Opinion Will Brisbane’s win finally spell the end of the Academies?

[Coolangatta]

Kill all northern and NGA academies. Put the state bodies back in charge of junior development in the Northern states and make the draft national again.

What for? It’s not a national competition, it’s an extended VFL, so why treat the system like something it really isn’t?

All interstate clubs should have academies so we can smack the crap out of Vic clubs every year, with the odd Cats, Pies or Hawks popping up once or twice a decade to lose the GF to the VFL crushing juggernauts.

 

[GenericUsername202]

Keep having a cry you flogs while we continue on our way to becoming the biggest club in the AFL. We will overtake collingwood in terms of supporter base in about 3-5 years too.

 

[YeoShuey]

Keep having a cry you flogs while we continue on our way to becoming the biggest club in the AFL. We will overtake collingwood in terms of supporter base in about 3-5 years too.

You'd need to grow your membership numbers by around 50%. Yeah I don't see that happening.

 

[GenericUsername202]

You'd need to grow your membership numbers by around 50%. Yeah I don't see that happening.

Mate, we have 76k members already. Might want to rejig your math.

 

[YeoShuey]

Mate, we have 76k members already. Might want to rejig your math.

Let's do the math then in real time

All-time club membership record broken again

The AFL has announced an all-time club membership record in 2025

www.afl.com.au

Brisbane Lions: 75115 members
Collingwood: 112491 members

75115 + 75115(0.5) = 112672.5 which is 200 over the Collingwood number.

The math looks fine to me...

 

[Kickit2brown]

The real question should be how do the vfl teams emulate the development of kids in Victoria..

There's still a very high % of talent that comes from Victoria- how do the vic clubs put together proper learning pathways for these kids.

The days of winning premierships from poaching players via the "go home" is over. Time to start learning how to develop instead of relying on poaching.

 

[GenericUsername202]

Let's do the math then in real time

All-time club membership record broken again

The AFL has announced an all-time club membership record in 2025

www.afl.com.au

Brisbane Lions: 75115 members
Collingwood: 112491 members

75115 + 75115(0.5) = 112672.5 which is 200 over the Collingwood number.

The maths looks fine to me...

50% off 112k is 56k ya idiot. That's still around 20k short.

 

[Hydatina Physis]

Are the academies really that much of an issue? Lions go b2b with a couple academy prospects, and the Suns have only just made finals after how many years? Yes it's talent not going to struggling clubs, but a lot of those clubs would be struggling regardless.

Sounds like the rest of the teams need to get good.

 

[Obeanie1]

lol. Brisbane dominating would draw more attention to F/S being the bigger issue, particularly with the back-to-back Norm Smith medallist, no?

The issue is not just one AFL policy its multiple policies destroying the draft.

Academies and Father son plus Free agency

Brisbane as back to back premiers will shortly land Oscar Allen KP forward for free plus Draper ruck for free PLUS access to Annables the best pure mid in this years draft, top 5 pick

PLUS trade in Ridley from the Dons chasing success.

The back to back premiers will get stronger with more quality free agents and another gun mid. All under AFL draft and trade policies.

And they are only now considering putting the breaks on.

 

[YeoShuey]

50% off 112k is 56k ya idiot. That's still around 20k short.

So you have clearly misinterpreted my post.

I'll reiterate once again. I said Brisbane have to raise their members by around 50%. Maybe learn basic comprehension before challenging ideas that are above your intelligence level.

 

[GenericUsername202]

You misinterpreted my post.

I said Brisbane have to raise their members by around 50%. Maybe learn basic comprehension before challenging ideas that are above your intelligence level.

You could have said around 40% and you still would have been wrong. Perhaps you should be questioning your own intelligence level mate.

 

[YeoShuey]

You could have said around 40% and you still would have been wrong. Perhaps you should be questioning your own intelligence level mate.

Alright. Go ahead and show me the equation of Brisbane raising their members by 50%. Not Collingwood losing 50% of their members which you have already shown and are wrong about.

Go ahead. I'll wait...

 

[PenfoldsFan]

Vicco's crying because their tin cup wont be coming home again is music to my ears.
2 decades of go home factor and FA pickups bolstering their fortunes is ok but anyone outside of Victoria dare develop their own homegrown talent who want to stay with their club and its melts all 'round.

You love to see it.

 

[RAPPA]

AFL just needs to mandate that the Brisbane players essentially place a heat lamp for lengthy periods on their crotch.

 

[PenfoldsFan]

AFL just needs to mandate that the Brisbane players essentially place a heat lamp for lengthy periods on their crotch.

Dont give them ideas.

 

[Hydatina Physis]

If each of the Ashcroft lads also has two boys and that carries on for a few generations then the Bears can field a whole team of freaks and probably hold on to the flag for at least a decade.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Can I ask the obvious?

Why do they get to match?

Because father-son is a tradition supposedly important to the fans of clubs.

And the academies are supposedly a very effective way of securing teenage athletic talent which would otherwise drift to sports that are more popular locally.

If neither of those things are true then sure, scrap them.

 

[RightWingRoo]

What for? It’s not a national competition, it’s an extended VFL, so why treat the system like something it really isn’t?

All interstate clubs should have academies so we can smack the crap out of Vic clubs every year, with the odd Cats, Pies or Hawks popping up once or twice a decade to lose the GF to the VFL crushing juggernauts.

It wouldn't be a big change. Just move the draft back to where it was prior to 2010, bar priority picks which should be completely abolished.

You and the Suns can still trade up to try and take Queensland kids before anyone else, but you wouldn't have the rights to match any bids. Could always try to lure those Queensland kids back at a later date as well.
Junior development returns to a whole of state approach run by AFL Queensland rather the clubs.

If all interstate clubs had academies, then the vic clubs should have exclusive access to their own areas. Just do away with the draft and return to zoning.
Can't be 4 in and 14 out, has to 18 in or 18 out and open national draft.

 

[Mynamesinuse]

It definitely should. Any win with such advantages should have an asterisk next to them.

 

[RightWingRoo]

You can't even hang on to your academy picks. It hasn't benefitted the Giants much at all, only Briggs, Himmelberg and Thomas play regular senior footy. Steele, Cumming, Perryman, Williams and Flynn all pissed off.
You wouldn't miss it if it went, Giants have the weakest academy region of all of the Northern clubs.

PS. Forgot about Tom Green, but my point still stands.

 

[Freomaniac]

Teams on the slide are gonna get hit the most. AFL will knee jerk like they usually do and put sweeping changes that will affect all club prospects.

Brisbane give up their academy picks. Victoria never hosts a grand final again. Fair trade off?

 

[Freomaniac]

It definitely should. Any win with such advantages should have an asterisk next to them.

Just like Victorian sides home ground advantage in AFL Grand finals LoL

 

[Broar]

The issue is not just one AFL policy its multiple policies destroying the draft.

Academies and Father son plus Free agency

Brisbane as back to back premiers will shortly land Oscar Allen KP forward for free plus Draper ruck for free PLUS access to Annables the best pure mid in this years draft, top 5 pick

PLUS trade in Ridley from the Dons chasing success.

The back to back premiers will get stronger with more quality free agents and another gun mid. All under AFL draft and trade policies.

And they are only now considering putting the breaks on.

Maybe if your club (like many others didn't continually raid Northern clubs of their young draftees) academies wouldn't exist.

Some real chickens coming home to roost for your lot.

 

[Freomaniac]

Queensland is about to surpass WA as the second-highest footy state behind Victoria… what’s left to invest in? Can we stop subsidizing Qld now and just focus on NSW?

Queensland already has surpassed WA .

Brisbane has won their 5th flag today. WA clubs have a combined flag tally of 4 AFL flags. Yes west coast have won all 4 of them.

 

[ibd77]

Are the academies really that much of an issue? Lions go b2b with a couple academy prospects, and the Suns have only just made finals after how many years? Yes it's talent not going to struggling clubs, but a lot of those clubs would be struggling regardless.

Sounds like the rest of the teams need to get good.

You missed the point. Lions get their academy and FS players at no cost to them during the draft. So they still get to use their early normal picks in the national draft. It's the best 2 for 1 deal going around and it's exclusive to clubs North of Victoria.

Collingwood benefited from FS in a similar manner which also yielded a flag.

Meanwhile clubs West of Victoria have to sell their soul just to get an single player home and there are very different FS rules in play which virtually means that rarely a son actually plays for their fathers club.