this, the clubs know they can still pick him,” he told the AFL website.

“It’s a national draft. Clubs sometimes call their bluff. I remember Adam Cerra probably didn’t want to go to Fremantle at the time – (he) ended up extending his contract soon after that.

“Clubs probably don’t love hearing it, some clubs probably want to pick him with those early picks but may not. But again it’s up to them.”

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan Reef McInnes, Archie Perkins and Connor Downie.

Perkins isn’t the first promising prospect to let clubs know he wanted to remain in Victoria, Bailey Smith said similar in 2018.

The difference however was Perkins broadcast his on radio. Unfortunately for Perkins his comments could be null and void with any club able to select him in tonight’s Draft.

But in a day and age when all we want is for athletes to be open and honest, we can’t disparage them when they deliver the truth.