Pridham takes on academy knockers

Sydney chairman Andrew Pridham says the Swans would swap their academy privileges for 18 games in their home state “any day” amid ongoing debate over the allowances provided to clubs in the northern states.

Sydney matched a bid on Swans Academy midfielder Caiden Cleary at pick 24 in this year’s AFL national draft and has previously picked up stars including Isaac Heeney, Errol Gulden, Callum Mills and Nick Blakey through the program.

Gold Coast was also a big beneficiary of its academy in this year’s draft, matching bids on Suns Academy products Jed Walter (pick 3), Ethan Read (pick 9), Jake Rogers (pick 14) and Will Graham (pick 26).

Pridham said the success of northern academies often led to a “one-sided debate” that overlooked their value to the national game.

“A big responsibility (of AFL clubs) is actually to build the game and the reality is that without the academy structure, whether it’s in Sydney or in Queensland, there are going to be thousands and thousands of kids every year, male and female, who won’t play AFL,” Pridham said on his What Matters podcast.

“They will play other sports, so you have to invest the money to get the talent.

“The issue is not the academies, because I think they are incredibly important. I think they are here to stay.

“Probably the bigger question is what are clubs and the AFL doing in the traditional markets – Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania – to develop the talent better in those markets rather than looking and saying, ‘Well, what’s happening in Sydney, why are you getting this advantage?’”

The conversation on the MA financial podcast also included former AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and Collingwood president Jeff Browne.

Pridham said while the academies might give clubs in New South Wales and Queensland an advantage at the AFL draft, other clubs had far greater advantages.

“The reality is that the biggest advantage of all is being in Victoria and playing 18 of your games – home-and-away season games – on the MCG,” Pridham said.

“That’s a massive advantage. I’d take that over an academy any day.”

Sydney played 11 matches interstate this year, while five Victorian clubs were on the road just six times throughout the regular season.