Northern academies

[Big T]

We are hearing now about the extraordinary resources the northern teams have especially the Suns and Swans in their academy programs. Huge staff numbers, eg suns have 10 hubs through the state all staffed and funded. The suns have 1,000 kids in their academy and a host of all Australians at under 16 coming through.

Now the question must be, given clubs like Collingwood essentially fund this and showing the lunacy at making money for others to benefit, is any of this included in the soft cap?

I think it’s great for Queensland footy and I was a junior coach there for years but I can’t understand how it is legal given we can’t even hire another physio without being penalised and do not the right to do the same thing.

This is going to be a massive problem for the traditional clubs.

[Big T]

I see the lions are getting two first rounders including another generational talent fs.

The second one - Sam Marshall - dominated today in the sandringham dragons gf side. He is a lions academy player. Isn’t sandringham a Victorian Coates league side while Brisbane last time I looked is in Queensland and academy kids are meant to be living in that catchment. What am I missing here?