How does a draft help player retention? It does the opposite. It just punishes clubs that invest heavily in their juniors.
I don't think your comment is right.
Junior development should be the responsibility of the league, not individual clubs. That is how it needs to go in a national competition. Arguments about junior development around here are based on traditional thinking that does not apply in a modern business/sport such as ther NRL. The intro of the commission may actually see this happen.
Ther draft promotes retention because players need to make a decision as to where they will play their football, and whether they will keep the control of that decison and stay where they are, or lose that control and enter the draft with the possibility of ending up anywhere. Players tend to stay with their clubs as the successful clubs are getting the high draft picks, likleyhood of a move means they will probably end up at a less successful club.
Rookie drafts are where the clubs then have to build from and this is where the improvement comes. If you ask any 17 year old that he can play NRL next year, but not necessarily with the club where he played his junior football, what do you think he will say???? Kids want to play NRL, they don't care which club gives them the opportunity.
