Foster’s Willem Duursma goes with No.1 pick, but issues growing in AFL talent pipeline in the bush
The AFL faces a crisis as country talent development collapses, with industry insiders warning the current system could kill off regional football's century-long contribution to the elite level.
A city-country divide is developing in producing elite young talent for the AFL and AFLW, prompting calls for extra resources, more funding and a potential major structural overhaul.
Country Victoria’s “true” under-18s Talent League clubs — Bendigo Pioneers, Murray Bushrangers, Gippsland Power and Greater Western Victoria Rebels — had only six players taken in the AFL national and rookie drafts last week, the lowest figure in a decade.
Foster’s Willem Duursma followed Bacchus Marsh’s Sam Lalor, Tongala’s Harley Reid and Darley’s Aaron Cadman as the No.1 draft pick since 2022, but the total number of country players drafted have flatlined since a high of 21 in 2016.
Tony Frawley, the inaugural manager of the Ballarat Rebels under-18s in the early 1990s, said the reduced numbers of country kids getting drafted should be concerning for the AFL.
“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.
“If the future of (talent league) country teams is in any doubt, we still need a structure outside metro Melbourne and Geelong, which can’t be truly counted as country any more.
“No one wants to see the magnificent contribution to the AFL that Vic Country players have provided clubs for over a century if all the development is based in the metro talent league teams or private schools.”
One industry insider, who commented on condition of anonymity, said: “Funding for the regionally-based talent league clubs must increase.
“Getting players drafted is what gets us up each day.
“Asking people to do more with less is not great business.”
Peter Green was an assistant coach Melbourne-based under-18s club Eastern Ranges before he and his family relocated to Leeton in southern NSW and this year experienced first hand the city-country imbalance in the AFLW pathways program.
His daughter played for the Murray Bushrangers in the Talent League girls competition with the family travelling 27,549km and spending $7651 in travel and accommodation to train and play.
Next year she will attend Caulfield Grammar.
“The AFL promotes itself as a national game, yet the pathway for both boys and girls in regional areas is dangerously under resourced,” he said.
“While AFLW has grown rapidly, the development system feeding it has not.
“The result is a widening gap between metro and regional opportunity and a pathway that depends almost entirely on families to keep it alive.
“The issue is not that metro AFL and AFLW programs are stronger. The issue is access.
“Metro boys and girls can receive private coaching, skill development, game education and sport science support any day of the week.
“Families are not sending boys and girls to private schools because the country cannot produce players.
“They are sending them because metro schools provide the structure, coaching depth, training time and stability that the AFL has not provided in regional environments.”
Ash Byrne, who has been a player, coach and president of country club Echuca, said major question marks hung over the talent league’s future.
As a former schoolteacher, the clash of Year 12 studies and a player’s draft year was also concern.
“What is the point of the competition?” he said.
“The reality is that two or three out of every 100 will get drafted.
“I feel for the 40 or so players on a list who have zero chance of being drafted.
“It’s no wonder nearly half of the players once they’ve finished playing in the talent league give the game away.
“Plain and simple: It’s got to go.”
