One of the AFL’s most controversial draft rules is returning, and the league says even though it’s unfair, it’s necessary.

Plus the off-field key to Hawthorn’s rise, the continued confusion over the Match Review system and a great’s big backing for wildcard finalists.

The big issues from Round 19 of the 2024 AFL season analysed in Talking Points!

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AFL’S ADMISSION ON WHY DRAFT ‘RORT’ MUST RETURN

An intriguing admission from AFL executive general manager Laura Kane has shone a spotlight on the return of a controversial draft rule.

We have written before about the problem of the AFL’s dual purposes – running a football league, and running football itself – and how they can come into conflict.

And once again, it’s the academy systems at the centre of the debate; though this time it’s not about the northern states, but everyone else instead.

It was widely reported last week the AFL will return to the Next Generation Academy rules of a few years ago, with clubs given full draft access to players tied to them who are from under-represented segments of the community or have a diverse background.

This system notably allowed the Western Bulldogs to land Indigenous prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan with the No.1 pick in 2020, despite not owning that pick – instead using six picks between 29 and 54 to match Adelaide’s bid at the top of the order.

The outcry at this unusual access to the top prospect in the pool saw the AFL tweak the rules, first so that NGA bids couldn’t be made or matched in the top 20, then in the top 40 – which in turn has sparked an outcry from clubs who’ve missed out on players they’ve helped to develop (or, in a more cynical view, players they would’ve had bargain-price access to but don’t any more).

This system reversion will, in the short term, most benefit Essendon who will gain access to prospective first-round small forward Isaac Kako.

A potential top-10 pick, Kako’s parents are from Iraq; not exactly a prime part of the world for footy talent in years gone by. His entry into the AFL would add diversity to the game, but now he’s almost certain to join the Bombers because he’s in their catchment area.

Except it’s not as if Essendon is the reason Kako is into footy (other than perhaps being a fan of them), as he explained recently on SEN.

“I was already playing Aussie rules footy so it’s not like they (the Bombers) introduced me to the game – I’ve been playing since under-8s, under-9s, and football’s always been what I’ve loved doing from when I was a young kid,” Kako said.

“I think I’d still be playing AFL whether the Academy was there or not.”

As Brownlow medallist Gerard Healy put it to Laura Kane on SEN last Friday night, this is exactly the sort of “rort” footy officials have been frustrated with – a player who already would’ve been drafted by normal methods being handed to one specific club.

“It (this new system) must be different to the one your predecessor got rid of a couple of years ago, when most people thought it was a rort,” Healy said.

“I haven’t met one senior person in footy that doesn’t think it’s a rort.”

In response to the Kako situation, Kane said: “We don’t have any players from Iraq that I know of.

Healy replied: “But he’s been in the system already?

Kane said: “And we want more. We want more kids who see him as their hero, and young kids who have no way otherwise to interact with our game unless they see someone who looks like them, who’s from the same country or heritage or background as them, and it’s really important.

“So sure, there’ll be examples of players who’ve come through what we’d call the mainstream talent pathway, our job is to continue to make sure the game is accessible and that the game on field, coaching boxes, umpires, those on the bench tonight, look like the community and that’s something that we’re really strong on and we’ll push on with.”

And this is the key, as Kane put it – more diversity in the AFL.

This is an admirable goal, and important both for Australian society and for Australian football. Growing the game is a key target of AFL executives, and in the same way Australia has succeeded through multiculturalism, football will be better when everyone feels included. Representation at the top level helps build this.

But that goal does not necessarily help run the fairest professional sporting league possible, and this is where Kane seems to be suggesting a sacrifice needs to be made.

In effect, the AFL accepts that the Next Generation Academy system can have an unbalanced impact on competitive balance, because the long-term benefits are worth it.

“We need our game to reflect the community, and our community is changing. And I say to my team all the time, I want on the field to look like the lounge rooms that sit and watches our game, the people that stream through these gates tonight. And we continue to evolve with the changing face of Australia,” Kane said on SEN.

“So how do we do that? We develop, we support, we understand cultural differences and we create a literacy in our football environments, our clubs to support people who haven’t played our game, who haven’t grown up with our game.

“Now does that mean we’re going to have some particularly talented players who are Indigenous or culturally diverse by birthplace of their parent or themselves, that play at a very high standard that play through our Coates League, our talent pathways and even go pick one? Yes. But what that will continue to do is encourage five- and six-year-old boys and girls to play our game.”

As Healy fairly responded, given the concerns around balance: “So why don’t you leave it at the Coates level?”

Kane replied: “Because it’s not working. The next generation academy talent concession was removed and we have seen a sharp decline since then, and we’ve seen a steady decline in numbers overall.

“And I want to change that, and the AFL is committed to changing that, and we know that the ultimate prize is our draft – talent is the most important thing as you all know. And the ultimate prize are the players that are available to you, and that’s, if we go out for a second, the whole crux of our competitive balance review; to make access to players fairer.

“So whilst we are re-opening a proposal to reopen access, we’re also proposing to make the whole system fairer, so it won’t be the same bidding system that existed last time.”

That last part is important as well; the points system is likely to be changed so that academy players aren’t quite the extraordinary bargain they’ve been for the past decade.

But they will still have to be below-cost, because that’s the incentive in the system for clubs to develop players, whether through their club academies or through the NGAs – even if the latter may only involve meeting with a prospect a few times every 12 months, and giving them a gentle push through their teenage years.

In the AFL’s view, the system has to be unfair to make the sport a better place. Whether this is a fair sacrifice in a sporting context will remain up for debate.

‘MATURING’ HAWKS YOUNG GUNS, MITCHELL PROPEL TOWARDS FINALS

Having now won a remarkable 10 of their last 13 matches, the Hawks are absolutely strutting their stuff after five straight losses to start their season.

And now sitting just half a game outside the top eight, an appearance in September is very much a possibility that not even the most optimistic of Hawthorn supporters could have thought was possible in the middle of April.

Led yesterday by new recruit Jack Ginnivan during their 11-goal victory over his former side Collingwood, Sam Mitchell’s side oozes youth, confidence and excitement – and what is for now, just the right amount of arrogance.

Ginnivan, who has built a reputation for standing up in big games when the heat is on, finished yesterday’s match with a career-high 31 disposals; personifying the charisma within this Hawks group who continue to surpass all expectations set at the start of 2024.

Speaking post-game after his side’s win at the MCG, Mitchell lauded the 2023 Magpies premiership player.

“He’s 21 years old, so he’s obviously young … he seems like he’s much older, but he’s 21; so, he’s still maturing, still growing into his footy,” Mitchell begun by saying.

“He’s still getting used to his teammates; he’ll continue to improve, but it’s all come of the back of an enormous work ethic and a desire to prove that he can be a fantastic and well-rounded player – and not a flash in the pan.

“To his credit, two-thirds of the way through his first season with us, he’s doing a lot right.”

With so many up-and-coming rising stars, the Hawks are filled with Ginnivan-esque talent and youth – all with different attributes and personalities to make for an exciting future.

“When they’re playing, they’re exciting; Hawks are exciting to watch. Even when they go to training, you watch the social media – they’re walking in (and) dressing up, they’re doing slow-motion stuff … it’s all fun,” modern-era great Eddie Betts said on Saturday night to Fox Footy.

“I’ve been down to the club a few times, the energy … it’s up and about,” Hawthorn sharpshooter Ben Dixon added.

And after applause for the club, came some deserved appreciation for Mitchell – who looks to have captivated the club in particular this year.

“How good’s the comments from Sam Mitchell … just let the kid (Ginnivan) go!” Dixon begun by saying.

“He gets his players, and that’s all that matters – it’s different for everybody, and he understands the main dynamic of his group,” Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson added.

Jack Riewoldt then said: “There is a balance with it; there’s a point where maybe someone goes a little too far, but it’s just how you bring them back.

“We used to chat about ‘wide paddocks, strong fences’ – let your boys roam, treat them like adults as well, that’s the other thing.

“I think Sam Mitchell does that well, he uses his press conferences to relay messages to the fans and the media – but most importantly, I think he speaks to his players through that.

“I think as a coach, he encourages them to be great and play to their strengths.”

Given their ceiling has been well and truly eclipsed for 2024, the sky is the limit for Mitchell’s men.

And with only Sydney over the last 13 weeks going better than them – if they do make finals – no team will be hoping to draw them as the wildcard opponents at Hawthorn.

WHY THE MRO IS CONFUSED ABOUT FOOTY’S CONFUSION

Michael Christian, the AFL’s much-scrutinised Match Review Officer, recently shared his “surprise” at players’ confusion about what is and isn’t permissible when tackling.

The subject has never been more front and centre, as players and fans of the game grow increasingly frustrated and concerned about the trajectory of tackling amid the threat of future litigation to the AFL and its powerbrokers.

Christian, who played 131 games for Collingwood between 1987-95 and was appointed the league’s sole Match Review adjudicator in 2017, praised the playing contingent’s adaptation to changing attitudes around tackling — yet players still claim to be “confused” about what is being asked of them.

Last Thursday night, despite the Tribunal’s validation of Christian’s initial three-game sanctions, the AFL Appeals Board scrapped the suspensions handed to Brisbane’s Charlie Cameron and GWS’ Toby Bedford — albeit because of an error of law.

Christian hesitated to comment extensively on the Appeals Board’s decisions to overturn the pair of bans on technicalities, noting it was “not (his) function”.

Heading into Round 19, the AFL revealed tackling statistics amid the increasing public outcry about the game’s future.

There had been 18,508 tackles laid, with only seven dangerous tackle suspensions, meaning only 0.04% of tackles resulted in a ban. It also means 99.96% of all tackles applied in 2024 were determined not to be dangerous.

In 2023, there were 26,439 tackles and 32 dangerous tackle suspensions.

“You do the math,” Christian said defiantly on SEN’s AFL Nation on Friday.

“When I hear players say they’re confused, I must say I am a little bit surprised because so many players are getting this right.

“It’s an education process and it’s not a process that can be achieved overnight. Yeah, there’s been outrage this week, I understand.

“I must admit, I lock myself away and get off the grid at times because otherwise it can do your head in. I get it (the outrage), I understand it, but it is a cultural change that we’ve got to take.

“I think, for the long-term benefit of the game around player safety and player health, there needs to be some really strong leadership in this area to help change the perception of the way people think about it — (that leadership) comes from the AFL.

“I know we’re asking a lot of them (the players), but they’re capable.”

Christian’s perplexity about players’ uncertainty raised eyebrows, particularly as the players he speaks of are seemingly as unclear about the rules as ever.

Adelaide vice-captain Lachie Murphy spoke on behalf of his colleagues, expressing his ‘extreme’ confusion on Saturday morning.

“I’m extremely confused,” he told ABC Sport.

“I think we all are, to be fair. I’ve been impacted first-hand (by) concussions and obviously with a great mate, ‘Seedo’ (former Adelaide wingman Paul Seedsman), having to retire, so I know how serious the concussion stuff is.

“There’s always a duty of care, but I don’t think many people know what’s actually going on, to be completely honest — especially when it’s a chase-down tackle out of stoppage or a non-sling action.”

The 25-year-old Murphy has had his fair share of head and neck injuries, while ex-teammate Seedsman announced his retirement at the end of last year.

Standing at a modest 174 centimetres, Murphy admitted his sole goal when tackling was to try and use all his force to bring the player in possession to ground.

“As someone, for me, that’s knee-high to a grasshopper, I’ve got no choice but to try and use my power to get them to ground, because if I try and hold them up, they’re just too big and too strong for me,” he said.

“There’s a little bit of confusion (about) whether I can take them to ground — it’s a contact sport — if his head accidentally hits the ground, I could be (suspended) for a month.

“I understand it’s a tough position to be in and we’re working through it and everyone’s doing their best, but it’s no secret that many people are confused.”

Despite uproar from the football public, Christian refused to concede that the fabric of the game was at risk.

“No, it’s not,” he stated.

“I think the players have been exceptional in exercising a duty of care to their opposition in the cut and thrust of a tackle.

“I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m not saying we’re not demanding a lot of players, but for the betterment of the game, for the longevity of the game, for the ability of players to feel (safe) and parents to push their kids into football to feel like that player safety if absolute premium here, I make no excuses for that. I think that’s where we’ve got to be.

“At the base of everything, no, the fabric of the game is not under threat, and so many players are doing the right thing.

“The final thing I would say is that to reiterate, I think player safety is just so critical to the longevity of the game, and for the health and safety of players when they finish playing in their later life.

“We need to be strong with these types of incidents to ensure that players and media and the football public understand that they’re just not acceptable in the game.”

GREAT BACKS WILDCARD ROUND AMID RIDICULOUS FINALS RACE

The argument for introducing an AFL ‘wildcard’ round has never been stronger amid one of the tightest finals races in recent memory.

And, considering it was a point of discussion amongst club chief executives at a recent rendezvous in Perth, innovating the current finals format seems a genuine possibility.

The concept of a wildcard round has always been maligned, with some holding concerns about the discrepancy in quality between the competing sides.

According to Herald Sun journalist Jon Ralph, the idea wasn’t met with the same positivity last year as it has been in the past week.

Theoretically, in an expanded post-season arrangement, the seventh seed would play the 10th, and the eighth would battle the ninth seed on the weekend before the finals proper began.

Having been posed the question last Friday night, Brisbane Lions legend Jonathan Brown threw his support behind the idea.

“I like it,” Brown told Fox Footy.

“I actually like it. The competition’s so even, (so) what’s the difference, really?

“There’s not a lot of difference between, say, fifth and 13th or 14th, as the Adelaide Crows showed (on Friday).

“I don’t mind a wildcard.”

AFL executive general manager Laura Kane confirmed growing interest among clubs, noting the desire from clubland to continue pioneering aspects of the game.

“There is some interest around wildcards, and we had a really good discussion (about) what the rest of the world is doing and what the options are,” she said.

“I think the decision-makers in our game across our clubs have an openness to look around and make sure we are doing everything we can to be the greatest game in Australia but hopefully the world.”

Based on the ladder positioning at the conclusion of Round 19, wildcard matchups would comprise:

Port Adelaide (7) vs. Melbourne (10) at Adelaide Oval

Essendon (8) vs. Western Bulldogs (9) at the MCG

Previously, the idea of a seven-versus-10 matchup has drawn the most ire, with pundits lamenting the prospective lack of competitiveness from the 10th-placed side.

However, even last season, the 10th-placed Adelaide Crows would have likely given the seventh-seeded GWS Giants a run for their money.

And ironically, earlier this year, the Demons toppled the Power in a thrilling contest at Adelaide Oval — so, if you’re worried about the spectacle, don’t be.

Now, whether the ninth and tenth-placed sides specifically ‘deserve’ to have ‘made the finals’ in its truest sense is a slightly different discussion — and if the concept is indeed introduced, there will always be an asterisk placed against teams that qualified for wildcard weekend but were bounced before the tournament proper.

Ultimately, while some will continue to resent the idea and complain about the non-deserving nature of the 10th-place finisher’s qualification, Kane, Andrew Dillon and the AFL know content is king — and a wildcard round to preface the finals would only continue to aid the brand’s bottom line.