GWW wrote:Presumably the increased SANFL compared to WAFL games is based on there being more clubs in this state than WA, i'm sure there is a more scientific answer though.
This rule had multiple changes through the 1990s until it's become more settled this decade. Last major change was in April 2006 and then the introduction of bidding system a year later. I'll put the full wording of the release below. The 20-year entry rule that previously said fathers had to be in the 20-year window before the new club's entry into the competition no longer applies, and hasn't applied since 2006. Any eligible father from the WAFL or SANFL who has a son late in life, that son can still qualify as a father son pick. So if Russell Ebert had another son right now, Port could take him in 18 years time when he's old enough to be drafted, because Russell played enough games for Port Magpies before the Power came into the competition. If Trevor Sims has a son tomorrow who is good enough to be drafted in 18 years time, Adelaide can take him.
However, the player must have played his 200 in the SANFL or his 150 in the WAFL before the AFL club came into existence. Bryce Gibbs didn't qualify for Adelaide as a father-son because Ross had not played 200 games for Glenelg by the end of 1990. He didn't reach 200 until the Crows were some three years old, but Adelaide obviously fought that as hard as they could.
The 150 game and 200 game marks for WAFL and SANFL were set because Fremantle and Eagles were drawing on eight clubs' players between them while Adelaide and Port Adelaide were drawing on ten clubs' between them, and the player pool numbers were calculated in line with what a single VFL club was able to draw on (in terms of eligible 100-game players from that one club). From there, it's the luck of birth as to which former players can produce elite draftable sons.
Geelong has been blessed with Ablett, Scarlett as superstars and Hawkins, Blake, Ablett as guys who fill a role.
St Kilda has had legends in Harvey, Burke, Lockett and Frawley who have had 14 daughters and one son between them.
Now, father son picks in the pool at least have to be bid for by all clubs, and have been done for the last couple of drafts. Cordy went round one that way, and Daniher went round two the year before. In the next few years, Tony Liberatore's son, STeve Wallis' son are coming up, and they are expected to be drafted.
Still, Marc Murphy was eligible to go father-son to Brisbane Lions and he opted not to join the club, and went into the draft. I'm sure Brisbane would love him right now, having got him as a third round pick a few years back, instead of going at pick one to Carlton.
April 06 media release
AFL Chief Executive Officer Andrew Demetriou today announced the AFL Commission had considered the Father / Son rule and its implications going forward for the NAB AFL Draft, at its meeting in Melbourne today.
Mr Demetriou said the Commission adopted a change to the Father / Son rule, which now stated there will be no 20-year qualifying period for the WA and SA-based clubs based on the immediate two decades in WAFL and SANFL football respectively before these teams entered the AFL competition, so as to ensure eligibility rules matched those of the other AFL clubs.
As such, the son of a player who reached the qualifying mark with either the WA or SA-based clubs prior to their entry into the competition would now be eligible to be taken as a father-son selection. (Previously, West Coast was bound by the period 1967-87, Fremantle 1975-95, Adelaide 1970-90 and Port Adelaide (1977-1997).
Mr Demetriou said the Father / Son player qualification limits for West Coast (which draws on Claremont, East Perth, West Perth and Subiaco from the WAFL ) and Fremantle (which draws on South Fremantle, East Fremantle, Perth and Swan Districts) would remain at 150 WAFL premiership games while the qualification limits were higher for the SA-based clubs at 200 premiership games to match the size of the player pools from the greater number of SANFL clubs for Adelaide (drawing on Norwood, Glenelg, Sturt and South Adelaide) and Port Adelaide (drawing on Port Mapgies, Woodville, North Adelaide, Central Districts, West Adelaide and West Torrens).
The Victorian-based clubs will continue to draw on their former player base only with their qualification to remain at 100 games, along with 100 games for the Brisbane Lions and Sydney (drawing on Fitzroy and South Melbourne players respectively).
All 100-game players in the AFL for any club continue to automatically qualify for Father / Son status, with this rule originally introduced to compensate for the period before the WA and SA-based sides entered the competition, with no access to Father / Son selections.
"The previous rule was based on a submission from the Adelaide Football Club in 2001, which had over-estimated the size of the pools available for the non-Victorian clubs to draw on as potential Father / Son selections," Mr Demetriou said.
"The AFL Draft Working group presented a detailed examination of all players who had qualified for father / son status with 100 games for Victorian-based clubs, along with a comparison of the pools available for 150 games in Western Australia and 200 games in South Australia.
"The restriction of a 20-year period for WA and SA reduced the number of players for those clubs to draw on, and also excluded players who had qualified at an earlier time.
"The removal of the 20-year qualification period prior to the entry of the WA and SA based clubs now brings a greater parity to the numbers of players that clubs can reasonably expect to draw a father / son selection.
"As such, the son of a player who reached the 150-game threshold with Swan Districts in 1974 would now be eligible for inclusion on the Fremantle list (even though it is more than 20 years before Fremantle joined the AFL), in the same way that a son of a player who reached 100 games for the Kangaroos in 1974 would be eligible for that club.
"There is no change to the rule whereby a player must have qualified in reaching the player games milestone before the new club entered the competition, meaning that West Coast's qualification period still expires prior to 1987, Adelaide prior to 1991, Fremantle prior to 1995 and Port Adelaide prior to 1997," he said.
In regard to a bidding system, Mr Demetriou said the Commission requested further detail, for the Commission to consider later in the year.
"The AFL Commission requested information on how a bidding system may work for Father / Son selections at the last meeting in March," Mr Demetriou said.
"The initial information that was provided by the AFL Executive was discussed, and the Commission agreed that more discussion should be undertaken in this area by the AFL Executive, to be considered at a meeting later in the year," he said.
Father Son Qualification Summary:
Adelaide - 200 SANFL Premiership games for Norwood, Glenelg, Sturt or South Adelaide up to the end of 1990. 100 AFL Premiership games for Adelaide.
Brisbane Lions - 100 AFL Premiership games for Fitzroy, Brisbane Bears or Brisbane Lions.
Carlton - 100 AFL Premiership games for Carlton.
Collingwood - 100 AFL Premiership games for Collingwood.
Essendon - 100 AFL Premiership games for Essendon.
Fremantle - 150 WAFL Premiership games for South Fremantle, East Fremantle, Perth or Swan Districts up to the end of 1994. 100 AFL Premiership games for Fremantle.
Geelong - 100 AFL Premiership games for Geelong.
Hawthorn - 100 AFL Premiership games for Hawthorn.
Kangaroos - 100 AFL Premiership games for Kangaroos / North Melbourne.
Melbourne - 100 AFL Premiership games for Melbourne.
Port Adelaide - 200 SANFL Premiership games for Port Magpies, Woodville, North Adelaide, Central Districts, West Adelaide or West Torrens up to the end of 1996. 100 AFL Premiership games for Port Adelaide.
Richmond - 100 AFL Premiership games for Richmond.
St Kilda - 100 AFL Premiership games for St Kilda.
Sydney - 100 AFL Premiership games for South Melbourne / Sydney.
West Coast - 150 WAFL Premiership games for Claremont, East Perth, West Perth or Subiaco up to the end of 1986. 100 AFL Premiership games for West Coast.
Western Bulldogs - 100 AFL Premiership games for Western Bulldogs / Footscray.
Roger Woodcock -- 602 goals from a forward flank makes you a legend.
