The AFL is facing an angry backlash from its clubs following its proposed backflip over the controversial Greater Western Sydney Academy, which would allow the Giants to retain their rich recruiting zone along the Murray River.
With next month's season-launch commission talks looming as D-Day for the AFL, the Giants have concerns over whether the game's decision-makers will stand up to the might of a powerful bloc of clubs furious that last year's preliminary finalists could retain what they regard as a strong traditional recruiting zone. The overwhelming response from clubs over the proposed move to retain the Giants' southern NSW recruiting borders has been a resounding negative.
The AFL's executive overseeing the proposed changes, Andrew Dillon, sought submissions from the clubs with last Friday's deadline revealing the clubs' strong opposition.
It is understood that the commission has been supportive of the Giants retaining their academy with some restrictions but that the AFL executive is less so.
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Sydney, disappointed at not being consulted sooner, is also strongly opposed to the AFL's proposed changes in the belief they are being potentially penalised for the Giants' contentious academy.
Not only have the Swans argued that their academy, the largest and longest-running of the northern clubs, is a clear development zone outside traditional AFL territory, but also that it has produced just three top-20 draft picks in 17 years.
The Victorian clubs have been vocal in their opposition to the Giants' draft privileges and even the more circumspect Gold Coast and Brisbane Lions were surprised at the AFL's change of heart following the prevailing view that the GWS borders would be redrawn.
Club concern over the rich vein of talent which has emerged from the Giants' academy over the past two years has intensified with two more top-20 prospects looming this year in the form of Charlie Spargo and Jarrod Brander.
Already the subject of an AFL investigation over his two home addresses, Brander — a 195-centimetre key-position prospect — boards at Geelong Grammar, while Spargo is at Melbourne Grammar.
The Giants had become quietly confident they would retain their contentious Riverina academy. An early flag favourite, GWS have been pushing their case for months and are understood to have received significant support from the outgoing Mike Fitzpatrick's commission.
After a number of robust meetings with league bosses, the view was that the AFL would instead restrict their access to academy talent so long as they remained a top eight club, but that they would leave their southern NSW borders intact.
Dillon is working towards a final verdict with Spargo and Brander starting their year 12 studies still in the dark regarding their football futures.
Under the proposed new system the Giants, in the 2016 national draft, would have had access to just one of the three top-20 players of their four new academy stars Will Setterfield (pick No. 5), Harry Perryman (14) and Isaac Cumming (20).
The AFL plans to allow top-four clubs access to just one academy player in the first 20 picks of the draft with clubs finishing in the bottom half of the eight allowed two top-20 academy picks. Teams finishing outside the eight would have no academy restrictions nor would academy players outside the top 20 of the national draft be ineligible to their zoned clubs.
At last year's draft, 10 players were selected from the Giants' academy zone of southern NSW, placing that region third behind Victoria and Western Australia. More footballers were drafted from the Giants' region than the whole of South Australia.
The AFL is also expected to redesign the draft discount system, looking at reducing the 20 percent discount applied to matching first-round bids to 10 percent or removing it altogether while still allowing clubs the ability to match bids.
The clubs based in traditional Australian rules states view Albury as an extension of Victoria while the opposing view sees GWS constantly accusing the AFL of back-flipping on its original promises to the game's youngest club.
GWS have continually warned the AFL they will eventually fall victim to the inevitable competition cycle as free agency and salary-cap constraints increasingly challenge the six-year-old club.
The next two seasons loom as make-or-break seasons for the club in its quest for its first premiership.
However the prospect of a further two academy picks from the top 20 of the national draft at the end of 2017 - which would take the club to eight over three straight seasons - is unacceptable as far as rival clubs are concerned.
Dillon and AFL football boss Mark Evans only briefly attended Monday's meeting of the game's list establishment advisory group, which includes Scott Clayton (Gold Coast), David Noble (Brisbane), Ameet Bains (St Kilda), Brad Lloyd (Fremantle), Stephen Wells (Geelong) and Graham Wright (Hawthorn).
Although the looming decision on changes to the academy rules did not dominate the discussion, the Giants' academy zone and their Murray River region were largely condemned by the club representatives.
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