Set the draft pick bar a little earlier?

Question

The present draft pick rights for lowest teams are a good idea in theory but there's plenty of evidence that some teams do throw games to benefit in the draft.

To make it beyond question which teams do this, how about the AFL lowest teams at the mark where each team has played each team, ie 15 games, have the first round of draft picks, to the bottom EIGHT at this point. No trades, no selloffs etc allowed. That way, no point in tanking games in the last seven weeks and everyone would try harder.

That way we would see how horrible certain teams are, without them getting a halo for trying hard to get a draft pick.

Your views invited, footy fans.

Answer 1

That system could work. Although they could do it half way through the season (or possibly later) because it is a jumbled fixture this year (e.g Bulldogs play St. Kilda twice before they have even played Brisbane or Collingwood once.) That way there would be no 'Oh well, we haven't made the finals, let's play for picks'

Answer 2

Nice idea but my problem is the priority pick for being truly pathetic over 3 years, that should go, if it wasn't there last year I'm pretty sure the blues would have won at least one game out of those 11 they lost to the end of the year.

Answer 3

the only way to get rid of 'tanking' is to get rid of the incentive to tank.

get rid of the priority pick