AFL great Gerard Healy believes a draft lottery would ‘solve a lot of issues’, as debate continues to rage over the current draft system.
In recent years, the rise of Academy and father-son prospects around the league have led to accusations of the draft being compromised, with St Kilda in particular pushing for a major revamp.
Speaking on SEN’s Sportsday, Healy argued that the move to an NBA-style system in which teams near the bottom of the table enter a lottery with lower-placing teams given higher odds for top picks would remove the issue of tanking late in the season.
“The quicker we go to the lottery system, the better,” Healy said.
“I know the AFL don’t want to do it, but it would solve a lot of issues.
“I think the AFL with Greg Swann should do a deep dive into all pathways and throw the draft in as well, because to me, the draft isn’t working.”
Freo CEO questions father-son rule as young gun nominates Blues
Carlton have received a major boost nearing the end of a difficult season, with young gun Cody Walker committing to the Blues under the father-son rule.
Walker, the son of 202-game utility Andrew, has opted to nominate the Blues to pick him at the 2026 national draft in a little over a year’s time, having also been eligible to be selected by Richmond as a Next Generation Academy player.
Having spent time at the Blues during the season, the 17-year old is seen as a likely top-10 prospect in next year’s draft, having starred for the Bendigo Pioneers in the Talent League, and is part of a growing number of father-son players at the club, with brothers Ben and Lucas Camporeale both selected in the 2024 draft.
“This has honestly already been dream come true,” Walker said in a statement to Carlton media.
“Being involved with the club over the last few years, today is another step closer to pulling on that Carlton jumper – I just can’t wait.
“I have been involved in the Carlton Academy for three years now and have been so appreciative of everything the Club has done for me and the people who have helped me to this point in my career, both at Carlton and at every level of football I’ve been fortunate enough to play at so far.
“To have already been able to work hard alongside the likes of Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh and that entire midfield group, while getting to know everyone at the Club already, I just want to keep soaking up as much as I can and learn off them.”
However, the long-standing father-son rule that enables players to join their family club if their father played at least 100 games for them has been a point of controversy in recent years, with detractors arguing it further compromises a draft meant to ensure the best available talent goes to the worst-performing clubs.
In recent years, Will and Levi Ashcroft as well as Jaspa Fletcher have further bolstered reigning premiers Brisbane as high picks, while Collingwood have benefitted from Nick and Josh Daicos as well as captain Darcy Moore, and the Western Bulldogs landed star key forward Sam Darcy with pick 2 in the 2021 national draft off the back of a grand final.
Fremantle CEO Simon Garlick has gone on record questioning whether the ‘pot luck’ system is in the best interests of the AFL.
“I’ve more been thinking about the father-son rule, to be frank, and whether that has a place in the contemporary game,” Garlick told SEN’s Sportsday.
“I think the draft is the most critical equalisation measure in the game. I understand that we’re going to have some concessions that are provided with it.
“The father-son is just pot luck … it’s one that I don’t see as having a place in the contemporary game, albeit understanding it’s lovely from a historical perspective and the culture of the game.”
Garlick suggested a potential remedy would be to bar clubs from selecting father-son players in the first two rounds of the draft, as is the case with NGA players.
He did, however, defend the controversial Academy priority selections which have allowed Gold Coast to secure the likes of Jed Walter, Ethan Read and Leo Lombard in recent years, saying they ‘encourage the game in the northern markets’.
Naturally, Blues coach Michael Voss has staunchly defended the father-son rule’s place in the game.
“There’s some things that we need to continue around the history of the game and the traditions of the game, and this is one of them,” he said.
“I’d understand if there’s probably a further conversation around what Academies look like in general. But when it comes to the father-sons, that’s been a tradition that’s stood the test of time, and should continue to do so.
“Whether that evolves over time and what you ultimately end up paying for that probably is a continued conversation, but where teams can get access to their father-sons, father-daughters, [that] should always be made available.”
