From the Sunday Age
Reported by Brent Diamond
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AFL clubs are set to take a more detailed look at state leagues from next season as football's talent pool is raided through the additions of the Gold Coast Football Club from 2011 and a west Sydney club in 2012.
Leagues such as the VFL look set to play an important role in the pathway system leading into the AFL because the draft system is set to be compromised by the two new teams receiving the best young talent.
This year the Gold Coast can take its pick of a dozen 17-year-old juniors with birthdates between January 1, 1992, and April 30, 1992, before the 2009 national draft. On average, five 17-year-olds are taken in the first round of each national draft, with last year's No. 1 pick, Jack Watts, being among that number.
AFL talent development manager Kevin Sheehan believes the state leagues will be more closely monitored given the recent drafting success from the VFL.
