THE CHANGES to domestic football this year potentially have a lot of significance for mature-age recruits.

Players who have missed out on being drafted via the usual pathway are now able to play second-tier football in these new competitions.

It gives them the opportunity to play in a higher standard of competition, such as the North East Australian Football League.

This league has teams from Queensland, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.

So, the best teams from those states/territories are playing the best domestic standard of football possible.

The implementation of the Foxtel Cup has seen teams from the SANFL, WAFL, VFL, Tasmania, Queensland, NSW, ACT and NT competing against each other, which I reckon is a great thing.

It means mature players from different states can now be compared, which is something we don’t normally get to do.

State footy was once commonplace, but this isn’t as regular these days, so competitions like the Foxtel Cup are becoming increasingly important.

In the next few years mature-age players, such as 19, 20 or 21 year olds, will get greater opportunities to show their wares to AFL recruiting staff.

If you put this together with the scattering of players in the NAB AFL under 18 championships, which will see 12 different dates and 20 matches at AFL standard venues, there is a massive amount of football to cover for recruiters.

The good part about this is that it’s organised at good venues and there is good infrastructure available, which means you can see the players perform on better grounds. This way, it’s easier to make an assessment on players.

In the past, there might have been some benefits to weighing up players playing in, for example, Queensland as opposed to Tasmania.

Now you can see them directly playing against each other, so you get a good handle on the strengths of the teams.

This cross pollination between the states is a really positive thing. You can put yourself in the shoes of the player at that level, and they get to play at a high standard.

The NEAFL is somewhat of a mini-AFL, with Gold Coast and GWS also competing in this competition.

The under 18s will also conclude at Etihad Stadium again, which is a great way to showcase the best under-age talent.

Aside from one day on which three matches are played (two at Visy Park and one at AAMI Stadium), the AFL has kept the schedules to two games on one day.

But it’s a flat out schedule for recruiters, and it makes it more challenging every year. However, the fact it’s becoming a mini-AFL is very important. It’s what the AFL is trying to promote, so that it can have strong pathways at each level.

And, if players aren’t getting drafted via the normal pathway, the positive is that mature players or those who miss out are getting other opportunities.

This will only expand in the next four to six years.

Here is a fixture of the upcoming NAB AFL under 18 championships  

Round 1

Sunday May 29NT v WA - TIO Stadium

Saturday June 4

 

Qld v SA - Blacktown Olympic Park

NSW/ACT v Vic Metro - Blacktown Olympic Park

Sunday June 5

Tas v Vic Country - Bellerive Oval

Round 2

Saturday June 11

Vic Country v NT - Visy Park

Vic Metro v Qld - Visy Park

SA v NSW/ACT - AAMI Stadium

Sunday June 12

WA v Tas - Leederville Oval

Round 3

Saturday June 18

SA v Vic Country - Adelaide Oval

Sunday June 19

WA v Vic Metro - Patersons Stadium

Saturday June 25

Qld v NT - MetriconStadium

Tas v NSW/ACT - Aurora Stadium

Round 4

Friday July 1

Vic Metro v SA - Skilled Stadium

Vic Country v WA - Skilled Stadium

Saturday July 2

NT v Tas - Visy Park

Qld v NSW/ACT - Visy Park

Round 5

Wednesday July 6

SA v WA - Etihad Stadium

Vic Metro v Vic Country - Etihad Stadium

Thursday July 7

Qld v Tas - Etihad Stadium

NT v NSW/ACT - Etihad Stadium