The Giants will this year grab Jacob Hopper, a likely top-five talent, and with access to the Riverina have the academy zone people will start to feel most grumpy about, sooner rather than later. But no one is talking about them, because they didn't finish second last year.

The new points-based system means clubs will have to make genuine bids for players. If it's done on draft night there will be nothing (such as in-the-pipeline trades) holding them back, and they will know exactly which other draftees are on the board before deciding whether to bid for a player. It also means the nominating clubs will every now and again have to make a tough decision, prioritise the player they want and not be able to take them all. Had the new system been in place last year, the Swans would effectively have had to trade up to get pick two after Melbourne bid for Heeney.

To get both (academy player) Callum Mills and (father-son prospect) Josh Dunkley this year might mean trading a player out for draft picks in order to get some extra points, or shuffling their plans in another way to make sure they have the points they need without having to eat too much into their 2016 allotment. Even with a 20 per cent discount it will mean paying a more accurate price for their players while still, rightly, having first call on them given their hefty investment in them. And we need them to keep spending that money. It won't help anyone should they start to put less in. The more players that come from these areas, the better for every club.

That's one matter. The other is what Heeney stands for, and could encourage.

He grew up outside Newcastle; no AFL players have ever come from where he lived. He was lucky, having a coach who recognised his talent and who pushed to get him into the Cardiff Hawks' senior side when he was 15, despite the (strange) protestations of other clubs. But had he not been identified by the Swans program as a kid, when would he have been noticed? Had he not been involved in the academy and had access to the quality and consistency of coaching he's had, would he be as good as he is now? The answer to both questions is probably 'soon enough' given his talent and attitude, but there is no doubt he is a better player right now than he would have been had he been left to develop in the Black Diamond league, no matter the good intentions of the people working with him.