GWS Giants fight for academy access to potential top 2017 draft pick Jarrod Brander

GWS says it has made a “strong case” to the AFL for priority zone access to the best key forward in next year’s draft.

Rising junior footy star Jarrod Brander.

GREATER Western Sydney believes it deserves zone access to the best key forward in next year’s draft.

Tall marking forward Jarrod Brander is shaping as 2017’s No.1 selection but could be stripped of his GWS academy status given his parents’ housing arrangements.

He grew up in Wentworth, half an hour into NSW, but his parents now split their time between there and another house in Victorian town Mildura, 30km away.

Brander played for the Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup before heading to boarding school at Geelong Grammar, causing confusion over rules that state a player must live in a zone for five continuous years.

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said Brander was an “extremely promising” key forward at 195cm with a great set of hands plus exceptional mobility and agility.

A delegation of Giants last week met with AFL officials to discuss Brander’s case as well as zone eligibility rules and the borders for their academy in coming years.

The Giants have surged into a preliminary final in their fifth year, with their team so awesome Chris Judd said this week 20 members of the GWS qualifying final team had the capacity to be an All-Australian.

GWS already has three first-round selections and two second-round selections in the 2016 national draft and will acquire more after trades for departing talents Caleb Marchbank and Cam McCarthy.

Jarrod Brander is hot property ahead of next year’s draft.

GWS football boss Wayne Campbell said the Giants had also discussed the borders of their zone, with many clubs calling for them to be stripped of the Riverine area.

“We met with them last week on a couple of things and I would imagine they are within a couple of weeks of making a decision (on Jarrod),’’ Campbell said.

“It is an interesting one because his parents have bought another house in Victoria which was only a couple of years ago, but they mainly reside in Wentworth.

“It would be hard to write a rule to take this into account. The intent of the rule was so kids didn’t go the other way.

“The AFL didn’t want someone to live in Victoria and then in his 17th year to move to NSW so we could pick him up. We think we have got a reasonable case but they will decide.”

Brander will play in an All-Star junior game on the MCG on the morning of the AFL Grand Final after this year’s crop play a representative game at Punt Rd the previous day.

Jarrod Brander is at the centre of another GWS zone fight.

Sheehan said Brander he was one of the most promising kids in the 2017 draft pool.

“He is extremely promising. He is a centre half-forward who is very agile and mobile, with a terrific set of hands,’’ he said.

“He is one of the very promising kids we have seen at 17. He is 195cm and just reads it so well in flight.

“He seems to be in front at the right time and is just a lovely player.”

GWS has nine NSW academy selections available in the coming draft but will need considerable points to select likely top-10 picks Harry Perryman and Will Setterfield.

Campbell said any changes to the club’s zone would likely be revealed after this year’s AFL draft in late November.

“We think the academy has been successful but it also has impact at grassroots level where there are more kids playing footy in NSW than there have ever been,’’ he said.

“And at the top levels there are players being developed to go to other clubs as well. We think it’s working so if anything we should be increasing our investment, not taking money out of it.”