'It's crazy': Outrage over 'sick' questions asked of AFL draft hopefuls

Malcolm Blight has hit out after it emerged young draft hopefuls were asked some downright bizarre questions by recruiters at the AFL Combine.

Noah Anderson, a projected top five pick at the upcoming draft from the Oakleigh Chargers, revealed to radio station SEN that one club had presented him with the classic philosophical ‘trolley problem’ as part of their efforts to get a better handle on the highly-rated prospect.

The ‘trolley problem’ presents the hypothetical of a runaway tram and two tracks - one with five people on it, another with just one person.

The subject is asked to explain which track they would send the runaway tram down, questioning the ethics of sacrificing one person to save five more.

“This is sick, a sick, sick thing that is going on,’’ AFL legend Blight said on Sportsday SA Radio on Thursday.

“These questions that our 18-year-old kids are getting asked by recruiters are about life and death. It should never happen, it’s crazy. Why would you ask such a range of questions about weird situations that would never happen?

“It’s ludicrous, hypothethetical rubbish. Why would you put young men in the situation of choosing how many people should die in a make believe test of character?

“What I would ask the recruiters and everyone in the football world now is, if the AFL don’t do something about this we may have more mental health problems.’’

Blight called for action to be taken, saying AFL boss Gillon McLachlan needed to get involved.

“People have to ring up Gillon McLachlan and tell him that this is absolute garbage. What’s it got to do with playing footy?” Blight said.

“What about recruiters watching with their eyes to discover if a player can play football.

“If you’re a recruiter, watch what the player does. And what about your tongue, you can ask coaches, teachers, friends about players.’’

Not the only bizarre question

Anderson, a teenager, also told SEN the same recruiters threw a wrinkle into the problem. The young gun was asked whether he would push an overweight person in front of both tracks, thereby saving all involved.

While some of the other questions weren’t as morbid, Anderson revealed they were equally baffling.

The Gold Coast Suns presented Anderson with a picture of a bike race, allowed him to study it for 10 seconds, then asked him to come up with a story about the image.

"I've just had a meeting with Gold Coast, they asked me some really weird questions,” Anderson told AFL Trade Radio in a separate interview.

“They showed me a photo of a bike race, I was able to look at it for 10 seconds and then I had to tell them a story about the race. I was all over the shop.”

Anderson wasn’t the only player to cop a baffling line of questioning, with fellow prospect Brodie Kemp revealing Sydney had asked him to select from five children’s toys, before explaining the reasoning behind his choice.