I just find it amusing how much of a stink the academies cause for those down south. Yeah, us northern clubs are just filled to the brim with all the fantastic top end talent coming out of NSW and QLD. Looking over the past few years, i can totally see why this is such a problem, and why the rest of the clubs can't stand someone else getting first dibs on the never ending flow of simply unbelievable players coming through.
Nothing has been said about any kind of unfair advantage or leg up the northern clubs have had... until now. Until someone got a first round pick coming through the academy. Yet people fail to realise that that player might not be anywhere near the level they are, heck, they might not even be playing the sport all together, if it wasn't for the academies in the first place.
Money gets pumped into grass roots level to develop and improve talent in northern states. Finally starts showing some early signs of actually contributing some meaningful talent to the draft pool each year, and everyone goes bananas over how much of an advantage the norther clubs have. Some advantage, these players aren't even on a list year, and we've paid money to develop them to this point.
If other clubs want to take the players back off us, then they can start contributing sections of their salary cap back to the northern clubs as compensation in development costs.
Of course once the other 16 clubs start paying us for our WAFL development.
Crows haven't had one yet as the AFL changed the qualification rules to stop Bryce Gibbs coming to us.
And you'll have a chance with Jarman soon and future father sons.