Quote Originally Posted by Ludwig View Post
I thought the academy clubs trading down helped facilitate several trades that otherwise might have been difficult. It seemed equally good for academy and non-academy clubs. I don't think it's a big deal. The academy clubs will just be more restricted in trading high picks for players in the same year that highly rated academy players are also available, but the trend will be to use more picks on academy players anyway.

There should be something to counterbalance the 'Cam McCarthy' factor. Perhaps if a player wants to go home the acquiring club should be forced too put up a minimum of draft points equal to the amount of points used originally draft the player if a trade agreement cannot be reached between the clubs. Such as, if Freo want McCarthy they have to give the Giants a minimum of a pick 14 in a kind of system similar to the 'payment' system the academy clubs go through to draft academy players.
It's not a loophole, trading picks is a fundamental part of the system. The points system was supposed to provide flexibility and increase the costs for the expansion clubs if they have multiple top picks from the academies & fs ( read Mills and Dunkley). Thereby ensuring that a perceived domination of the competition by the expansion clubs could not occur. It completely overlooks the fact that the academies only produce lots of top picks for one club, and that was by the AFLs own design. Eddie is a failed administrator who shoots from the hip and he is a danger to the competition as a whole.