Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge believes the AFL should use the COVID-19 situation to raise the draft age to 19.
With underage pathways and leagues not running because of the virus and a situation where list sizes may be reduced, limiting the need for a draft in 2020, Beveridge believes it is time to pull the trigger.
“It’s an absolute no-brainer (to lift the draft age). I mean, every other year as much as I’ve advocated for the draft age to be lifted, I was finding it hard to work out how you would actually do it,” he told SEN’s Whateley.
“Now because none of the pathway programs are playing and training, it just makes absolute sense if we feel strongly enough about it and the benefits we will get from it, to just go ahead and do it.”
Beveridge believes young players should not have to go through the pressure of trying to get drafted in the same year they’re completing year 12.
“It’s another really important reason to (lift the draft age),” he said.
“That argument that the boys who come out of their under 18 year and then maybe go into the workforce or whether they go into tertiary studies, another year of maturity, another year to prepare for the physical challenge of being an AFL player and it all just continues to make sense.”
Carlton coach David Teague isn’t as sure about making the change.
“Depending on what happens this year, I understand the circumstances. But I would hate to think that Sam Walsh would have to wait an extra 12 months to deliver what he did last year,” he said when asked on Twitter.