AFL bids on value of Academy system

The 35 players on this list are now eligible to be taken at the Father/Son and Academy Bidding meeting on Monday 6 October, with the final deadline for their respective club to decide if they wish to nominate a player, set down for Friday 3 October.

This list included the names of 18 AFL NSW/ACT players who have been given the opportunity to be selected at this year’s national draft.

This is a very exciting opportunity for these young men, with the opportunity arising due to the AFL’s complicated and controversial Academy Bidding System.

So what is the Academy Bidding System and how does it work in relation to the AFL National, Pre-season and Rookie Drafts?

Players who are part of a northern clubs’ Academy list (Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants or Sydney Swans), fall under that club’s priority zoning.

This means that, come draft time, their respective club has first priority as to whether they would like to select this player from their Academy list in the National Draft.

In layman’s terms, this means that should a club that does not hold that Academy player (for instance Fremantle), bid on an Academy listed player (for example from the Swans), by stating that it wishes to select that Academy player with one of their draft selections, then the club who holds the Academy player (in this case the Swans) must select this player by forfeiting their next available draft pick, should they wish to select that Academy player.

So in this case, should Fremantle wish to select a player who is listed as a Swans Academy Player, then the Swans must select this player with their next available draft pick, therefore utilising their priority pick.

The Academy bidding system is the process by which this series of events would take place.

Club’s wishing to bid on Academy players must do so by Friday 3 October, with the final bidding meeting to be held on the following Monday.

While this Academy Bidding System has been used to great effect by the northern clubs in the past, it has come under scrutiny from some of the AFL’s hardest hitters this year.

Back in June, Collingwood president Eddie McGuire once again hit the AFL headlines, criticising the Academy and Academy bidding systems, claiming that they negatively impacted Victorian clubs, by “hiding” top line players from traditional football areas.

Hawthorn president Andrew Newbold, in urging the AFL to scrap the bidding system for Academy players, has supported McGuire’s position.

The Swans have however, threatened the AFL with a reduction in their commitment to the Academy system, should the current bidding system be removed or threatened.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan has removed any doubt and suspicion from the discussion, stating that AFL funding for the academies would continue on, into the foreseeable future.

List of 35 draft-eligible Club Academy Players

GWS Giants – Logan Austin (Belconnen), Nicholas Coughlin (Albury Tigers), Thomas Faul, Jeremy Finlayson (Sydney Hills Eagles), Liam Griffiths, Brydan Hodgson (Lavington/Murray Bushrangers), Dougal Howard (Albury Tigers), Mitchell Mahady, Michael Mattingly (Corowa-Rutherglen), Jack Steele (Belconnen).

Sydney Swans – Abaina Davis (University NSW), Michael Dickson (University NSW), Jordan Foote (University NSW), Zachary Fyffe (North Shore), Isaac Heeney (NSW TAC Cup/Swans Reserves), Jack Hiscox (Sydney University), Vahid Roser (University NSW), Bradley Watson (Pennant Hills)