Why Carlton father-son prospect Cody Walker has the option to join Richmond Tigers as AFL vows to tighten Next Generation Academy rules
The football department’s review of the NGA system is set to be released by the middle of the year, and any changes to the rules would not affect players already in academies.
“There are plenty of examples of players who would have been playing football anyway and that is what we need to tighten up and to work on,” Kane said.
Isaac Kako is a product of Essendon’s NGA.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
“The players still have a choice, so the application is something the players agree to. The good part about the boys who have a choice is that they can decide who they would like to nominate or be aligned to.”
Clubs are also closely watching the result of potential 2026 No.1 draft pick Doug Cochrane’s application to join Port Adelaide’s Next Generation Academy following the discovery of Indigenous heritage in the family. His brother Tom already plays for Port Adelaide and his father Stuart played 54 matches with Port.
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Kane said a decision on that application had not yet been made. Clubs intermittently sent the list of players eligible for various academies.
“We are reviewing eligibility. We are reviewing the age bracket of that eligibility [and] the country if it is a multicultural eligibility and Indigenous eligibility,” Kane said.
“The integrity of the draft is a really important feature of competitive balance.”
There is still support for the concept of NGAs with one recruiter saying he is happy for the odd anomaly as long as clubs invested in the players they had priority access to for several seasons before draft night.
But the impact on the academies and father-sons on the draft is growing. About half of this year’s first round are potentially northern academy, father-son or NGA prospects, including Collingwood’s Zac McCarthy, the Brisbane Lions’ Dan Annable and Sydney’s Max King who are among a raft of potential first round picks tied to clubs.
The AFL changed the draft value index and discount to ensure clubs who drafted father-sons or academy graduates paid a fairer price from this season onwards and also allowed clubs to access NGA graduates at any stage of the draft. (Between 2021 and 2023, access was restricted to players at the top end of the pool.) Clubs are also discussing whether the zones are fair and whether players from NGAs who are not selected in drafts be added to lists as category B rookies.
The declining number of Indigenous players on lists is a concern for the AFL as well as their desire to make the game accessible for men and women of all backgrounds.
Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, an NGA graduate, is on a leave of absence from the Bulldogs.Credit: AFL Photos
“It’s not just ‘can they play?’ If we go back to the original intention of Next Gen when it [was introduced] in 2016 [was] we want them to play longer, [so] what support is needed in development from 11 to 18 years old that gives them the best chance of remaining in the game longer,” Kane said.
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“We are seeing very clearly that player health and wellbeing is a never-ending challenge so what does that look like for boys and girls who have other challenges in their lives. It’s multifaceted, but I think we are the beneficiary of more players because of the [NGA] program.”
NGA graduate Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (pick 1, 2020 national draft) is on a leave of absence from the Western Bulldogs.
Fellow top-10 pick and NGA member Tarryn Thomas (pick 8, 2018 ) is not playing football after he was sacked by the Kangaroos for inappropriate behaviour towards a woman.
Other NGA products include Essendon’s Isaac Kako, Hawthorn’s Cam Mackenzie, Gold Coast’s Mac Andrew, and St Kilda’s Marcus Windhager and Mitchito Owens.
