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Could a players draft system similar to what the NFL and NBA use work in the top league in Australia?


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Could a players draft system similar to what the NFL and NBA use work in the top league in Australia?

Under this system, teams take turns picking among the pool of promising young talent applicants to join the pro leagues, and the teams with the worst win loss records get to pick first.

Not sure how many years these picks remain compulsory, with the players unable to go to other teams they might have preferred to play for? I imagine after 3-5 years the young talent can choose to become free agents ....

Then there is system option B, used in Wales and Ireland in rugby union, where all the young talent from specific areas automatically go into the one team who plays for this area's application system only ... you would need to assign all LGAs in the whole country to one team or two each, thus directing the supporters to support this one team too, as it represents their area.

or system C is the free-for-all laissez faire unregulated world where any team can go anywhere and sign any prospect u at any time, with no restrictions, a very expensive system in terms of each top team needing dozens of talent scouts to travel the world all the time ...

which of the three is currently in use in NRL and in AFL? And how might the other options work, if they decided to switch over to using them?

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The draft system works in the US because of the unique college athletics programmes that develop top quality talent independently of the professional clubs.

While there is no official minimum age for the draft, you have to be out of high school for at least three years before you are eligible so that typically means around 20 years of age.

What system for developing Rugby League talent, independent of the clubs, would be the equivalent? Yes, the schools Rugby League system is excellent but the age group teams run by the Pro clubs do the heavy lifting to get players ready to play professionally.  Why would teams try to develop the best junior talent if it was only going to be distributed across the comp.

It is not the theory of the draft that wouldn't work, it is the infrastructure and player development programmes not existing that would fail to make it work.

Edited by Dunbar
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"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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Given the power the clubs have in the game, it'd take a miracle for them to agree to such a thing. And if the clubs say no, the game as a whole will comply.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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4 hours ago, Dunbar said:

The draft system works in the US because of the unique college athletics programmes that develop top quality talent independently of the professional clubs.

While there is no official minimum age for the draft, you have to be out of high school for at least three years before you are eligible so that typically means around 20 years of age.

What system for developing Rugby League talent, independent of the clubs, would be the equivalent? Yes, the schools Rugby League system is excellent but the age group teams run by the Pro clubs do the heavy lifting to get players ready to play professionally.  Why would teams try to develop the best junior talent if it was only going to be distributed across the comp.

It is not the theory of the draft that wouldn't work, it is the infrastructure and player development programmes not existing that would fail to make it work.

When discussing a draft for the NRL I wouldn’t use the US examples as they have very different sporting structures which you note above.

We should refer to the AFL as the lead example for pros/cons as they have a draft in the same sporting structure and culture as the NRL. 

 

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11 hours ago, Dunbar said:

The draft system works in the US because of the unique college athletics programmes that develop top quality talent independently of the professional clubs.

While there is no official minimum age for the draft, you have to be out of high school for at least three years before you are eligible so that typically means around 20 years of age.

What system for developing Rugby League talent, independent of the clubs, would be the equivalent? Yes, the schools Rugby League system is excellent but the age group teams run by the Pro clubs do the heavy lifting to get players ready to play professionally.  Why would teams try to develop the best junior talent if it was only going to be distributed across the comp.

It is not the theory of the draft that wouldn't work, it is the infrastructure and player development programmes not existing that would fail to make it work.

The AFL has it and it seems to work pretty well for them but I don't see what problem a draft for the NRL is trying to solve. The league is already remarkably open and there don't seem to be noteworthy issues of talent being unspotted.

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13 hours ago, AB90 said:

When discussing a draft for the NRL I wouldn’t use the US examples as they have very different sporting structures which you note above.

We should refer to the AFL as the lead example for pros/cons as they have a draft in the same sporting structure and culture as the NRL. 

 

 

6 hours ago, gingerjon said:

The AFL has it and it seems to work pretty well for them but I don't see what problem a draft for the NRL is trying to solve. The league is already remarkably open and there don't seem to be noteworthy issues of talent being unspotted.

The OP specifically asked is an NFL style draft would work for the NRL and so that was the question I answered.

I know nothing of the AFL so I can't compare that.

But I agree, there doesn't seem to be a problem to be solved.  The NRL spreads its talent fairly well via the salary cap and is competitive top to bottom (maybe a little less in recent years but still valid).

To be honest, when you look at success in ghe NRL, it is the coaches that are often the differentiator as they can take similar squads and create far better teams.

Edited by Dunbar

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

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17 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Wasn’t it proposed in the 1980s but failed the first time a player opposed it as a restraint of trade?

No, the League tried using a draft for free agents who had already been playing in the League but whose contracts had expired.  That's what was struck down in court as a restraint of trade.  It was not a draft of incoming talent.

2 hours ago, EggFace said:

The draft system works in the NFL but if you can't make the NFL there is sod to go and no 2nd tier unlike the NRL hmmmm 

Yes there is a second tier in gridiron, composed of the CFL and (for now) the relaunched XFL and USFL.  The latter two will go head-to-head in trying to make spring gridiron work after that concept has already failed a number of times, so how long they'll last remains to be seen.  The USFL is trying to contain costs by playing all matches in a few hub cities, but that's certainly not a long-term option.

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13 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

No, the League tried using a draft for free agents who had already been playing in the League but whose contracts had expired.  That's what was struck down in court as a restraint of trade.  It was not a draft of incoming talent.

Yes there is a second tier in gridiron, composed of the CFL and (for now) the relaunched XFL and USFL.  The latter two will go head-to-head in trying to make spring gridiron work after that concept has already failed a number of times, so how long they'll last remains to be seen.  The USFL is trying to contain costs by playing all matches in a few hub cities, but that's certainly not a long-term option.

Not much ' expansion ' in the USFL , all bar Birmingham are in cities which already have NFL teams 

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