Academy draft prospects1:54
AFL: Fox Footy's Ben Waterworth and Riley Beveridge take a look at the academy prospects in this year's draft.
Three clubs are facing the prospect of going into draft debt due to academy and father-son bidding
THREE clubs face the prospect of going into draft debt next year, should they be forced to match bids on academy and father-son selections this November.
Brisbane and Gold Coast seem almost certain to go into draft debt, while Collingwood could also be made to do so if Callum Brown and Josh Daicos are bidded upon earlier than expected.
The Lions have four picks inside the first 22 selections in the draft, but have no other picks worth draft points based on the AFL’s draft value index.
That means matching bids for academy prospects such as Jacob Allison, Jack Rolls and Declan Watson will lead to the club going into draft debt, should those bids fall beyond Pick 22.
A similar situation is facing the Suns, who have four top 10 selections, but only one other pick that is worth any draft points.
Father-son draft prospects1:48
AFL: Fox Footy's Ben Waterworth and Riley Beveridge examine who could be selected as a father-son in the 2016 draft.
Surfers Paradise midfielder Jack Bowes, who is being viewed by many recruiters as one of the best prospects in this year’s national draft, is available to Gold Coast as part of its academy system and is likely to attract a bid inside the top 10 later this month.
The club also has access to Palm Beach midfielder Brad Scheer, who is another that is firming as a likely first-round prospect.
Should both Bowes and Scheer attract bids inside the first round, Gold Coast’s Pick 73 (worth only nine draft points) is unlikely to be enough to stop the club from going into draft debt.
Collingwood amassed 1511 draft points from five selections (Picks 28, 44, 51, 62 and 65) during last month’s trade period, which should be enough for the club to secure both of its father-son prospects in Brown and Daicos.
However, should the duo attract bids earlier than expected and fall approximately inside the top 25 of the draft, the Magpies may also be made to go into draft debt in 2017.
The prospect of going into draft debt is unlikely to hinder Greater Western Sydney, who traded for 11 picks worth 6014 draft points during last month’s exchange period.
Will Setterfield and Harry Perryman are the club’s most highly rated academy products this season, but the Giants might also have to match later bids for the likes of Harrison Macreadie, Kobe Mutch, Zach Sproule and Isaac Cumming.
If a club goes into draft debt, the amount of draft points owed will be deducted from the club’s position in the corresponding round of where the bid was placed in the next year’s draft.
For example, if a club was to match a first-round bid for an academy or father-son prospect and subsequently go into draft debt, the amount of draft points owed would be deducted from its first-round pick in the next year’s draft.
If a club matches a second-round academy or father-son bid and and goes into draft debt, the amount of draft points owed would be subtracted from its second-round pick of next year’s draft — and so on in the third and fourth rounds.
Originally published as Trio of clubs facing prospect of draft debt