THE SYDNEY Swans did land Isaac Heeney for a steal in 2014.

However, they are not the first club to benefit from what have been historically simple, and it must be said unsophisticated, father-son and academy bidding systems (Geelong underpinned an era when it recruited Joel Selwood at pick No.7 and father-son pick Tom Hawkins pick No.41 in the one draft in 2006).

But they may well be the last.

If the proposed bidding system manages to survive the common-sense test that will be applied at club level and no holes are found in its application, then the competition will benefit.

Northern-based clubs that invest in branded academies in an attempt to lure young talent to AFL in a competitive market will reap rewards for their investments, but the advantage will be proportionate.



So the player already touted as a possible No.1 prospect in next year's draft, Sydney Swans' academy pupil Callum Mills, will only make his way to that club if the Swans are prepared to pay what the market determines to be his worth.

And clubs will retain an incentive to choose father-son selections, ensuring the tradition continues but not at the expense of a fair competition.

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What discount should be applied to the academy and father-son system remains up for debate but at least it is an open debate and transparent for supporters and clubs alike.

Under the new system, draft picks from 1-74 would be allocated points to indicate their respective values, with pick No.1 being worth 3000 points, pick No.2 worth 2517 and so on in a sliding scale.

This scale is based on data relating to the average player salaries of each pick from the year 2000 onwards.

The decision to use average salary as the data point for determining the value attached to each draft was sensible and logical.

It threw up a result that was intuitive but also scientific.

It's also worth noting that under the proposed system, Heeney is an extreme case - as the example involving the father-son selection of Ayce Cordy by the Western Bulldogs in 2008 demonstrates.

Under the old system, the Bulldogs gave up pick No.14 for him after St Kilda made a bid for him at pick No.13.

Under the proposed system, the Bulldogs would have – after the 15 per cent discount was applied – had to pay 1030 points to obtain Cordy at pick No.13.

With pick 14 carrying 1161 points, the Dogs would have had 131 points outstanding (because of the father-son discount) which would have seen them gain Cordy at pick No.13 and receive pick No.62 (123 points), a result closer to market value.

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The added bonus is that a new system would add excitement to an event that has established its importance in supporters' eyes.

The potential for live bidding to run concurrently with the draft will change the nature of the event significantly.

It would likely end the days of clubs committing to academy and father-son selections, as the potential for change on the night would heighten significantly.

Imagine if Collingwood was faced with the dilemma of gathering points to gain Darcy Moore or choosing to take a punt that an unclaimed Peter Wright was still available at pick No.8.

Or if Melbourne had been given the real option of choosing between bidding for Heeney or choosing Christian Petracca on draft night and the pressure the Sydney Swans would have felt in deciding what he was worth.

It would also allow supporters to make sense of Adelaide's decision to trade picks with Geelong ahead of the 2014 NAB AFL Draft.

The Crows' decision to trade picks 10 and 47 (a total of 1711 points) for picks 14 and 35 (1682 points) made sense for both clubs.

With a working party consisting of Adelaide's David Noble, Fremantle's Brad Lloyd, St Kilda's Ameet Bains, Hawthorn's Graham Wright, Gold Coast's Scott Clayton and former Western Bulldogs CEO Simon Garlick and AFL representatives Andrew Dillon, Brett Clothier, Mark Evans, Ken Wood and AFL strategists, the process has been consultative and rigorous, albeit taking a little longer than many clubs hoped.

Now the clubs will have their say, putting their best scenario plotters to work to testing its fairness.