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NRL needs a rookie draft

ReddFelon

Juniors
Messages
1,485
I’m a roosters fan, buddy. We are the ones who poach.

Drafts only work when fans can be invested in who is selected. That can only happen in the US, as they have a very unique high school and collegiate sport set up in which players’ careers are followed intently from a very early age. That fandom also means huge amounts of money are independently pumped into these sports systems, allowing highly professional coaching and development to occur, so the players being pumped out are genuine professionals. Having this level of interest also in turn leads to going first in the draft as being highly prestigious, and something to be strived for.

None of that will never happen in the NRL, nor would it in any other nation really outside of the US

The NHL draft occurs with athletes across the USA, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Bosnia, etc.
 

Travitoh

First Grade
Messages
5,186
I believe a soft draft could work similar to the AFL's points value set up for father/son prospects.

Every draft pick has a points value starting with pick one at the highest (lets say at 1000) and then lowering in value from there (pick two = 998, pick three 996 and so on).

Teams take it in turns picking players in the pool still and can take their own player but if they pick one from another club, then the players host club can choose to match the bid by cashing in picks of their own that add up ro the value of the pick selected.
Example, I'm a Souths jr and get taken at pick 15 which carries a value of 950 by Penrith. Souths can choose to match the value by forfeiting their third and sixth round selections or they can let me go and keep the picks.
 

typicalfan

Coach
Messages
15,488
NFL has a short season and no international schedule. The Draft and combine generate interest during the off-season.

NRL has a relatively short off season. From kick off to WC Final is something like 8-9 months
 

Iafeta

Referee
Messages
24,357
If I’m a young good looking kiwi (well that’s a given), and I’m hell bent on living with the olds and playing for the Warriors, why should I have to Canberra?

With the American sports, they are recruited to colleges. There’s 100s of them. We have what 20 universities?

Secondly, sports like NHL and MLB have a large concentration of foreigners who couldn’t give two corn infested craps which city they play for.

Third the NRL should thrive on tribalism. You get that with a culture built on local juniors.

Fourth if the local clubs aren’t necessarily churning talent for the local NRL team, why should the local NRL team do anything to ever help them?

No thank you. Why this stoopid AF idea comes you here every 18 months I’ll never know.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
16,026
not read a single argument in here for a draft

anyone got anything other than "intrigue"?

I think if the NRL clubs are forced to keep their hands off players longer (age 19 or whatever) I think it would produce better quality players.
Look at the quality of players that have come out of Qld where the NRL clubs have a loose grip the last 15 years compared to NSW where the NRL clubs have a tight grip.
 

ReddFelon

Juniors
Messages
1,485
not read a single argument in here for a draft

anyone got anything other than "intrigue"?

Pros of a draft:
1)Allows teams to immediately fill positional gaps in the off season
2) Stops clubs being held hostage by specific players and dragging everyone through months of garbage e.g. Tigers last year with Woods, Moses, etc.
3) Allows young players better opportunities based on the market.
4) Maintains a steady level of competitiveness on field (case in point; Toronto Maple Leafs able to move from wooden to spoon to 14th to 7th in three seasons)
5) allows expansion teams time to grow juniors
6) pushes the NRL to invest in junior development in all regions

Cons
1) clubs with strong junior bases will be the losers in the early years
2) clubs with money but small junior bases will raid others (although long term that'll hurt them if the NRL ties financial support to evidence of junior development)
3) Sydney clubs will have to relocate (this can also be a pro)
4) Broncos will be pissed off (pro)
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,779
For a draft to work NSW Cup would have to be restructured with no direct links between Cup clubs and NRL clubs.
There would still be development, but it would be done by NSW Cup clubs instead of NRL clubs.

I don't doubt this is what Richo was aiming for with his Platinum League. If the NRL went in that direction a draft would be the next logical step. NRL clubs would become purely professional franchises. Easier to relocate with no actual attachment to any local area...

Richo wanted a 18 year olds draft

Clubs should be allowed to choose up to 10 local juniors prior to any draft

After that players should be able to be drafted

But this would only work if there was a RG and U20s structure in place

It inpossible to do it as the NFL does

NRL has a squad like NFL but as NSW Cup and QLD Cup act as reserve grade and U20s it wont wirk at a higher level

If NRL reserve grade was divorced from NSW and QLD Cup then it might have merit
 
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WaznTheGreat

Referee
Messages
24,421
Ah the old strawman argument, it has to stay the same or it will be something totally different we will all hate. well done on getting that one in lol.

Imagine a world where the Sydney clubs are in the minority and the majority of NRL clubs don't have league clubs or suburb based jnr development responsibilities. It starts to make more sense.

Like said it is likely what Richo's long term planning document was about and we may well be slowly seeing it happen with the potential development of the NSW and Qland comps national second tier programs that could also be responsible for all Jnr development, leaving the NRL clubs to concentrate on being professional sustainable sports businesses at the top tier.

Braun Strawman?

braun-1494961418-800.png
 

Springs09

Juniors
Messages
1,903
Ah the old strawman argument, it has to stay the same or it will be something totally different we will all hate. well done on getting that one in lol.

Imagine a world where the Sydney clubs are in the minority and the majority of NRL clubs don't have league clubs or suburb based jnr development responsibilities. It starts to make more sense.

Like said it is likely what Richo's long term planning document was about and we may well be slowly seeing it happen with the potential development of the NSW and Qland comps national second tier programs that could also be responsible for all Jnr development, leaving the NRL clubs to concentrate on being professional sustainable sports businesses at the top tier.

Uh and?

The 2 things don't relate. Clubs can still have local juniors without the NRL clubs being fully responsible for local junior development. Any junior who played in the Newcastle comps are 'local juniors' if they end up playing for the Knights.

There's nothing wrong with the current U16s and U18s systems, apart from the coaching maybe.

A draft has nothing to do with any of it. I'm still yet to see why it is more beneficial than the current system other than some other sports do it and their idiot fans gossip about it.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
16,026
I think too much is made by clubs like Penrith about how they deserve their juniors because they produce those juniors.
OK, so they put more money into it than say the Roosters. But that is only because the juniors are already there. The Panthers just happen to be lucky enough to represent a strong RL area, they aren't responsible for the existence of that strong RL area. Same goes with the Knights. The great juniors were coming out of Newcastle before the Knights existed.
Every club should have equal rights to the games juniors. True the juniors should have some freedom to play for the club they want to play for but they do, they can go play for that club when their free agency comes up after 3 years.
I think clubs like Penrith should be putting more money into promotion and getting the local league fans to the ground (Penrith's crowd attendence to junior base ratio is the worst in the league) rather than developing under 15s or what ever. That should be the job of the NRL and the clubs as a whole.
 

siv

First Grade
Messages
6,779
Few flaws in the argument here

NRL have no money to run all junior districts Australia wide. Let alone one district

Eg on the CC we still pay rego fees if $165 while junior districts who are backed by Leagues Club get free rego

In NSW all junior districts bar Norths are run by the NRL clubs. Even Easts have moved into the CC

Why because the are "district" clubs by charter to the NSWRL

So to try and tell these district clubs and three NSW Country regions to hand over the running if their junior structure to the NRL is as crazy as asking all QLD Cup team to stop running their junior district and let the NRL run them

There is only one club in NSW who has almost no juniors ie Easts but they have gone off and taken over the CC NSW Country district to address that gap

Today all NSW NRL clubs run 1 or 2 U16 and U18 teams and 1 U20s and 1 ISP reggies team

Only issue today is contract values

Easts will open their cheque book and buy the best players

The only thing I would prefer to see a contract cap of some kind where local disyricts are permitted to offer their juniors a contract first. Eg up to 10 or 13 players

Then other clubs can negotiate over the remaining non contracted players

Or a possible draft option

This will mean NRL clubs will be encouraged to establish a second junior district or link with a country division
 
Messages
15,680
The first obstacle to introducing a draft, be it rookie or otherwise, is legal. The NSWRL Draft was ruled illegal by the High Court as a restraint of trade. The only reason the AFL are able to get around it is because they have an agreement with the AFL Players Association for them to not challenge it in court (however an individual could if they so wanted). I dare say that this legal issue is why the AFL draft has things like Father/son rules Na d (correct me if I'm wrong) territorial picks.

Thus for the NRL to look at getting one off the ground, they would need to get the RLPA on board. To date the RLPA have been vehemently anti-draft. In fact the decision to oppose the NSWRL Draft is what saw Kevin Ryan defeat the incumbent President of the NSWRLPA as his predecessor was not going to assist Terry Hill in challenging it.

Others have pointed out the administrative problems.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
16,026
Who would have been the number 1 draft pick this year?
The Tigers with the first pick right?

Payne Hass
Kalyn Ponga

Who else?
 
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