North Melbourne great David King has labelled the AFL’s assistance package to the club “way unders” compared to that of other sides in recent history.
The Kangaroos this year received a future second and future third-round pick from the league, but on the proviso the selections were traded out for at least one player.
Such an agreement was reached early in the trade period, with the Kangaroos landing Fremantle key position duo Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker in exchange for a pick swap that included those selections.
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The package paled in comparison to what Gold Coast was given at the end of 2019, which included pick number one in 2019, a mid-first round pick in the 2020 draft and the first pick of the second round in the 2021 draft.
Speaking on Fox Footy’s Trading Day, King said the Roos’ struggles in recent years were as bad if not worse than that of the Suns.
“I think the assistance package the Kangaroos got this year is just ridiculous, way unders,” he said.
“They’ve finished 18th, 18th and 17th the last three years. Two wins, four wins, three wins. People will say it’s their own doing; it’s always your own doing as a football club when you’re down the bottom.
“The compensation when the Suns were in a similar situation three years ago … was a lot higher.”
King pointed to some of the players taken with first-round priority picks in the 21st century as an example of just how beneficial a more substantial compensation package could’ve been for the Roos.
“If you look at the compensation picks historically, they’re one selection that comes in and changes your football club. (Nick) Riewoldt, (Luke) Hodge, (Luke) Ball, (Chris) Judd, (Adam) Cooney, (Jarryd) Roughead, Murphy. There’s another dozen names.
“They’re guys that win you premierships, they play 15 years at your football club. With all due respect to Griffin Logue and Darcy Tucker, the AFL couldn’t sit there today and say ‘that’s North Melbourne sorted, they’ve got Tucker and Logue, they’ll be fine.’ It’s hardly comparable to that list there.”
“You’ve got to give them a chance. I just feel like it already starts the conversation next year, ‘Good Friday, they’re uncompetitive, move them to Tassie.’
“They’ve done the best they can with those picks, but lets be honest, they’re not going to have anywhere near the significant impact of those names.”
FIRST-ROUND PRIORITY PICKS
Nick Riewoldt (2000)
Luke Hodge (2001)
Luke Ball (2002)
Chris Judd (2003)
Adam Cooney (2003)
Jarryd Roughead (2004)
Marc Murphy (2005)
Dale Thomas (2005)
Alex Rance (2007)
Noah Anderson (2019)
