THE CONTENTIOUS father-son and academy bidding system will not change this year, but the AFL is expected to continue to refine and examine a new-look process that may be introduced for future drafts.
The League told clubs on Wednesday that it planned to stick with the existing model of bidding for eligible father-son and academy players in northern states, despite exploring the possibility of a new system.
In a statement on Wednesday AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said the AFL Commission decided it was too close to the bidding day - Monday, October 6 - for changes to be introduced this year.
The existing system sees father-son or academy recruits subject to a bidding process in which the eligible club, such as North Melbourne last year with father-son prospect Luke McDonald, has to match the best bid with their next draft choice.
The Kangaroos took McDonald at pick No.8 last year after West Coast bid its first selection (No.6 overall).
But club and AFL personnel in recent months have road-tested new systems aimed at making the draft more equitable and ensuring clubs are paying closer to market value for players.
A 'sliding scale' system that could see clubs use more than one pick on a player or move down the order later in the draft has been considered, as has assigning values to certain picks and players.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said earlier this month that if the League was happy with the system it would be introduced for this year, but if not it would continue to revise and refine the process in consultation with clubs.
There are expected to be more than 10 players selected at this year's bidding day, including Collingwood's father-son prospect Darcy Moore and Sydney Swans academy star Isaac Heeney.
