THE AFL Commission is likely to decide next month whether to introduce the proposed father-son and academy bidding system this year after gathering feedback from clubs.
The League addressed club recruiting and list management staff on Wednesday, and it is understood the Commission is set to determine at its April meeting if it will bring in the new bidding protocol for the 2015 NAB AFL Draft.
The commission is also likely to decide if the new rules become a live element of draft night, which has gathered support from clubs.
Under the proposed system, each draft selection has been allocated a points value. It means clubs nominating father-son and academy players will need to use existing picks to match the value of the pick used by the club bidding for the nominated player.
Click here for a detailed description of the proposed new system
It was designed to ensure clubs pay closer to market value for father-son and academy players, so there are fewer anomalies such as Joe Daniher and Isaac Heeney in recent seasons.
The Bombers selected father-son prospect Daniher with selection 10 at the 2012 draft after he was touted as the leading player in the pool. Heeney was also widely seen as a top-five pick last year but the Swans were able to acquire him with their first selection (No.18 overall).
Since being proposed and sent to clubs in January, the sliding scale system has generated a range of opinions.
Some believe the system is too complicated, while others have suggested it could see the northern clubs strip back the funding they place in their academies.
Club feedback to the AFL has also included having the same discount (25 per cent) applied to academy and father-son prospects.
Under the proposal put forward by the League, academy nominations would receive a 25 per cent discount and father-son players a 15 per cent discount on the points they need to select a player.
Some also suggest the adjusted bidding rules should be implemented for the opening two rounds of the draft but scrapped thereafter, because by matching a bid late in the draft they could push back and compromise their first pick in the following draft.
The Swans sit as the club most likely to be impacted if the new rules are given the green light, with academy prospect Callum Mills a possible No.1 pick.
If a club bid a top-five pick for Mills, the Swans would need to use multiple draft selections to secure him if the system was passed.
They also have first rights over Josh Dunkley (the son of former defender Andrew Dunkley) if the Victorian chooses to nominate as a father-son for the club.
Jacob Hopper, a member of Greater Western Sydney's academy, is also seen as an early draft pick likely to be off-limits to rival clubs.
Mark Browning, who manages the talent and academies in New South Wales and Queensland for the AFL, presented to the clubs at Wednesday's meeting about their value.
