Lance Spaulding wants the AFL Draft age increase by two years

The Tassie Devils under-18 football players might not get to be drafted in this coronavirus interrupted year. Lance Spaulding says being taken later worked for Lions legend Alastair Lynch. It could work for other local young guns.

Brisbane's Alastair Lynch celebrates with the fans during the victory lap after the AFL Grand Final Brisbane Vs Collingwood.

ONE of Tasmania’s leading coaches believes the AFL Draft age should be lifted to 20 and cited Brisbane’s three-time premiership hero Alastair Lynch and triple premiership Hawk Darrin Pritchard as prime examples of successful players taken later.

Lance Spaulding, a former statewide player and TSL coach who also took the Tassie Mariners to the AFL National Under-18 division two championship, said players were likely to be more successful if they were slightly older than the current AFL Draft age bracket of 18.

Lifting the draft age would allow players to be more connected to their TSL clubs, and that would give them a safety net if they were not drafted.

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Lynch and Pritchard were both drafted aged 20, and Tasmanian players like Richmond legend Matthew Richardson and 112-game Richmond, West Coast and North Melbourne midfielder Trent Nichols were great examples of players taken after establishing themselves with their local clubs _ Devonport and Sandy Bay respectively.

“For me, 20 is a really good age to be drafted,” Spaulding said.

“We’ve got a really good bunch is year. There’s some real rippers out there.

“But we don’t know if they will get to play any games this year and there might not be a draft, so that might mean the draft goes to under-19 next year. I feel under-20 would be the best age group.

“It gives them a chance to find a work pathway or get themselves through the first couple of years of uni. Their lives are a lot more settled.

“It also gives them a chance to get attached to their local footy clubs because only one or two or three are going to get drafted, so having your club to fall back on would protect them a bit more.”

Spaulding, now coach at Hutchins, also had an important message for this year’s Tasmanian draft hopes.

“Keeping working because the harder you try the luckier you get,” Spaulding said.