The NRL should look at bringing in a draft system to help even out the competition. The move would also put the spotlight on upcoming juniors and expose them to NRL clubs.
This is a necessary move to help the lower-placed teams in their quest to move up the ladder.
A draft is a well-used concept in many leagues around the world. The largest organisations that use the draft model are the NBA, the NFL and Major League Baseball.
They use this system to allow the lower-placed teams to have first access to the top-end talent. Clubs that have smaller fan bases and less money to spend will have a level playing field against the big clubs like The Roosters, The Storm and The Rabbitohs. The draft could elevate the NRL's relevancy in Australian sport and better the leagues ten-fold.
The biggest issue with an NRL draft being implemented right now is the junior football system that is already established. NRL teams fund their junior football area and provide them with infrastructure and equipment to run their respective programs.
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In return, the region offers their most talented junior players to the club that are situated in that area. This system has been established for a long time and is beneficial to the teams that have the biggest financial investments in their junior areas, which is reliant on sponsorship size.
But the teams that have less money or don't have a strong area talent-wise, then they are behind the pack from the get-go.
A draft system will make the NRL much more relevant even more than it already is. The Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters have had a stronghold over the league for the past 20 years.
The Storm has so much talent that they have stars of the game riding the bench. They have two amazing hookers in Harry Grant and Brandon Smith. As well as two prolific five-8ights in Cameron Munster and Nicho Hynes.
They have players that could start at any other team but they are held on to by the Storm. This needs to stop.
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Why is this allowed to happen? One team hogging most of the talent is not good for the wider game. The teams at the bottom of the table don't have any help to improve. The draft model would help these teams greatly. It is a perfect system and is long overdue.
Another huge plus in regard to a draft in the NRL is the greater spotlight on the talented youth coming through. Right now the hopeful NRL talent is not being reported on in the same way as the AFL report on draft candidates.
The NRL could use the draft to highlight the big talent pool that exists around the country in Rugby League. Now junior players in the sport can get attention from the footy world before they enter the league. It is a huge plus for young footballers.
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The NRL could take control of the funding of junior programs. The money that clubs will not need to spend on amateur programs, they can now spend on their recruitment departments. They can use the saved finances to develop their home base and even their own stadiums. It's a win-win for all parties involved.
Peter V'landys and the NRL commission must put a draft model into motion to even out the 16 teams and allow for different clubs to reach the finals each year. It will bring a newfound team diversity to the competition, which is much-needed.
Just because NFL,NBA and MLB use a draft doesn’t make it right…the players that Melbourne have had success with would probably not be picked up in a draft but have developed under the Storm system while clubs like Parramatta fail to use their junior resources with one of the bigger junior areas to tap in to???…Get the right people in your recruiting development areas and their will be no need for a draft with players being recruited to clubs they don’t want to be at!