NRL boss Dave Smith embarks on quest of massive reforms

[oikee]

They really need to improve the way the draft will work. Instead of going down the same old path other codes have gone, and failed really,
(look at the AFL basketcase league) (if we are honest, it is a complete shambles with tanking, a lop-sided comp which props up teams to suit their own agenda's,? keeping clubs alive)

the NRL needs to try to add a new formula to improve the whole process.
I think this could be achieved by introducing a relegation system running alongside the draft.
Make the whole thing a 3 year or 2 year process.
So the major draft picks brings players through at 3 year intervals. They get bought and sold like cattle and all the talent is gobbled up which would leave a huge hole in available talent. So you allow this to grow for 3 years before having another major draft. Any decent players left after the draft will be recycled and picked up as off-cuts.

The relegation would be the bottom 2 teams(one from inside Sydney, the other outside).
So this would stop tanking and allow the two new teams have first pick of the draft kids.
This is again a 3 year system, so the new teams can settle into the comp.

Either way, introducing the draft will be good. Having our young players bought and sold like cattle is the way forward. This is the 21st century, not the 18th.

 

[Pig Champion]

Club develops junior who then goes to another club due to draft. Club develops junior who then goes to another club due to money. Club develops junior who then goes to another club due to opportunity.

I know it's a too simplistic view of it but developing a junior under the current system doesn't mean they'll stay.

 

[Perth Red]

Does seem to take away the incentive of jnr development by clubs. In the afl the clubs don't develop jnrs, well not in WA anyway. The WAFL charges the two afl clubs a license fee which it then uses to distribute to grass roots afl clubs to develop jnrs. Maybe that is the idea in NRL for future? Not sure the system is that broken at the moment that it needs such a major upheaval. Better funding for jnr clubs not supported by pokie dens, better funding to affiliated states for do's, jnr academies and SG ball teams, a financial reward for affiliated states bodies when they produce a NRL player and a salary cap concession for clubs producing jnrs would all be steps in right direction.

 

[oikee]

Dave Smith needs to fix Sydney clubs. Merge or relocate a couple of teams so the game can grow.
Relocate the Titans to Logan, call them the Titans Brothers.
Add the Brisbane Bombers and have 3 teams playing out of Suncorp.
This will double the growth of the code and add another 10 or so derbies to the calender each year.

Stop messing around and bring in change before we lose the Hayne plane to nfl.

 

[DC_fan]

Their has been some comparison between a possible NRL draft and what the NFL does with their draft.

There is some major differences between that need to be mentioned. For one thing the NFL, unlike the NRL does not develop the young players that go through their draft. The college system does that for them. Another is that in America most kids move away from home to attend college and they are in their early 20's when they are drafted by an NFL team. So for them to move across the country to play for a team is not new or a difficult thing for them to do. Kids going through the NRL would be 20 or younger with many of them still living at home with the parents. How easy will it be for an 18 year old living in Sydney with his family to be told he has been drafted by the Cowboys and he has to movee to Townsville.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

The SMH is running with the NYC being scrapped and replaced by state based underage competitions. Both major publications have something on pathways today so change is coming, whether its a rookie draft or not we will see.

I like this idea. Keep it cheap to run teams and more could be introduced...

It would be great if state leagues could introduce teams in areas outside of capital cities and make State football a rural-focused event. Connect with Universities, TAFES and and group that think they could put together a relatively competitive team in rural areas.

Im originally from an area called the Shoalhaven south of Sydney; about 30,000 people live there, so the area will never get a first grade team or even game. But a team in a State League playing against the big Sydney teams would be a great way to get the local parochialism behind RL and this would be true for any town.

These games may only need to aim for crowds of a few hundred or a thousand people to break even, but it would be a great way to connect with smaller towns and focus RLs image as a community game.

(plus, you cant watch this on tv so it may get people into a mindset of attending games...)

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I noticed the fans whose team would be greatly disadvantaged by the introduction of the rookie draft are fiercely against the idea ....

Better than jumping the gun and approving a system just because it disadvantages a couple of clubs you hate. Or did jump the gun there too eel?

 

[Puntastic]

How does the restraint of trade stuff fit in? I thought a draft was virtually ruled out because of it?

 

[Iafeta]

The way you stop tanking is by making the bottom 4-5 teams do a lottery to see who gets first pick. Finishing last doesn't ensure you first pick. That's what I would do.

Doesn't stop it. In the NBA for example if you finish dead last you get more entries to the draw meaning you get the highest percentage chance of landing the first pick. To have a draft you would also have to look at a trade system. Teams will sell players for draft considerations to increase their ability to tank. Even if they don't have a trade, coaches will find a way to tank. Get ready for sub 5000 people crowds when that inevitably happens.

There are a mile of flaws with this model. Kids in America, in their culture, are used to travelling across country to a preferred College. There are 100s of them and athletes look for great facilities and premier coaches. So, being in our example a young Kiwi being drafted to the Cowboys is not a major hassle because they're used to it. Secondly we all thrive on tribalism. I prefer seeing young Kiwis coming through the Warriors because they are playing for their heritage. You lose that with a draft. Thirdly, even if you did have a culture of young relocation it does not always work. Eric Lindros refused to go to the Quebec Nordiques which in effect became a death nail for them and they would soon relocate as the Colorado Avalanche. Fourthly, now there is no need to invest in grass roots football again, who will provide the pathways. Selfishly I look at my club and am thankful we had the NYC with its welfare and financially driven pathways because it enticed union players over. Without that I doubt Konrad Hurrell and Ngani Laumape would be in the NRL. There will be a group of players also that will switch codes to ensure they can stay in the family nest.

All in all, probably the stupidest idea since Bill Harrigan floating the idea of one deliberate forward pass per set.

 

[Edwahu]

And what about if the NRL funds juniors?

Sure, as long as they take the money evenly out of the grant money. I'm sure the clubs that invest nothing now will be massive fans of that.

 

[insert.pause]

I get the feeling that the NRL are looking at qld and nsw cup clubs as playing a role similar to the college system in the us, scraping 20s and putting all the development onus on the second tier clubs which will form the pool for the draft. It will require a massive boost in funding from the NRL but it would fix up the development pathways and give the second tier a lot more gravitas.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Above all else, the one great thing that a draft would do is force a shift in the mindset of fans....

People talk about how "tribal" the game is, but id argue that has damaged the NRL as much as helped it (it seems to create more infighting than anything).

RL should promote the game and the community as the first love of all "real fans", their NRL team coming in second. The idea would be to take the "Us vs Them" mentality and redirect it from "club vs club" to "Rugby League vs everyone trying to tear it down"; as any half decent economist will tell you, working for the group benefits everyone, working alone screws everyone including yourself...

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Their has been some comparison between a possible NRL draft and what the NFL does with their draft.

There is some major differences between that need to be mentioned. For one thing the NFL, unlike the NRL does not develop the young players that go through their draft. The college system does that for them. Another is that in America most kids move away from home to attend college and they are in their early 20's when they are drafted by an NFL team. So for them to move across the country to play for a team is not new or a difficult thing for them to do. Kids going through the NRL would be 20 or younger with many of them still living at home with the parents. How easy will it be for an 18 year old living in Sydney with his family to be told he has been drafted by the Cowboys and he has to movee to Townsville.

Not to mention the difference in money. Even with the NFL restricting the amount rookies earn it would still dwarf anything a rookie could get from the NRL draft. I'd move house tomorrow for NFL rookie wages.

Comparisons with the NFL draft are horribly inaccurate. There's no comparison.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Does seem to take away the incentive of jnr development by clubs. In the afl the clubs don't develop jnrs, well not in WA anyway. The WAFL charges the two afl clubs a license fee which it then uses to distribute to grass roots afl clubs to develop jnrs. Maybe that is the idea in NRL for future? Not sure the system is that broken at the moment that it needs such a major upheaval. Better funding for jnr clubs not supported by pokie dens, better funding to affiliated states for do's, jnr academies and SG ball teams, a financial reward for affiliated states bodies when they produce a NRL player and a salary cap concession for clubs producing jnrs would all be steps in right direction.

This would be the way...

Charge teams a mandatory $X per year, give that money to the state bodies who are then in charge of development; if the junior funding fee was charged based on the wealth of various clubs, this could be the way NRL introduce redistribution without pissing off tradtionalists,

random bogan: "i dont what my money going to a club i dont support!!!"
NRL admin: "the money doesnt go to another club, it is invested into junior football, so stop complaining dickhead"

 

[RWB]

Suggest some of these far better models then instead of hurling elephants.

- Compensation pay outs to be split between the local junior club & affiliated NRL club for any local junior poached from a club before the age of 21. These need to be significant compensation packages or it to work.

- Significant Salary cap discounts for local juniors

Keeping 5 players shouldn't be considered a win for keeping local juniors, it's a joke. Then other clubs get free shots at the other 25-30 youngsters from the district.

 

[Hello, I'm The Doctor]

Their has been some comparison between a possible NRL draft and what the NFL does with their draft.

There is some major differences between that need to be mentioned. For one thing the NFL, unlike the NRL does not develop the young players that go through their draft. The college system does that for them. Another is that in America most kids move away from home to attend college and they are in their early 20's when they are drafted by an NFL team. So for them to move across the country to play for a team is not new or a difficult thing for them to do. Kids going through the NRL would be 20 or younger with many of them still living at home with the parents. How easy will it be for an 18 year old living in Sydney with his family to be told he has been drafted by the Cowboys and he has to movee to Townsville.

Read the biography of any NRL player that has come through the system in the last 20 years, most of their stories will involve moving out of home in order to join a given club...

The one story that really sticks in my mind is Danny Buderus; coming from Taree, the Knights had to house him in the city with a local family from about 16 years old. You hear this story a million time in a million different ways.

If it was standardised with a draft, clubs could offer a college for all the new recruits to live in when they first arrive.

This is first grade NRL we're talking about, kids will go to a lot of trouble to get their shot...

 

[Fazz_138]

Above all else, the one great thing that a draft would do is force a shift in the mindset of fans....

People talk about how "tribal" the game is, but id argue that has damaged the NRL as much as helped it (it seems to create more infighting than anything).

RL should promote the game and the community as the first love of all "real fans", their NRL team coming in second. The idea would be to take the "Us vs Them" mentality and redirect it from "club vs club" to "Rugby League vs everyone trying to tear it down"; as any half decent economist will tell you, working for the group benefits everyone, working alone screws everyone including yourself...

This is all well and good, but you aren't going to change an entire culture with one giant decision like this. All it is going to do is piss off most of the current fans. There is also a huge risk of turning off current fans due to apathy. The game will become an exercise in communism and who can cheat the system the best.

Also, I know most of Australia don't give a shit about New Zealand's involvement in league, but this system can only damage our involvement. Drop the NYC and you lose players like Hurrell and Shaun Johnson who were basically poached from other codes due to the lure of playing on TV and being in a pro set up. Being forced to move countries at a certain point in time, like people have said, is only going to cause young players to contemplate avoiding league entirely, unless there is a major financial package for "long distance moves".

To a degree, this is hyperbole, but the draft could seriously cripple league in NZ.

 

[carlosthedwarf]

I think dropping the NYC is a mistake, but I'll wait and see what their solution is

 

[Edwahu]

This would be the way...

Charge teams a mandatory $X per year, give that money to the state bodies who are then in charge of development; if the junior funding fee was charged based on the wealth of various clubs, this could be the way NRL introduce redistribution without pissing off tradtionalists,

random bogan: "i dont what my money going to a club i dont support!!!"
NRL admin: "the money doesnt go to another club, it is invested into junior football, so stop complaining dickhead"

Define wealth? Under this proposal you risk leagues clubs reducing funding rather than see the outcomes redistributed.

 

[RWB]

Very interesting to see that a lot of posters happy with the status quo are roosters fans. Because this is what the draft is about, stopping certain clubs with no junior development pillaging other clubs who put in at the junior level. The roosters like to sign players at 17 or 18 from rival clubs and pass them off as their own because they play 20s or NSW cup for them.

I'd suggest that the draft will be designed to allow players who have been identified in the junior ranks and nurtured throughout their youth playing days to choose to stay with their parent club if that club wants them whilst other players who aren't a priority will enter the draft.

What happens when Canberra start drafting kids from Sydney or NZ and as has happened this year and they decide they don't want to live in Canberra? A very realistic possibility.

I'll tell you what happens;

1) They either sit out the year with no chance of playing in the NRL or;
2) They go over to Union where they can decide where they want to live & play.

So Canberra miss out on a couple of draft picks, the NRL loses some players to Rugby Union & Canberra have their local juniors pillaged through after taking a punt at who they think the top 5 players for that year are.

What about the NZ kids who want to grow up and play in their home country? But the Warriors can only keep 5. So the rest are left with the choice of being forced to play in Australia OR play Rugby Union.

THIS IS NOT A WIN FOR JUNIOR DEVELOPING CLUBS.

Rugby Union execs must be laughing their asses off right now.