Ross Lyon has reignited the push for reform in the AFL’s drafting system, calling for the first round of the national draft to be stripped of all academy and father-son picks to ensure genuine equity for struggling clubs.
Speaking on Friday, the St Kilda coach said clubs rebuilding from the bottom should have unimpeded access to elite young talent, arguing the current setup heavily favours teams with academy zones or famous surnames in their pipeline.
“We’re fighting for equity,” Lyon said. “There’s some inequity in the draft and people push back, but the simple solution (is) maybe make the first round untouchable.”
“Have that pure, the first round. Take out father-sons, take out northern academies, take out NGA. The first 18 picks, just make it pure so the talent gets spread.”
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Lyon responds to Swann’s blueprint for rebuilding clubs
Lyon’s comments came in response to new AFL football boss Greg Swann, who this week encouraged clubs like West Coast to take the long-term view and follow proven draft strategies. But Lyon pointed out that such strategies are compromised from the outset.
“That will really test whether the aim is to make sure we just want people playing,” he said.
St Kilda president Andrew Bassat has previously led the charge for reform, but Lyon’s strong stance on Friday will increase pressure on AFL House, particularly with Swann only days into his new role.
Swann, who joked he’d already received “43 pages of stuff” from clubs and officials, said he doesn’t intend to make radical changes straight away but is open to reviewing key competition issues.
Meanwhile, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin threw his support behind scrapping the substitute rule, suggesting an immediate fix: “Let’s just get rid of it and get five on the bench,” he said.