Sure they can influence things but they can't control the result.
Hawks are feeling the pinch of equalisation right now, but if the AFL could get the outcome they wanted the Suns would be up there and GWS would have already won a flag.
Plus you'd have Carlton, Essendon, Richmond and Collingwood all looking like contenders.
They push and prod to achieve their result but they their actions don't always produce the outcome they want
But they can push and prod as much as they like though
If it doesn't succeed the first time try something different until it does work, have you seen the list of things tried
Priority Picks
F/S
Cola
Acadamies
Im sure there maybe a couple more in the future then to tweak the ones that work so they can control the the flow of players and teams
No different to all sports remember V8 supercars holden v ford, if one was getting away from the other, they changed the rules on downforce or brakes to either speed up the car or slow one down
Every sport needs a competitive situation they will not survive with 3 or 4 dominant teams and 3 or 4 train wrecks either






