State selection for Suns
THE Gold Coast and fellow AFL strugglers Carlton are set to be given first crack at the best players available in state leagues across the country.
With the AFL Commission meeting in Melbourne yesterday, reports surfaced that the Suns and Blues had missed out on priority draft picks, with the league instead settling on the state league assistance package model.
Gold Coast and Carlton, who finished 17th and 18th respectively on the ladder this season, would be allowed to recruit at least one player outside the draft system under the proposal.
They could do so with the intention of boosting their playing stocks or on-trading them to gain extra draft picks or experienced players from rival clubs.
Tim Kelly’s success at Geelong in his first AFL season has put the spotlight back on recruiting mature-aged talent.
Kelly, a 24-year-old midfielder, played 23 games for the Cats this year after he was picked out of the WAFL.