Cody Walker was eight when he appeared at his Dad’s side as he announced his retirement from AFL football after 202 games for Carlton. Now, at age 17, he is an example of a flawed Next Generation Academy system, which the league has admitted needs to be tightened.
Cody is the son of former high-flying Blue Andrew Walker, who retired in August 2016, and an exciting father-son prospect in the 2026 national draft.
Cody Walker at his dad, Andrew’s retirement announcement in 2016.Credit: Vince Caligiuri
But that’s not the end of the story. Because of the NGA eligibility rules, Walker is also a member of Richmond’s academy and could, under those rules, nominate the Tigers as his preferred club. In that scenario, Richmond would have priority access to him, ahead of the Blues and other clubs.
He qualifies for the Tigers because he is an Echuca resident of Indigenous heritage. Echuca sits within Richmond’s Sunraysia NGA zone.
Andrew Walker takes a screamer for Carlton.Credit: Liam O’Bree
No one is blaming the Tigers for including Walker in their academy, and the Blues are very confident Walker will, when the time comes, follow his father’s footsteps to Carlton.
However, Andrew Walker’s career remains fresh in the memory of many football followers, and the overwhelming sentiment among clubs and recruiters is that his case illustrates a deeply flawed system.
The NGAs were introduced in 2016 to build the pool of players who could be drafted from Indigenous or multicultural backgrounds who otherwise might not play Australian football. Those critics argue that Walker, and many others in NGAs, would have been playing football whether the program was in place or not.
They point to numerous other examples.
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.
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.
“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.
