'Sweeping changes' to Academy and Father/Son bidding system

[Ludwig]

Are he and his mate Eddie also pushing for

- even prime time / FTA coverage for all clubs, achieved by sharing around Anzac Day, Queens Birthday and Friday night fixtures?
- the government to implement rent controls such that people living in each city have to pay the same rent to live in equivalent properties?
- clubs that lure "home" U23 players coming out of their first or second contracts coughing up draft picks to the player's current club that roughly equate to a fair value?

This 'go home' compensation makes perfect sense in the context of what Eddie says he wants to achieve. In fact, their should not only be fair compensation paid in the form of a fair value draft pick or player, but also additional compensation in either cash or draft picks to compensate the original club for its development costs. This would help mitigate the kind of pain that Brisbane is going through by having developed players like Polec and Yeo and now being forced to start over again with a new lot of recruits. At this rate they will never get off the bottom, and that's grossly unfair, especially in such a fragile market. The northern clubs should not be used as training camps for the clubs in traditional Aussie Rules areas.

Furthermore, the bidding system for academy players should be modified as well, but not in the way that Eddie has suggested. If a club that bids for a player wins the bid to draft that player, in that the nominating club withdraws its preselection, then the winning club will not only have to use the pick it bid for that player, but also pay compensation to the academy club with its next pick to cover the development costs of that player. For example, if Carlton bids its first round pick, let's say pick 5, for Heeney and the Swans let them have him, then Carlton would use that pick to draft Heeney and also give its 2nd round pick to Sydney as development compensation.

[barry]

Playing yhe grand final at the home ground of collingwood and hawthorn is the biggest legup in all sport world wide.

Lets address that one first.

[goswannies]

Playing yhe grand final at the home ground of collingwood and hawthorn is the biggest legup in all sport world wide.

Lets address that one first.

I'd rather the academy players.

We play the MCG pretty well in September & not many (& by that I mean none) other grounds hold the 100+K crowds of a GF ... that's a lot of revenue in ticket sales

[ernie koala]

The principle of what Barry suggests is right though.

How can there be an equal comp when some teams are guaranteed a home grand final?

Just to stick it up Eddie and co, you'll be happy to know Barry, I'll even put up with it being played at ANZ now and then!

[Ruck'n'Roll]

The biggest question that remains it that, if they are all so opposed, why have the voices of opposition been so quiet over the past 3-4 years while the Swans and other clubs have been ploughing millions of dollars into the scheme?

The answer to that is . . . New CEO. While I found Andrews apparent inability to tell right from wrong distasteful. There was one non negotiable with him. his authority, once he actually put his name to a decision Vlad was absolutely savage when he felt someone was questioning it.

And the second question is how they propose development paths in the northern states should be enhanced given the abject failure of previous efforts over the past 10 years. This is especially pertinent given that just a couple of weeks ago McGuire was whingeing about how the talent pool wasn't big enough to support 18 teams in the competition.

Egregious Eddie has no interest in game development in the northern states and never has (the short memories here seem to have forgotten his 04-06 campaign to torpedo development of the game in NSW). That succeeded, so will this one - despite what you and I perceive as the "abject failure" of what was instituted at his behest. From his perspective the scholarship scheme was a success, its narrow cherry picking focus did produce a handful of talent from NSW (some of which ended up at his club).
As to the shortage of talent, Egregious Eddie doesn't want the talent pool expanded very much (especially if it doesn't directly benefit his Magpies) all he wants is for most of the talent playing in black and white. His antipathy to the Swans probably stems from his hardcore belief that the role of the lesser clubs is to act as a recruiting zone for his predatory club (Rocca, Smith, Morwood, Teasedale, Mitchell etc. etc.) and he is absolutely furious that not only do the Swans not recognise and accept that role, they have the temerity to go round winning premierships and out predating the predators in the wonderful new free agency universe.

[ernie koala]

Cut the Melbourne clubs loose. Let them go back to the VFL. The remaining 8 clubs plus Geelong and a new franchise in Tasmania can be the new AFL. It will be a much better competition without them and their antiquated provincialism.

If this kind of Victorian centric behaviour continues then at some stage (a fair way into the future) your proposal may just happen.

There may be a few of the poorer Melbourne clubs that might also come on board...maximum of 2 I say. Plus possibly a team in Canberra and a team from

Northern Territory. That's about 13 teams, evenly spread across Australia.

Look forward to it.

[CJK]

If this kind of Victorian centric behaviour continues then at some stage (a fair way into the future) your proposal may just happen.

There may be a few of the poorer Melbourne clubs that might also come on board...maximum of 2 I say. Plus possibly a team in Canberra and a team from

Northern Territory. That's about 13 teams, evenly spread across Australia.

Look forward to it.

That would be truly wonderful.

[dimelb]

The principle of what Barry suggests is right though.

How can there be an equal comp when some teams are guaranteed a home grand final?

Just to stick it up Eddie and co, you'll be happy to know Barry, I'll even put up with it being played at ANZ now and then!

[Reggi]

Atbthe AFL site there are quotes from Evans that the acadamies are here to stay

[MomentByMoment]

This is not a pot shot at GWS, the AFL or anyone in particular however there are things circulating almost on a daily basis about many players being unhappy at living in Sydney (Western Sydney) and wanting to return home.

There is always a huge risk when recruiting players from interstate that eventually they will want to go home and for many kids becoming home sick can be the deciding influence as to whether or not they remain at the club that drafted them.

The GWS have a great young list that is being built around fantastic key forwards and a huge amount of ball winning/athletic midfielders, if you are to believe half of what the rumors are then there will be a Brisbane like exodus. Would the AFL allow it? Considering the AFL has an obsession with success in Sydney, it's hard to see them allowing such a thing to occur.

Shiel - It seems common knowledge his gone: Richmond and Melbourne front runners
Jaksch - Apparently put in a request to go home: Hawthorn mentioned
Cameron - All sorts of rumors in Sydneys papers about him leaving, not sure on this: Carlton/Bulldogs?
Boyd - The latest name to come up: Carlton and Dogs would be all over him, he could take his pick
O'rourke - Again it's been noted he is widely tipped to come home: Essendon being mentioned
Whitfield - Dandenong boy, home sick?: Take his pick of clubs

Those are just the names that have circulated, there has also been talk of Patton, Plowman and Stewart all wanting to head back to Victoria.

Question is - Could the GWS be an almighty failure for the AFL? Is the player exodus a possible reality or just fanciful rumors? The crowds for GWS are delplorable, the coverage they get is about one 10th of what the Swans get and having moved from Melbourne myself to Western Sydney, is the culture change to much for the Victorian guys?

It's uncertain times for the AFL and footy in Western Sydney.

Lifted this quote from the BF website. To me, it goes to the heart of the problem. Sydney (and the other northern clubs) need a local pool of talent.

[MomentByMoment]

We're all kind of going round in circles with this thread and the anti-Eddie thread (which is almost the same topic anyway). I think it sounds like the current system is gone, so the best we can hope for is something that doesn't do too much damage and remains reasonably fair. Maybe I'm asking too much?

The biggest losers out of watered down academy benefits are the Suns and GWS who won't get F/S picks for a long time. I guess the old Melbourne clubs were so peeved about the expansion clubs' draft concessions so I guess they won't give a hoot about these upcoming changes and the impact to the growth of the game in non-traditional AFL states.....

I am not so sure.
If GWS gets smashed by players fleeing home the AFL will have a huge hole on their hands. They will be desperate for constructive policies on growing the talent base in the northern states. Sound familiar?

[MightyBloods]

Lifted this quote from the BF website. To me, it goes to the heart of the problem. Sydney (and the other northern clubs) need a local pool of talent.

The strong rumour I heard a few months ago was Adam Tomlinson to Richmond. Choco has an extremely good relationship with the kid and rates him highly. .....and like most kids early in the career is struggling with homesickness.