AFL shuts down Eddie McGuire’s war on Queensland academies

EDDIE McGuire has won a key battle but lost his war on the AFL’s controversial academy system, with Gold Coast and Brisbane are satisfied with the new bidding rules announced by the AFL.

New Lions CEO Greg Swan. Pic Darren England.

EDDIE McGuire has won a key battle but lost his war on the AFL’s controversial academy system.

Gold Coast and Brisbane are satisfied with the new bidding rules announced by the AFL on Thursday night and will maintain their investments in the academies.

Both clubs had threatened to close the academy doors if the AFL’s review into the system, brought on by McGuire’s repeated attacks, delivered rules that increased access for rivals to players they had spent money developing.

The only concession McGuire won was that the northern clubs will have to pay more to secure the elite academy graduates who would go in the first round of the draft.

Under the rules announced by the AFL every selection in the draft receives a points value, beginning at 3000 for No.1 pick and counting down to the last player picked.

Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann. Picture: Darren England

A discount will be applied to players picked as either academy or father-son selections to maintain the incentive for the Suns and Lions, as well as Sydney and the GWS Giants, to continue their investment.

Both Queensland clubs believe the majority of players they produce will be second, third and fourth round picks, where the discount is much higher.

Rival clubs can still bid for academy graduates or father-son recruits.

“You could argue you want more, but in the main it is pretty fair,’’ Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann said.

“We still think the academies are an advantage so we’ll stick with them.

“We have 25 per cent locals on our list. The rest of the country get a lot more than that, so we need to continue developing Queenslanders.’’

Originally published as AFL shuts down Eddie McGuire’s war on Queensland academies