Return to recruiting zones?

[thompsoc]

We got screwed in the last recruiting zone debacle.
We got the western district with an ageing and declining population
and Hawthorn got the southeastern suburbs and district with an expanding
young population.
It is one of the reasons why they dominated in those years.
This is coming from the interstate clubs that want to lock in their
locally developed squads.
It would be impossible to produce a fair system.
11 teams sharing Victoria and 2 clubs sharing for each interstate territory.
Tassie can be the steak knives.
A friggin joke of a idea.

[perthmagpie]

Ummm.. let's go back and remember the old VFL metro and country zones:

Effectively all clubs' names were thrown in a hat and we ended up with three/four clubs with the best zones and some with the worst.

Hawthorn: got a country zone of Mornington Peninsula which went all the way to Edithvale! This meant they pretty much got two metro zones! There's a couple premierships gifted to them.

Carlton: got handed Bendigo which was the best country zone along with Mornington Pen. Just give us the flag now!

Meanwhile we get given the Western Border zone league. We jagged a couple good recruits from Warnambool. But many of the strongest clubs in that league were in Mount Gambier and the SANFL stopped us signing anyone. So our country zone was half a zone really and not one of the best ones at that. It was almost a lost cause.

So what happens when the zones come up for their first regular renewal where they supposed to go back in the hat? You guessed it.. Hawthorn and Carlton refused to give up their zones.

Can we trust the AFL to let us keep a zone we have worked hard on? Would they let us have a good zone? I don't think so. But if this is the only way to dilute the crazy advantage the Northern clubs have with their academies then maybe we have to consider it.

[Lazza]

Collingwood has to be really strong about not been handed the utter bloody garbage zone it used to have. IF this is to occur, Collingwood must demand a very strong zone that befits a leading club in the AFL.

[neil]

Wonder how these zones will go should a restraint of trade challenge happen. It killed off the old zones

[Dave The Man]

[Lazza]

[uncanny]

don't go there, back to zones
shocking unfair system we never want to see again
if interstate academies are unfair then deal with the issue another way

[Take_a_Screamer]

Interesting article, I have not read all of it...

Collingwood have a recruiting zone the size of Italy. It’s yet to produce a single player
By Michael Gleeson and Peter Ryan, May 17, 2024

As the AFL confronts a crisis in the recruitment and retention of Indigenous footballers, it is set to tear up the map that allocates recruiting zones to clubs, which at present gives Collingwood a region the size of Italy that has never produced a player for the Magpies.

<Snip - please don't repost articles in full. The first paragraph and the link is usually sufficient. Thanks - the mods>

Link:
https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/falling-through-the-cracks-afl-zones-private-school-scholarships-in-spotlight-to-stop-drop-in-indigenous-numbers-20240514-p5jdlg.html

[shawthing]

Absolutely no way! Some clubs have something like this anyway with their academies. But why would we let the AFL lock us into a weak zone? (which we ALL know they would).

I'd much rather see trading allowed all season long as in the NFL. If we have a need we can trade for it in season.