GWS Giants academy: Collingwood president Eddie McGuire says AFL must act quickly
UPDATE: GWS chairman Tony Shepherd has backflipped on his threat to quit over the AFL zones debate as Sydney’s boss delivers a hilarious apology for his dig at Eddie McGuire.
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UPDATE: GREATER Western Sydney chairman Tony Shepherd has backflipped on his threats to quit the club, saying he got “a bit emotional” over the academy row.
Shepherd last night said he was so angered by an AFL probe into its academy zone that he would resign if the league reduced its access to prime local talent.
But Shepherd backed down from the threat when asked by the Herald Sun about it today.
“I was a bit emotional, very emotional last night,” Shepherd said.
“I’ll probably be at the Giants for a very long time, it (the quit threat) was just a measure of my frustration over the constant tinkering of rules.
“Every time we win a game they (Victorian clubs) smash us and I wish it would stop.
“We should be celebrating our success, even though we have a long way to go still.”
Earlier, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire delivered a tongue-in-cheek response to Shepherd’s threat.
The GWS chairman on Wednesday night sensationally threatened to resign after the Herald Sun on Tuesday revealed the AFL was preparing to review its vast academy which is set to deliver the fledgling Giants another bumper draft crop in November.
With tensions mounting over GWS’ Giants’ generous list concessions, McGuire this morning said: “We will miss Tony”.
The Herald Sun understands the AFL is set to begin a thorough analysis of the Giants’ academy zone amid an angry backlash from rival recruiters.
McGuire said other Victorian football officials should come forward to present their strong views on the GWS academy issue.
“I’m not chairman of the board on this (debate) but what I would like to see is a couple of very, very weak people in football … step up for once,” McGuire said on Triple M this morning.
McGuire said GWS’s talent stockpile was “getting out of kilter and now is the time to make adjustments before it goes too far”.
Seething GWS chairman Shepherd said he would consider resigning over the AFL review into its academy zone.
“Absolutely I would consider it,” Shepherd said on 3AW.
“I can’t stand this constant changing of rules, it drives me nuts.
“We have to apologise every time we win a bloody game.”
The bad blood has also forced Sydney — which has had a long-running feud with the Pies — into the debate, with Swans chairman Andrew Pridham lambasting claims his club didn’t want the Giants in the competition.
Some have suggested my Tweet yesterday was inappropriate and could be viewed as insulting. Fair cop. I apologise to all Pygmies.
— Andrew Pridham (@Pridhamhq) May 5, 2016
Just heard @triplemfooty audio from today re @sydneyswans and @GWSGIANTS. Typical rubbish from intellectual pygmies. Not a truth in sight.
— Andrew Pridham (@Pridhamhq) May 4, 2016
Unsubstantiated statements. Eddie keeps saying @sydneyswans voted against introduction of @GWSGIANTS. Incorrect. https://t.co/T3pgGsV7YF
— Andrew Pridham (@Pridhamhq) May 4, 2016
McGuire said former Swans chairman Richard Colless had “stood up on the top of his chair” to vote ‘no’ on the introduction of GWS.
He also joked on radio that the only thing uniting the two Sydney teams was mutual hatred of Collingwood.
But the Giants’ zone debate remains the main talking point.
Shepherd said the AFL discussions would have already started but planned to take up the matter with AFL chairman Mike Fitzpatrick.
“We won’t be privy to it (review process), we will be presented with a fait accompli as usual,” he said.
“I find it incredible that the AFL could seriously consider us a monster.”
Shepherd’s comments come after Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the AFL must “act quickly” to reassess Greater Western Sydney’s academy system or consider reducing the fledgling club’s salary cap.
Speaking to the Herald Sun, McGuire said he told the league in 2010 its GWS list concessions were overly generous and was adamant changes were required to permit clubs such as Richmond the chance to rebuild.
Collingwood football boss Neil Balme said targeting players from GWS will be a focus for the Magpies given top players — like Adam Treloar who moved from the Giants at the end of last season — can’t all fit into the one side.
“GWS have got an enormous bank of very, very talented players,” he said.
“A fair few of them aren’t going to get an opportunity or aren’t getting a game.
“We’ll be looking very closely at Greater Western Sydney’s kids and saying are there any others that are going to fall out.
“It’ll be the natural way.
“I find it incredible that the AFL could seriously consider us a monster.”
GWS chairman Tony Shepherd 
“They’ve got 23 first-round draft picks in their squad and you can only pick 22 each week, so even the early draft picks aren’t all going to get a game.”
Giants CEO David Matthews hit back Wednesday, saying developing local talent was a key to protecting the club from the “real threat” of losing interstate players when they qualify for free agency (after eight years).
The Herald Sunrevealed the AFL was set to launch a review into the Giants’ golden zone including the controversial Riverina area amid an angry backlash from rival recruiters.
“When the AFL told us about the introduction of GWS and said they don’t want to do a Brisbane Bears (mistake), we said ‘Yes, fine, but ‘geez’, you have given them a lot’,” McGuire said.
“And I stood up at the time and I said: ‘There will come a time when we realise that maybe we have overdone this and we will have to make the correction and make the correction quickly’.
“Maybe the answer is you limit their (Giants’) salary cap for a period of time.
“What that means is they won’t be able to stockpile the kids coming in because you go through and look at the (high level) talent in their (NEAFL) reserves team last week (is incredible).
“This is the last bit of tidying up of the introductions of Greater Western Sydney and their concessions.”
McGuire was adamant “Melbourne clubs have had no chance to rebuild” through the compromised drafts since 2010, but said he had “full faith” in AFL operations manager Mark Evans to “create fair and reasonable access to talent”.
“What we don’t need to do is get into massive blues and beat up on people and make it personal, but let’s just have a look at it (GWS concessions),” McGuire said.
“I don’t think anyone in their right mind can argue that the abolition of the COLA (allowance) has killed the Sydney Swans.
“The time has come to tweak it, not go to war with each other.”
GWS, which already boasts 23 top-20 draft picks, is set to acquire as many as five more top-30 talents in next year’s draft through their academy system.
Rival clubs have the chance to bid for the academy talents but the Giants can still override them and secure the prized player with the advantage of a 20 per cent (or 197 draft value index points) discount.
Matthews said the increased NSW talent was a good headache for the AFL Commission as Evans launches into a full-scale review of their zone.
“The Giants are playing a role … to try and stimulate areas (in NSW) that have been under-producing (footy talent),” Matthews 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 (draft) bidding system.
“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.”
The Giants’ zone covers the vast majority of New South Wales and includes youngsters from the area who have moved to attend Melbourne schools and play at Victorian TAC Cup clubs.
Rival AFL clubs are able to gain the same 20 per cent discount for father-son picks but McGuire said there was a considerable difference between them and GWS’s academy system.
“They (Giants) always say it’s the equivalent of the father-son (setup) but it’s not,” McGuire said.
“It’s s the equivalent of having 600 father sons each year to choose from. So they can go and ‘Hoover’ up anyone under the age of 12 who can stand up, chew gum and walk at the same time.”
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