The three clubs that could benefit most from proposed NGA changes

The AFL is set to apply changes to rules surrounding the drafting of Next Generation Academy (NGA) players.

The significant alteration, which would be more in line with the rules up until 2020, would allow clubs to match a bid from a rival club on NGA players from Pick 1, and not from Pick 20 which was extended out to Pick 40 over the last couple of years.

SEN’s Sam Edmund feels the situation has been an “escalating gripe” with clubs feeling “increasingly helpless” to match bids on players inside the top 40 of the draft.

While some clubs have been burnt in recent years, such as St Kilda with Hawthorn’s Cam Mackenzie and Melbourne with Gold Coast’s Mac Andrew, those situations will be highly unlikely once the rules are, as expected, amended for the 2024 draft.

It will be in line with the rules surrounding the AFL’s Northern Academies and Father-Son bidding processes.

AFL Media’s Cal Twomey outlined the three clubs that could benefit most from the proposed changes which will be reintroduced with the view to nurturing Indigenous and diverse talent.

ESSENDON

“Absolutely the Bombers are the big winners on this one,” Twomey said on SEN Breakfast.

“They have a prospect called Isaac Kako who is a Calder Cannons small forward. He’s been electric throughout the National Championships for Vic Metro, kicking eight or nine goals across the four games.

“He is what I believe to be the best small forward in it. Most clubs would have him around the top 15 picks.

“If the rules weren’t going to change for this year then they wouldn’t get access to him. They’d have to use their pick to get him and hope he got through to their selection. But now the Bombers would be able to match a bid on him.

“The Bombers are the big winners out of this change.”

ST KILDA

“St Kilda also should benefit from it too,” Twomey said of the Saints.

“They have a couple of (Sandringham Dragons) defenders in Adrian Cole and Lennox Hoffman who have probably snuck into top 40 calculations now.

“Otherwise they wouldn’t have had that access, now they will.”

WEST COAST

“West Coast as well with Malakai Champion,” added Twomey.

“He is a small forward from the west (Subiaco) who is a member of their Next Generation Academy.

“They should also get access to him now too.”

Twomey further explained that the NGA bidding system will likely come into line with the Draft Value Index (DVI) changes to encompass the entire Academy system as the AFL strives to bring it “all under one umbrella”.

That would oppose the three different bidding systems currently used for the NGA, Northern Academies and Father-Son concepts.