Should the AFLW draft age be brought forward to include 16 and 17-year-old players?
AFL Players Association President Patrick Dangerfield believes it is something worth considering.
The AFLW competition is set for one last leap of expansion next year, jumping from 14 to 18 teams, even though the talent pool isn’t entirely ready for such a move.
This will mean a league of 540 players and the additional 120 must come from somewhere.
Dangerfield not only believes this would help solve the talent dilemma, it would fast-track the development of the talent coming through these brand new junior girls pathways.
“Because there is still a gap when it comes to talent in the competition, we all understand that the league is building, but there are some wonderful underage female talents that are so capable and would not look out of place in the current AFLW,” the Geelong star told SEN Drive.
“This is how these young girls are and we were talking … what are the restrictions on them playing AFLW or at a higher level?
“It’s different for the men’s competition, but for the women’s competition, as long as physically they’re in an okay position, if they’re going to be physically hurt, that’s always the risk, but it can really fast-track the development as a younger player.
“I think it’s the recipe to fast-track this competition. To really improve it quickly.
“It’s not to say those players will come in and set the world on fire and be the best players in year one that they play. Say a 16-year-old came in and played, it’s not going to be that. But it might be at age 18 they’re the best player in the game. At age 20 they’re the best player in the game.
“You’re just bringing it forward because the future is as bright as you could hope for and it’s coming.”
Teenage AFLW players tend to have a larger immediate impact on the competition than their male counterparts.
We’ve since Rising Star winners make the All-Australian side every year except 2021. Carlton midfielder Maddy Prespakis won the league’s best and fairest award before turning 20.
In the SANFLW, 15-year-old Lauren Young won the competition’s best and fairest award, highlighting her readiness among state-level adult players.
Andy Maher, who follows the league closely, believes it’s an interesting idea.
“It’s a really timely conversation to have from an AFLW perspective because next year we go into the most radical expansion since the inception of the league,” Maher said.
“This is a generalisation, but generally speaking girls mature physically and probably emotionally a bit faster than boys do at that age group.
“If that’s the case and if AFLW is looking for more players next year for four new teams and if the league starts a little bit earlier so it’s kind of wedged between the academic year to a degree so it has as little impact on the kids’ study as possible.”
The 2022 AFLW season gets underway on January 6th.
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