AFL cans Suns’ full wish list

HAVING access to 17-yearolds and making the league’s top teams pay for free agents were part of a raft of requests made by Gold Coast to the AFL Commission that weren’t granted.

The AFL confirmed on Monday that it would provide priority picks to the Suns for the next three years, while also allowing them to pre-sign academy players without bidding and adding Darwin to their academy zone.

It was considered a worthy package by Gold Coast powerbrokers but the Bulletin can reveal the items on the wish list the AFL rejected.

They included changes to the current free agency system, having priority access to 17year-olds a year before being draft eligible, and enabling all clubs at the foot of the ladder to pre-sign academy players without bidding while they remain in that position.

The AFL Commission was satisfied with the footprint the Suns had made in Queensland, particularly in the southeast corner, and the increase in juniors taking up the game but agreed the missing link had been the generation of on-field success that would convert more to the game.

Suns CEO Mark Evans said the current free agency system was flawed with clubs not giving up anything to sign talent, strengthening their list immediately, while the club losing the player are set back and given a compensation pick for a draftee that would take time to develop without guarantees of reaching the same level as the player departing.

“Years of that has not helped the Suns in its current predicament,” Evans said.

“The clubs (the player is going to) have an enormous advantage to stay at the top.

“We threw up more than a dozen ideas as to how we thought the system could change over time.

“Part of that was to change free agency so clubs higher on the ladder don’t get the player for free and give up something.

“We said it could apply to the top four teams but it was more of a discussion point for the industry because free agency was brought in to aid player movement for their careers.”

Current draftees automatically receive two-year contracts but Evans said the Suns asked for it to be increased to four-year deals so clubs at the bottom of the ladder get a chance to progress before those draftees come off contract.

Grand finalists Greater Western Sydney were given access to 17-year-olds for their initial build and Gold Coast traded to secure the picks that would land them Jaeger O’meara and Jack Martin.

The Suns requested they be granted the same as GWS got and be given the ability to trade to improve the list immediately, but Evans said the assistance with picks provided in the package gave them that ability anyway.

“The way we positioned it to the AFL was that we needed something we felt we could trade, whether 17-year-old players or picks,” Evans said.

“We told the AFL we would love to get young talent at the top end of the draft but also have enough to entice clubs and players to come via trade.

“The picks we got across the next three years will help us do both those things.”