JACK Lukosius has been dubbed the best key-position AFL draft prospect since St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt.

It’s why he’s in hot demand and tipped to be taken within the first few picks of this year’s national draft.

But it’s also why the club that eventually drafts the star South Australian forward would be keen for a long-term commitment.

Get the ultimate AFL experience on your phone with the new FOX FOOTY App. Download it NOW for FREE on iOS and Android!

Finals Week 1

When, not if, Lukosius is drafted, he’ll sign a two-year deal - the standard tenure length all draftees have under the collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and the AFL Players’ Association.

One of Lukosius’ best on-field traits is his balance when kicking for goal from a set-shot. And when it comes to the polarising issue of draftee contract lengths, Lukosius - who’s likely to be at a club outside of a South Australia in 2019 - sees all viewpoints.

“For a player, it (two years) is probably good. For a club with the first-rounders, if they could get three years it’s probably good,” Lukosius told foxfooty.com.au.

“It’s a pretty big investment using a first-round draft pick on someone if they want to go in two years. It’s probably nearly not even worth it and you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen.

“As a player it’s good security to have two years, but as a club they might want more. But it is what it is.”

Jack Lukosius could be drafted interstate. Picture: SARAH REED Source: News Corp Australia

The automatic two-season draftee contract length, particularly over the past five years, has sparked ample issues.

When No. 1 draft pick Tom Boyd requested a trade to the Western Bulldogs after just nine games and one season of service to the Giants, the AFL player movement culture changed.

Since Boyd’s bold call, these first-round picks have all left their original clubs within three years of being drafted: Josh Schache, Jake Lever, Will Setterfield, Jack Scrimshaw, Matthew Kennedy, Lachie Plowman, Liam Sumner, Caleb Marchbank, Jarrod Pickett and Paul Ahern.

In recent weeks, best first-year player Tim Kelly requested a trade back home to Western Australia, specifically the West Coast Eagles, for family reasons. That came less than 12 months after Geelong gave him an AFL lifeline via the national draft and just hours after he finished equal-second in the Cats’ best and fairest count.

Unfortunately for Kelly and his family, the Cats and Eagles couldn’t come to an agreement on a fair trade, meaning Kelly will be forced to see out the second year of his Geelong contract. Still, Kelly’s call was another example of the contract power players can hold over AFL clubs.

Conversely, when Chad Wingard indicated his desire to join Hawthorn, first-round pick Ryan Burton was approached to be part of the deal and joined Port Adelaide, which he eventually warmed to despite being contracted to the Hawks. But that’s a rare case in the modern trade culture.

Ryan Burton was traded. Pic: Michael Klein Source: News Corp Australia

With players now more willing to deal the ‘go home card’ early in their careers, many within the industry have called for draftees to sign longer contracts when they enter the AFL system.

In the wake of speculation around the future of Schache in 2017, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said it was “borderline ridiculous” that young players were forced to make decisions on their footy future so early in their careers.

“Clubs invest a lot in those first-round picks and if you’ve got the opportunity to keep them for longer ... that would be fantastic,” Fagan said at the time.

Since then, Schache joined the Western Bulldogs and Fagan’s comments were echoed by the likes of Port Adelaide boss Keith Thomas, Giants chief executive Dave Matthews and, most recently, Saints great Leigh Montagna.

“It’s time AFL clubs got three-year deals for these draft picks, especially in the first couple of rounds, because they invest so much in them,” Montagna told Fox Footy’s The Trade Lowdown.

“I don’t like seeing these young players that have had two years at the club and played a handful of games then request trades. If we want to give a little bit of power to the clubs, this is one way to do it.”

So what does this year’s AFL draft class reckon? After all, they’ll be the ones putting pen to paper on these contacts then inevitably their footy futures scrutinised.

Geelong Falcons midfielder Sam Walsh, this year’s Pick 1 favourite, has already given the subject matter great thought. Not only is he in Montagna’s corner, he’s willing to up the Saints champ’s offer.

“Even that first contract could be two years and then after those two years, you’ve got another two years but then you negotiate for what price,” Walsh told foxfooty.com.au.

“I think if a club’s putting a lot of resources into you, you should be with them for a long term - and maybe whether that is first and second-rounders have that three-year contract, or whether it’s four years. That’s obviously a long time, but I think the game’s nearly going towards that now.

“Two years is a pretty short time for clubs to develop players and I think clubs show that it can turn around pretty quick for them. A lot of clubs think they’re not far off if they can retain players, especially for interstate clubs now with trades being more prominent.”

Sam Walsh. Photo: Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images Source: Getty Images

While Walsh is firming to be snapped up by Carlton with Pick 1 in November, the likes of gun Sandringham midfielder Bailey Smith and WA bolter Jordan Clark are Iikely to go in the top 10. And the way things look, both are strong chances to move interstate.

Smith would even be happier to sign a one-year contract first up. But his reasoning is unique.

“I reckon two years is fine, I’ve got no problem with it. Even one year - I couldn’t care less, just get your foot in the door, try prove yourself,” Smith told foxfooty.com.au.

“Probably one year would be better because you’ve got a shorter time to prove yourself and you’re more hungry to prove yourself. If you had a longer time, you’d think ‘I’ve got next year to show what I can do’.

“The shorter it is, I honestly think the better. Whatever, I don’t mind.”

Clark said “there are positives and negatives” to a two-year deal.

“As a kid coming in, you want to get guaranteed as many years as you can. But also you want to have that luxury that if you do want to go home, you can after a certain amount of years as well,” Clark told foxfooty.com.au.

“I don’t really know, but I think at the moment, two is alright.”

What also has to be remembered is the shorter the player contract tenure, the bigger money becomes an issue down the track.

The earlier players are taken in the draft, the more cash they earn in their first year. First-round draftees receive more money than second-rounders, who also earn more than draftees taken in the third round or later.

For instance, players taken in the top 20 picks this November will be on a base salary of $95,000 in 2019. They’ll also receive $4000 per senior match and bonuses for reaching certain game milestones (ie. they’ll earn a $12,000 bonus if they play over 15 games).

Those figures, under the CBA, will increase for their second year in 2020, with the base salary jumping to anywhere between $100,000 and $130,000, depending on the amount of games the players have played in their first season in 2019. (The full player payment breakdown can be viewed in the CBA on the AFL Players’ Association’s website.)

But it’s from the third year onwards where things can get messy.

A major issue for clubs, especially those in the northern states like the Giants and Suns, is having to pay ‘overs’ to keep promising players from the third year of their tenure and beyond. These expensive extensions come before a club can put significant development in to these players or see where they fit in.

It’s why the Giants found themselves in a serious salary cap squeeze during the recent trade period, which led to them losing four contracted players in Setterfield, Dylan Shiel, Tom Scully and Rory Lobb.

Still, re-signing a player beyond the mandatory two years can be seen as a positive.

Three weeks after taking him with Pick 2 in the national AFL draft last year, Andrew Brayshaw signed a two-year contract extension with Fremantle. So before he’d even played an AFL game, Brayshaw was essentially on a four-year.

Brayshaw recently addressed players that attended the national AFL draft combine. And his explanation of why he chose to re-sign so early struck a chord with many of this year’s draft class.

“Two years is an appropriate length, but having spoken to a few recent draftees such as Andy Brashaw, he signed within the first two weeks that he was at Freo, just because he knew that was where he wanted to be and he was able to get that security,” Cats father-son prospect Oscar Brownless told foxfooty.com.au.

“Once you have that locked away, it’s all going to come together on the field, which is important.”

Collingwood father-son prospect Will Kelly - the son of premiership defender Craig Kelly - went a step further, saying Brayshaw’s early extension was something draftees should aspire to achieve.

“I reckon two years is probably good. The goal would then be coming in to prove yourself, like Andy Brashaw has and Adam Cerra, to get that contract extension as early as you can and if you do commit to the club then you can go on and focus on your footy,” Kelly told foxfooty.com.au.

OTHER ASPIRING AFL DRAFTEES DISCUSS THE TWO-YEAR CONTRACT LENGTH

Jackson Hately (South Australia)

“To be honest, I think two years is a good time for the club to see where you’re at. But if the opportunity came to sign a longer contract, I think you definitely want to take that opportunity.”

Connor McFadyn (Brisbane Lions Academy)

“Obviously if I happened to get signed I’d love to be on the list for as long as possible, so signing for longer would be an awesome opportunity to try and stay in the club for that long.”

Kieran Briggs (Giants Academy)

“Two is the standard one, but obviously I’d try and sign on as quick as you can, just to give you that reassurance. I think it’s an external pressure that you don’t really need to worry about if you’ve signed on, then you don’t have to worry about it. But two years, I’m happy with that if I can get it.”

Oscar Brownless (Geelong Falcons)

“I think it is appropriate. Obviously as a player, you want to get in there and if you have two years, you’ve got quite a bit of time under your belt. You can get comfortable, relax into the club then excel and build from there. It’s definitely good to have that aspect and security. But having said that, it would probably be nice if you could lock something away a bit more long-term. Then you would probably see players who are able to flourish a bit more, especially with all the injuries these days.”