Gold Coast draft concessions a poisoned chalice?

The AFL's determination to create a senior-level AFL team on the Gold Coast seems to know no bounds. The announced draft concessions appear to be incredibly generous — until you consider the average lifespan of AFL draftees and the success rate of high-level draft picks.

The kids being drafted to Gold Coast will also be entitled to feel somewhat short-changed. There's not going to be a cohort of experienced team leaders with substantial AFL pedigrees to provide the leadership, on and off the field, that these youngsters will need for them to have a reasonable chance of a successful AFL career.

Of course, it's the very determination to create the Gold Coast presence that makes these measures necessary.

It would be sad to see the courts being drawn into the draft system, but it wouldn't be unreasonable for these kids to feel that being drafted to Gold Coast potentially diminishes their capacity to earn a living (and set themselves up for life if they're smart) in AFL.