AFL 2026

[Trader]

You blokes do know that the AFL is all about reactionary optics and nothing to do with fairness, no?

Very true, I recon after a season or two they'll change it again, to increase flexibility, and those clubs picking this year and next will be hurt again! lol

[Jim05]

You blokes do know that the AFL is all about reactionary optics and nothing to do with fairness, no?

Very true, I recon after a season or two they'll change it again, to increase flexibility, and those clubs picking this year and next will be hurt again! lol

Coincidence of course that the Northern academies haven’t got much coming through in the next couple of drafts

[wenchbarwer]

You blokes do know that the AFL is all about reactionary optics and nothing to do with fairness, no?

Very true, I recon after a season or two they'll change it again, to increase flexibility, and those clubs picking this year and next will be hurt again! lol

Coincidence of course that the Northern academies haven’t got much coming through in the next couple of drafts

[amber_fluid]

What a joke the AFL are.
Oh well we’ve been shit for 20 years what’s a few more years gonna hurt

[The Bedge]

[You now need to overpay, using up picks 3 and 18 anyway, as you don't have the right picks to match pick 2, rather than pick 1..

Don't you get the delta pick value back though?

[Booney]

AIt was ok when it suited Brisbane - who were already top of the tree prior to the Ashcrofts being available, now for us, it changes. Excellent!

But wasn't the issue with the Ashcrofts that they were getting them for the points equivalent of like pick 8, rather than 1 or 2?

Well, no, but yes.

Will Ashcroft, pick 2 ( 2517 points ) was taken with picks 34,35,36 and 38 and with the father son discount those points ( 2014 - pick 4 is 2034 ) made the trade valid.

I essence they got him at pick 2 for the price of pick 4 using 4 picks in the 30's.

Levi, pick 5, to match the bid from Melbourne, Brisbane used points from draft picks 40, 42, 43, and 46.

[wenchbarwer]

What a joke the AFL are.
Oh well we’ve been shit for 20 years what’s a few more years gonna hurt

SA, WA & Victoria aren't "emerging markets", there's no other code to compete against.

Northern clubs are now stocked with all these academy rorts that will sustain them for the next decade, by that time Tasmania will be up & running and the AFL will pat themselves on the back on a job well done.

[Booney]

What a joke the AFL are.
Oh well we’ve been shit for 20 years what’s a few more years gonna hurt

SA, WA & Victoria aren't "emerging markets", there's no other code to compete against.

Northern clubs are now stocked with all these academy rorts that will sustain them for the next decade, by that time Tasmania will be up & running and the AFL will pat themselves on the back on a job well done.

SA is, pretty sure Qld has a higher junior participation rate than SA. Qld 90,000, SA 70,500.

[wenchbarwer]

What a joke the AFL are.
Oh well we’ve been shit for 20 years what’s a few more years gonna hurt

SA, WA & Victoria aren't "emerging markets", there's no other code to compete against.

Northern clubs are now stocked with all these academy rorts that will sustain them for the next decade, by that time Tasmania will be up & running and the AFL will pat themselves on the back on a job well done.

SA is, pretty sure Qld has a higher junior participation rate than SA. Qld 90,000, SA 70,500.

You didn't get those figures from Gerard Healy, did you?

5.5 million vs 1.8 million though for overall population, they're three times our size.

[Booney]

What a joke the AFL are.
Oh well we’ve been shit for 20 years what’s a few more years gonna hurt

SA, WA & Victoria aren't "emerging markets", there's no other code to compete against.

Northern clubs are now stocked with all these academy rorts that will sustain them for the next decade, by that time Tasmania will be up & running and the AFL will pat themselves on the back on a job well done.

SA is, pretty sure Qld has a higher junior participation rate than SA. Qld 90,000, SA 70,500.

You didn't get those figures from Gerard Healy, did you?

5.5 million vs 1.8 million though for overall population, they're three times our size.

Oh, understood.

[Booney]

On AFL senior lists in 2026 there are 668 players, senior lists only.

As of 21/4/26 there are 138 on injury lists.

GWS 12, Port 11, Richmond 13, West Coast 10, Bulldogs 11 are all in double figures.

Around 20% of senior listed players are injured, is that impacting on the quality of the football and has the AFL rule changes impacted this?

[wenchbarwer]

On AFL senior lists in 2026 there are 668 players, senior lists only.

As of 21/4/26 there are 138 on injury lists.

GWS 12, Port 11, Richmond 13, West Coast 10, Bulldogs 11 are all in double figures.

Around 20% of senior listed players are injured, is that impacting on the quality of the football and has the AFL rule changes impacted this?

Be interesting to see what these numbers are like historically across the AFL.

I've got a theory that players are more injury prone early in the season as they go flat out from round 1 (or zero). Try as much as you want to replicate it in pre-season, but nothing is like match fitness.

What rule changes do you think have impacted these numbers?

[gadj1976]

On AFL senior lists in 2026 there are 668 players, senior lists only.

As of 21/4/26 there are 138 on injury lists.

GWS 12, Port 11, Richmond 13, West Coast 10, Bulldogs 11 are all in double figures.

Around 20% of senior listed players are injured, is that impacting on the quality of the football and has the AFL rule changes impacted this?

Be interesting to see what these numbers are like historically across the AFL.

I've got a theory that players are more injury prone early in the season as they go flat out from round 1 (or zero). Try as much as you want to replicate it in pre-season, but nothing is like match fitness.

What rule changes do you think have impacted these numbers?

The rule changes have resulted in a much faster game. The Stand rule (allowing players to more easily play on), the holding the ball rule (instead of balling it up), the last touch rule (instead of throwing it in) all lessen the instances of stoppages and/or slower play. This means more stress on players' bodies.

As a side note, it also means we as an industry lose 'footballers' and recruit more athletes. Those that can run further and faster will be elevated in recruiters minds, rather than those that can get and use the footy. So the standard of footy will go down.

[wenchbarwer]

On AFL senior lists in 2026 there are 668 players, senior lists only.

As of 21/4/26 there are 138 on injury lists.

GWS 12, Port 11, Richmond 13, West Coast 10, Bulldogs 11 are all in double figures.

Around 20% of senior listed players are injured, is that impacting on the quality of the football and has the AFL rule changes impacted this?

Be interesting to see what these numbers are like historically across the AFL.

I've got a theory that players are more injury prone early in the season as they go flat out from round 1 (or zero). Try as much as you want to replicate it in pre-season, but nothing is like match fitness.

What rule changes do you think have impacted these numbers?

The rule changes have resulted in a much faster game. The Stand rule (allowing players to more easily play on), the holding the ball rule (instead of balling it up), the last touch rule (instead of throwing it in) all lessen the instances of stoppages and/or slower play. This means more stress on players' bodies.

As a side note, it also means we as an industry lose 'footballers' and recruit more athletes. Those that can run further and faster will be elevated in recruiters minds, rather than those that can get and use the footy. So the standard of footy will go down.

This poor recruiting, in my book. The top teams have skilled ballusers, much easier to get a footballer fit than to teach an athlete how to play footy.

[gadj1976]

I don't disagree with you wenchy, just passing on what I'm hearing from SANFL level.

[wenchbarwer]

I don't disagree with you wenchy, just passing on what I'm hearing from SANFL level.

I think I mentioned a few days ago about talking to a Hawks recruiter in the early 2010's, and club recruiting policy was that skills were number one.

I think sometimes there's a bit of secret squirrel between what the AFL clubs tell SANFL clubs they want, and what they actually want. I remember speaking to an Essendon assistant coach, who advised my lad to get into sprint training, as speed is seen as an X factor and it's something the clubs don't spend a lot of time on once you're in the AFL system. They want them to do the extra work in their formative years so it compliments their skills, and this was never a piece of advice that he'd received during his years in SANFL under age teams.

Same with the focus on repeat running, if they can convince SANFL clubs that they're looking for kids who are hyper fit, then the good footballers will come into the AFL space with a higher base level of aerobic fitness than they normally would.

[gadj1976]

I don't disagree with you wenchy, just passing on what I'm hearing from SANFL level.

I think I mentioned a few days ago about talking to a Hawks recruiter in the early 2010's, and club recruiting policy was that skills were number one.

I think sometimes there's a bit of secret squirrel between what the AFL clubs tell SANFL clubs they want, and what they actually want. I remember speaking to an Essendon assistant coach, who advised my lad to get into sprint training, as speed is seen as an X factor and it's something the clubs don't spend a lot of time on once you're in the AFL system. They want them to do the extra work in their formative years so it compliments their skills, and this was never a piece of advice that he'd received during his years in SANFL under age teams.

Same with the focus on repeat running, if they can convince SANFL clubs that they're looking for kids who are hyper fit, then the good footballers will come into the AFL space with a higher base level of aerobic fitness than they normally would.

Yeh you did. And I think it separated Hawthorn from the others. I wonder if that recruiter now has changed his or her focus.

I also think it's the players they overlook that defines what they ARE looking for. I think the AFL clubs have picked up runners instead of footballers in the past years and it's degraded the competition. The skills on display in 50 or more % of games is pretty poor IMO. The rule changes have further rewarded that concept this year and it's a case of, if you can't run, the game is not for you (to an extent - as you've said, you can teach running). But if you can't run at semi elite levels, you will not get selected.

Already the media is saying a list of names with Cripps included, that the game has gone past because of the new rule changes.

[wenchbarwer]

I still think the best players will always be footballers, not athletes. List fillers, sure, they AFL might go for the fitness freaks. But, how many kids do you see that dominate the 2km time trial at the draft combine, go on to become elite footballers?

As for the media commentary, they also included players like Levi Ashcroft & Matt Rowell in that group. I'm not the biggest Matt Rowell fan, but my god is he a lovely kick up to 40m, both sides. Couple this with his ball winning ability and he will play in the AFL until his mid 30's.

[am Bays]

Speed

You cant put in what God left out and put a ball in someone's hand and all the speed training goes out the window, "milk the cow son".

All speed training does IMO allows for players to chase/spread harder when they've turned it over or get to the interchange bench more quickly.

I always used to chuckle when doing GPS analysis at 1 am in the morning and a players fastest speed was reached going to the bench....

FWIW the best bit of advice I got from an AFL HPM was get them to me sound with solid S&C fundamentals. I'll do the rest

[wenchbarwer]

Speed

You cant put in what God left out and put a ball in someone's hand and all the speed training goes out the window, "milk the cow son".

All speed training does IMO allows for players to chase/spread harder when they've turned it over or get to the interchange bench more quickly.

I always used to chuckle when doing GPS analysis at 1 am in the morning and a players fastest speed was reached going to the bench....

FWIW the best bit of advice I got from an AFL HPM was get them to me sound with solid S&C fundamentals. I'll do the rest

I should clarify, you can't teach speed. You can get faster, but you either have speed or you don't.

My lad got sprint training advice because he was already quick, but could add further polish and technique to be in the top end of 20m sprint testing.

All this means very little if you can't get the ball, of course. Same for high performance managers, no point looking like Tarzan if you can't hit a target.