The AFL is reportedly set to make further alterations to their controversial Academy bidding laws after clubs were left seething in the wake of this week's National Draft.
Clubs were left aggrieved on Wednesday night after Gold Coast were afforded the right to match bids for Academy guns Jed Walter and Jake Rogers during the draft's opening round.
While every AFL club has an Academy of their own and access to youngsters of their own, clubs outside of Queensland and New South Wales become restricted on draft night, with South Australian, Western Australian and Victorian teams unable to match bids within the first 40 picks of the draft.
Said restriction was implemented in the wake of the Western Bulldogs earning the right to draft Next Generation Academy prospect Jamarra Ugle-Hagan with the first pick of the 2020 AFL Draft after matching Adelaide's opening bid.
But while the likes of Eagles list boss Rohan O'Brien were left shaking their heads at Marvel Stadium earlier in the week, 7News'ย Ryan Daniels has claimed changes are on the horizon, with clubs set to be able to match bids from Pick 21 onward as soon as next season.
"I'm here today to say that it's going to [change]," Daniels told Triple M listeners of the league's plans to restore parity.
"I believe that they [the AFL] are going to switch it back to 20 [selections]. So the first 20 will be protected.
"In this week's scenario, for instance, [Eagles' NGA prospect] Lance Collard went to St Kilda at [pick] 28, that wouldn't happen [next year], West Coast would get him.
"I think that will happen as soon as next year. That's going to be a significant development; clubs were ticked off this week, they were filthy."
