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Eddie McGuire has urged the AFL to consider giving West Coast a priority pick if they struggle again next year, forecasting “three years of absolute pain” for the fallen power club.
The Eagles remain 18th on the ladder after suffering a 122-point loss to Adelaide at the weekend and have won just three of their past 39 games.
West Coast has won just one game this season and has lost by more than 100 points on three separate occasions.
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McGuire said the AFL needed West Coast to remain powerful for the strength of the competition, suggesting a priority pick was necessary with a Tasmanian club incoming.
“You know what? I’m starting to head towards yes (they should receive a priority pick),” he told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“I think they get another year. I’d consider it next year if they’re no good (in 2024) because they made some (list management) blues, and you’ve got to cop it, but let’s not kick them completely.
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“Particularly with Tassie coming in, you’ve got to be careful on kicking people to death all the time.
“Do we stop giving St Kilda $20 million a year because they mucked it up in the 2000s?
“The best way to keep clubs around is to have some hope. I think they’re copping their whack, but I don’t think you need to make it a generation of supporters who don’t see their team have any hope.
“They’ve got three years of absolute pain, it wouldn’t matter how many picks they get at the moment.”
McGuire suggested the AFL should’ve assisted Carlton in the same way when the Blues were struggling in the years prior to the arrival of both the Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants, who both dominated the top end of drafts between 2010 and 2012.
“They’re an important side, we don’t want them down in the dumps forever,” McGuire said of the Eagles.
“I always thought that one of the biggest mistakes … I used to say at presidents meetings that they (the AFL) needed to get Carlton going again more than some of the northern states at a time when they were down.
“It was costing us money, it’s costing them $1 million a year.”
Geelong great Jimmy Bartel, who is currently a director at the Giants, disagreed with McGuire’s take.
“I don’t think you should be rewarded with a priority pick because of your own list decisions,” he told Footy Classified.
“They won a flag five years ago and they gave away three draft picks to get Tim Kelly.
“They loaded up and they’re trying again with some of the senior players. They split their pick last year to get two more young kids in, no priority pick there.”
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