A series of bids on Academy players and father-son selections have left AFL fans with a bitter taste in their mouth following this year’s draft opener on Wednesday night.
As the top-10 picks unfolded, fans were mystified by the fact that the draft order was all over the place and certainly resembled nothing like the reverse ladder order it is supposed to follow.
The draft is the AFL’s equalisation tool, designed to help the bottom clubs strengthen their list. The guiding principle is the bottom club gets the best player with the No.1 pick, the second bottom team gets the second best player and so on … but on Wednesday night that principle was just a blurry concept.
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Bottom team West Coast did manage to get the first pick and name, as expected, Willem Duursma, but that’s about where the correct order ended.
Gold Coast, who played finals this year (and won a final), then had Pick 2 (Zeke Uwland) and Pick 5 (Dylan Patterson), and back-to-back premiers Brisbane also entered the top-10 action when they used Pick 6 on Dan Annable.
Carlton also managed to move up the board and have the third pick of the night, using it on father-son selection Harry Dean.
This was all before this year’s second-bottom team, Richmond, had a pick.
Fans were mystified, particularly with Gold Coast who had already given up a small draft fortune to acquire superstar Christian Petracca during the trade period.
Not only did Gold Coast score two players in the top 10, they managed to land four players in the top 20 (with Jai Murray at Pick 17 and Beau Addinsall at Pick 18.
During the broadcast, draft expert Mick Ablett said: “It’s been a remarkable night. I don’t think we’ve seen a draft like this in recent times.”
While Fox Footy presenter Sarah Jones commented: “So many bids.”
Ablett suggested that the bids would open up “the middle stages” of the draft because clubs would “eventually run out of points”.
But angry AFL fans failed to see the positive side.
“The Gold Coast Suns trad ed three first-round picks away for Petracca, and tonight have managed to pick (three) players in the first round just by matching bids. This draft system is truly awful,” one fan raged.
And another: “Dees lose Trac (Petracca) for pick 11 and 12 and the Suns still get two better players than us. The system is a disgrace.”
And another: “How do the Gold Coast Suns have enough points to match picks 2, 5, 17 and 18 after finishing 6th on the ladder Absolutely ridiculous stuff.”
AFL CEO Andrew Dillon may have realised the criticism was coming when Brisbane matched Richmond’s bid to secure their Academy talent Annable.
“Good to hear the crowd laugh at Andrew Dillon saying Brisbane have matched the bid. AFL Draft is not fair. Annual rant. Keep father-son. Ditch points, compensation and academy rights,” one fan blasted.
And another: “The two-time reigning premier gets pick 6. Yeah. The academy system is farcical really. No other sporting draft on earth runs like this.”
And another fan asked: “The AFL draft is a joke, finish second last but don’t draft a player until pick 7! Do we want to have an even draft or this heavily manipulated hybrid system?”
“I think we can all agree the AFL draft system is a complete shambles,” another fan raged.
Recently, St Kilda have been agitating for a pure draft and urging the AFL to change the system on father-son and Academy selections.
The AFL has promised to make more changes but it will be compromised again when Tasmania joins the competition.
Judging from fans, they have had enough.
“The AFL draft is completely f*****. We’re six picks in and four have been father-son and academies. Three have gone to top-8 teams, one to the reigning premier (!!). St Kilda were right all along.” a fan fumed.
The top 10 of the 2025 AFL draft
1. Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power) – West Coast
2. Zeke Uwland (Gold Coast academy) – Gold Coast, matched bid by West Coast
3. Harry Dean (Murray Bushrangers) – Carlton father-son selection, matched bid by West Coast
4. Cooper Duff-Tytler (Calder Cannons) – West Coast
5. Dylan Patterson (Gold Coast academy) – Gold Coast, matched bid by Richmond
6. Daniel Annable (Brisbane Lions academy) – Brisbane Lions, matched bid by Richmond
7. Sam Cumming (North Adelaide) – Richmond
8. Sam Grlj (Oakleigh Chargers) – Richmond
9. Sullivan Robey (Eastern Ranges) – Essendon
10. Jacob Farrow (West Perth) – Essendon
– With AAP
