Surely someone at AFL must have data for home ground free differentials, and particularly at Perth and Adelaide, and of course Geelong. Further analysis will show which umpires "favour" the home teams and which are more even handed.
IF they had an ounce of integrity (and I realise that is a huge IF) then they would use these data to ensure that the biased / weak / intimidated umpires do not umpire at those venues. OF course this will never happen, as integrity is paid lip service in favour of the highest bider.
Regards your final point, Yes, the list is there largely thanks to unconscionable AFL concessions in an attempt to justify their decision to enter Western Sydney, but the heart does not appear to be. Yes, players say that they love playing and living there, but can anyone really think that they would say that if they were free agents and not paid above what they would get in Melbourne?
Could Clarkson's charisma transplant heart into a mob of very talented individuals?