I think it's pretty harsh to say anyone immediately north of the Murray can't be a part of the Giants' academy, but can play for NSW. You really have to understand the culture of the area. Despite Albury and Wodonga being on opposite sides of the border, the area is very much interconnected historically, a lot like Tweed Heads and the Gold Coast.
Creating an imaginary zone border just screams of Eddie getting his way again.
Originally from down that way and went to school in Albury for 8 years. So know it more than pretty well. Especially that it can 'lean' either towards Sydney or towards Melbourne, depending on what you are talking about (cricket, football, uni, etc). Cricket to NSW but football wise it leans towards Melbourne and the AFL. The O&M is the biggest winter league by a fair margin.
Which is why players from Albury who want to play AFL will have no problems getting to the AFL, usually through the Bushrangers. The biggest issue for me is that good players have been coming out of the Albury region organically for years. Without any academy. It just seems strange that it is an academy region, especially with the TAC cup pathway there for juniors including a strong u16 program.
As for zone borders, already have them. The border b/w the Lions and the Suns, b/w GWS and the Swans, and in this case, the state border between Albury and Wodonga.
As you said, the area is similar to Tweed and the GC. But on one side, GWS academy. On the other, open draft. Yet the players intermingle all the time. People living in Wodonga go to school in Albury and vice versa. And they play football wherever. A sensible geographic boundary but nonsensical for footy. It would be like the Tweed being part of Sydney's zone just b/c it is NSW.
Albury will be in the draft news soon though (although Cal Twomey has been on this for a couple of years). A couple of young guns are from Albury and on the way in the next 2 years. And will play for the Bushrangers in the TAC cup, having played in the u16 TAC cup team. If one or both of them are top 10 picks then let the whinging commence.