AFL set to review controversial GWS Giants academy system
UPDATE: GREATER Western Sydney has defended its exclusive zone rights with the AFL set to review the club’s controversial academy system.
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THE AFL is set to review the controversial Greater Western Sydney academy system which angry clubs believe will bulletproof their list for the next decade.
The Herald Sun understands the league will soon begin a thorough analysis of the broad Giants zone that is set to deliver the booming club another five top-30 talents this year.
AFL operations manager Mark Evans told the Herald Sun on Tuesday the league would monitor the situation in the wake of what scouts believe is a considerable spike in Riverina talent.
“As we have with father-son qualifications and priority picks, we are always open to review these sorts of programs and rules to makes sure it achieves its objectives in the appropriate way,” Evans said.
Furious club officials said they would not be able to compete against the Giants if immediate action was not taken to cap their number of academy products, or shrink the zone.
Victorian recruiters want the footy fertile Riverina area in particular excluded from the massive GWS special-interest territory.
Players from rural NSW, who board at Victorian schools and play in Victorian TAC Cup clubs, are still tied to GWS and can be drafted at a 20 per cent discount.
One recruiter said “this is the thing that makes us most angry.”
“GWS didn’t know some of these guys even existed, and now they are falling in their laps,” he said.
“How much did they (Giants) contribute to their development? Consider that.”
But Giants chief executive Dave Matthews said the northern-states club academies were helping deepen the overall AFL talent pool.
“I just think it is good for the game that there is talent coming out of New South Wales, because that is the overall objective,” Matthews told SEN radio this morning.
“What gets lost is there is a bidding system in place to make sure any of the young talent that comes through is listed at fair value (minus a 20 per cent discount or 197 draft points).
“Every time we get a kid from NSW or Canberra on to our list, it effectively deepens the pool and frees up more Victorians for Victorian clubs.
“I would love to be a (AFL) commissioner at the moment debating the fact that too much talent is coming out of New South Wales.
“I would imagine that is just one of the great problems to have, because they (NSW juniors) are spilling to other clubs as well.”
Sydney veteran Ted Richards agreed, saying the northern clubs helped ensure talented kids pursued footy instead of other sports.
“Just because they’re in our zone doesn’t mean they’re a certainty to come to the club,” he told RSN.
“It might be hard for (GWS) to (draft) them all.”
Giants coach Leon Cameron said the topic seemed to only pop up whenever the team has a big win.
“It’s just here we go again on the back of a win. When we got beaten by Sydney I don’t think it was brought up, when we got beaten by Melbourne in Round 1, it wasn’t brought up,” Cameron said.
Melbourne coach Paul Roos, who was at Sydney when the academy and zones were first introduced, said the time has come for the AFL to debate whether it is time for change.
Roos said he “has been hearing ... recruiters are saying ‘enough is enough’.”
“I don’t think you can debate whether it’s fair — the Suns as the Giants came in as a fledgling team with young kids,” Roos said today.
“The AFL tried to put in place a system that allowed them to get better quicker which was the academies. As a result of that and having been there at the time, the Swans and Brisbane got an academy zone.
“The debate now should be around is it time that that was changed, and probably based on talent, what I’m hearing — and I don’t know enough about this year — is yeah, it is.
“Last year they had Kennedy, Hopper ... this year there’s two or three more. This is not my personal opinion, I’m just hearing and reflecting on what I’m reading. I’m hearing recruiters are saying ‘enough is enough’. You can only have so much talent going into (those clubs).
“That’s the debate the AFL need to take up, and if they believe enough is enough then they’ll change it. They’ll make an informed decision, obviously.”
The backlash from clubs has increased in recent weeks, following the emergence of two more gun GWS-bound big men, Todd Marshall and Max Lynch.
Evans said the GWS zone had not traditionally delivered a high number of top-end talents when the list concessions were established, but acknowledged that the dynamic may have changed.
“The rules were established with the support of the clubs after reviewing the historical data,” Evans said.
“NSW and Queensland had not traditionally provided a lot of talented players. And even the southern part of New South Wales, the Riverina area, was historically a low talent yield.
“If we now get to a position where we are starting to produce more talent from New South Wales and Queensland then that is a good thing. It’s a good problem to have.
“If it means there needs to be a review to make sure those objectives are still being met in the right way, we have always been open to doing that.”
Matthews said it was a major positive for the game that traditionally low-yielding areas of New South Wales were producing some top-end football talents.
“The Giants are playing a role … to try and stimulate areas that have been under-producing,” he said.
“And right at the present time we are seeing players coming out of the Riverina and Murray which is fantastic, but those players are only ever going to get listed according to the bidding system.”
Matthews said the Giants needed to draft local talents or risk them leaving to go to their home states, especially when they qualify for free agency.
“Unless we can continue to build our list in terms of locals, then free agency down the track is going to pose a real threat to clubs in New South Wales and Queensland,” he said.
AFL to review generous GWS zone with another five top-30 talents GWS-bound https://t.co/mj77vXREFm @ClarkyHeraldSun pic.twitter.com/GjbAQb6ZXk
— Sam Landsberger (@SamLandsberger) May 3, 2016
Paul Roos believes "the debate the AFL needs to take up (re club/GWS academies) is whether enough is enough". Says "I'm hearing it is".
— Lauren Wood (@LaurenA_Wood) May 3, 2016
The vast zone is another significant free kick awarded to the Giants.
All were ticked off by the rest of the clubs, but coaching legend Mick Malthouse told SEN radio: “We thought at the time, they (AFL) had been over generous (with list concessions to GWS).”
At the club’s inception the Giants signed stars Jeremy Cameron, Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar with exclusive access to 10 of the country’s hottest 17-year-olds.
They were allocated picks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 in the 2011 draft as well as the first eight rookie selections.
The Giants were also afforded an extra $1 million in its 2012-14 salary cap to poach established talent and maintain a list of up to 50 players.
And, unlike rival expansion club Gold Coast, GWS could pick four underage stars to trade — offloading rights to Jesse Hogan, Jack Martin, Jaeger O’Meara and Brad Crouch to further their draft riches.
The AFL wrote to clubs last month warning that if the northern clubs breached new rules they would risk losing their academy stars.
At the start of each season GWS, Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane are required to submit development plans for their brightest talents.
“GWS didn’t know some of these guys even existed, and now they are falling in their laps.”
AFL recruiter 
Some clubs called on the AFL to abolish all talent academies.
“The answer is uncompromising drafting once and for all. It’s OK for Victorian and West Australian kids to move, it’s just ridiculous,” one list manager said.
Others believe academies are fair, but only to unearth kids who would have otherwise been lost to rival sports, such as Sydney’s Isaac Heeney.
“If they get kids from (rugby areas) Orange and Bathurst and Griffith — go for it. Get those kids and put time in to expand the pool and put more time into Canberra,” a recruiter said.
“They can claim 19-year-olds as well, like when they got Jack Steele and Lachie Tiziani this year. If you have a chance you take it, if you don’t they should be available to the whole pool.”
One scout was bemused at the Giants’ sudden infatuation with late bloomer Marshall, who is in this year’s academy.
“He was overseas playing cricket, comes home, starts playing footy, looks like an absolute star and they can just get him for nothing. It’s ridiculous.”
The 4-2 Giants are yet to blood 2015 draftees Jacob Hopper (pick 7), Matthew Kennedy (13), Harrison Himmelberg (16) and 2014 selections Jarrod Pickett (4) and Paul Ahern (7).
THE FIVE FREE KICKS
How the AFL created a Giant monster with these start-up list concessions.
ACADEMY ANGUISH
GWS has exclusive access to all players from its New South Wales zone via its academy. The club receives a 20 per cent discount (or 197 points after pick No. 18) on its academy picks.
JACKPOT 17s
Picked 10 17-year-olds born between January — April 1993, headlined by stars Jeremy Cameron, Dylan Shiel and Adam Treloar.
2011 DRAFT BONANZA
GWS was allocated picks 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 in the 2011 draft and the first eight selections in the 2011 rookie draft.
FOUR GOLDEN EGGS
GWS could pick four players born between January-April 1994 and 1995 to trade. They were Jesse Hogan, Jack Martin, Jaeger O’Meara and Brad Crouch.
CASH STASH
GWS was given an extra $1 million in its 2012-14 salary caps to poach established talent and maintain a list of up to 50 players.
THE FURORE
CLUB 1
“Credit to Sydney, they got Callum Mills out of North Shore, which is not AFL heartland. GWS is pulling them out of Albury and Wagga, which is AFL heartland, so it’s laughable.
“And when you talk (with others) in the market, they (GWS) haven’t done a lot (development) with these kids.
“(Will) Setterfield is from Caulfield Grammar and (Jacob) Hopper is from St Pats and it goes on and on. It is near impossible to compete.”
CLUB 2
“They (GWS) can get up to nine players (out of NSW) this year, which may be the equivalent to WA and SA’s draft talent combined.
“So the Giants not only have exclusive rights to them (players), they get them at a discounted rate, it’s Harvey Norman.
“So, instead of using pick No. 5, they can use, say, pick No. 8. They (AFL) have to reconsider the concessions they give them (GWS).”
CLUB 3
“It’s a joke, it it’s embarrassing and very frustrating. They’ve got about 10 kids they (GWS) will get and there might be only six kids coming out of South Australia this year.
“The answer is uncompromising drafting once and for all. It’s OK for Victorian and West Australian kids to move, it’s just ridiculous.
CLUB 4
“They have heaps this year — and they’re guns. A few of them are A-graders, too — first-rounders.
“Macreadie, Setterfield ... they’re in a very, very good position. The depth of talent, geez.”
CLUB 5
“The Giants have just rubbed it in everyone’s faces by doing so little work, putting in so little effort and then taking all the rewards.
“I’d get rid of all the academies, but if they have to have one it should be in Sydney’s west, not broader areas.
“The level of anger is high because we can see the academy players coming through in the next couple of years.
CLUB 6
“(Todd) Marshall was overseas playing cricket, comes home, starts playing footy, looks like an absolute star and they can just get him for nothing. It’s ridiculous.
“If they get kids from (rugby areas) Orange and Bathurst and Griffith — go for it. Get those kids and put time in to expand the pool. Put more time into Canberra.
“They can claim 19-year-olds as well, like when they got Jack Steele and Lachie Tiziani this year. If you have a chance you take it, if you don’t they should be available to the whole pool.
CLUB 7
“They’re not putting enough into those kids because they know they’re natural football kids.
“All they have to do now is show development plans for them and in the past they didn’t even have to talk to them until their draft year.”
THE NEXT WAVE
— Young academy stars GWS can nab in the November draft
— For academy picks, Giants enjoy draft points discount of 20 per cent in first round, 197 points thereafter
WILL SETTERFIELD (AIS)
190cm midfielder
Sandringham Dragons/Caulfield Grammar
Range: Top 10
Plays like: Ryan Griffen
HARRISON MACREADIE (AIS)
196cm key position
Henty
Range: Top 10
Plays like: Harry Taylor
ZACK SPORULE (AIS)
197cm key position
Murray Bushrangers
Range: Top 20
Plays like: Nick Riewoldt
TODD MARSHALL
19cm forward/ruck
Murray Bushrangers
Range: Top 20
Plays like: Tom Boyd
HARRY PERRYMAN
184cm midfielder
Collingullie
Range: Top 20
Plays like: Joel Selwood
KOBE MUTCH (AIS)
184cm midfielder
Bendigo Pioneers
Range: Top 40
Plays like: Brandon Ellis
MAX LYNCH
200cm ruck/forward
Murray Bushrangers
Range: Top 50
Plays like: Max Gawn
Originally published as AFL set to review controversial GWS Giants academy system
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