Free Agency

[Swamp]

What a fucked idea. Will fuck with the game, shithouse from the AFLPA to be pushing for it. All the good work (pretty much the only good work) the AFL have done over the past 25 years to make the game better and fairer with the draft, salary cap etc, remove the financial advantages of the big clubs and the players want to fuck it the arse all for greed. GREED.
Fuck me dead. The already get obscene amounts of money for what adds up to around 20-25 hours work a week. AND THEY WANT MORE???
Thats they only fucking reason too, dont beleive any of the other shit. There are rules in place if you want to change clubs; and they can be twisted to your advantage if teh clubs wont play ball. Can't get a trade? Go to the draft. Worried someone else wil pick you up? Tell everyone else you'll retire if they pick you.
Then 10 year rule was epic fail and this new one will be the same. North would be a distant memeroy without it.
In closing, fuck teh AFLPA, the greedy bitches.

[CatCake]

I haven't heard of it. What does it entail?

[Kingy]

Free Agency is fucking bullshit - imagine your Club spending a massive amount of time and resource on developing a player, then losing him for nothing?

No thanks.

[Mancey]

The salary cap would remove any sort of advantage going to rich clubs surely? You can't just head hunt the best players and pay them anything. The only advantage to the rich clubs would be players from teams like North, wanting to move to a west coast or adelaide, where they know they'll be training in fantastic facilities and get all the trimmings. Rather than a rub down in a shed followed by lifting old engine blocks instead of weights.

There are other reasons apart from money. Take a guy like, lets say Richo, who has languished at a club for 16 years and nearly 300 games, for basically no success. Surely its understandable some people in that position would like to move to a club with a chance of success before they retire. That's certainly something that's never guaranteed with a trade situation, where its basically best deal wins and you could be shipped off to Melbourne for draft picks.

Total free agency can get fucked tho. It should only be allowed in special circumstances, like after you play 150 games for your club or something.

That said, i'd prefer not to even consider it tbh, and no one but the players could really have any reason to push for it. As kingy says, you'd hate to lose one of your best players and get nothing in return. The "go home" factor would hurt clubs with interstate stars too

[Mancey]

I haven't heard of it. What does it entail?

Players out of contract able to move clubs without going through the trade process, to the highest bidder/club of their choice basically

[Swamp]

Its already been shown before in many articles Mance that the smart clubs get around the salary cap; look at Pavlich's real estate deals around Freo, and Judd's 'ambassador role' for Visy. All ways for the club to compensate players outside the cap. With Free agency, this will become an even stronger way to attract players to your club, shares, land, outside 'employment' and other shit.

[pickman]

Free Agency is fucking bullshit - imagine your Club spending a massive amount of time and resource on developing a player, then losing him for nothing?

No thanks.

It sounds like business in most other industries to me.

[Kingy]

It sounds like business in most other industries to me.

Yea, the last 2 people we employed we got at pick 4 and pick 32 in the draft.

[bigburger]

Free Agency is fucking bullshit - imagine your Club spending a massive amount of time and resource on developing a player, then losing him for nothing?

No thanks.


Will be compensated by a change in the style of contracts including buy out clauses that in AFL might be changed for "You want this bloke give us atleast these draft picks".

It has to happen whether it be good or bad for the game and the GC team is forcing the AFL's hand with this. This is due to them being able to select one player from each team who is out of contract (assuming they want to leave their respective clubs) without repaying the club the player is taken from with anything.

Obviously the AFLPA who hold power with anything to do with players will want to push for this as it gives more of their players a chance of particularly if they aren't happy with their team. Also larger contracts and better job security will likely occur for their players.

[bigburger]

Its already been shown before in many articles Mance that the smart clubs get around the salary cap; look at Pavlich's real estate deals around Freo, and Judd's 'ambassador role' for Visy. All ways for the club to compensate players outside the cap. With Free agency, this will become an even stronger way to attract players to your club, shares, land, outside 'employment' and other shit.


The best one ever was Lloyds last contract renewal. Essendon one of the clubs intellectual properties (e.g the logo) or something like that to him for $1. They bought it back off him for about $300 000. Pretty smart way to get around it but since then I am fairly sure the rules have been updated. Obviously with the Judd thing he is actually giving Visy something in return for all the coin he's getting off them so its actually technical not unethical though some might argue.

[bigburger]

The salary cap would remove any sort of advantage going to rich clubs surely?

Actually its an increasingly well known fact that the clubs which spends the most money on their football departments generally win the Premiership. The trend started occuring in 2001 IIRC.

[dmc333]

Nah fuck I like it. I'm sick of this 'I'm a Saint for life' bull shit.

I want to see NBA style monster trades and big movements start to happen. That's half the entertainment while these ***** go on zoning and chipping side to side.

The recruiting and coaching departments will have to start earning their money instead of this lazy 'fuck this we're bottoming out, hope we find some gold at the end of the draft rainbow' shit.

These days they're overvaluing cunts. They don't want to look stupid trading someone off. If it's known that cunt could just fuck off it's in their advantage to pull a deal for him early. And at the moment they know they've got leverage over the player - you'll end up worse off in the draft - so no trading happens.

I'd prefer the comp to start having a more ruthless edge and the chance of a quick turn around to it. They can make some strategic moves, fill the gaps in their list immediately and make a play for the premiership in quick time. The rebuild cycle takes to long and makes clubs fucking shitty for too long. I mean Melbourne may as well not turn up until 2011.

[thegrach]

The best one ever was Lloyds last contract renewal. Essendon one of the clubs intellectual properties (e.g the logo) or something like that to him for $1. They bought it back off him for about $300 000. Pretty smart way to get around it but since then I am fairly sure the rules have been updated. Obviously with the Judd thing he is actually giving Visy something in return for all the coin he's getting off them so its actually technical not unethical though some might argue.
I think they get draft pick for compensation BB. Determined by original draft choice and B& F finishes or something. Could be the Duckworth-Lewis rule of the AFL IMO.

[Maverick]

Fuck the free agency off. I'll never be a fan.

[RoosterLad]

We need free agency. At the moment it is complete fucking bullshit. Get drafted by a club and most of the time you are forced to remain with that club for life. What a load of shit.

Trading players is ridiculous now because most of the time the club the player wants to leave just demands a stupid fucking deal that nobody is going to agree to. The player should be allowed to go to a club of his choice once his contract is over.

Bring in the Bosman rule.

[Hugh Jorgen]

Not sure if free agency will make a huge amount of difference. Unlike the Premier League and NRL, players in the AFL tend to be a lot more loyal to their clubs. You very rarely see big names defect to other clubs for more money. Judd is about the only one in recent times and that was mainly due to the go home factor.

I mean just look at someone like Riewoldt, he could have made a fortune if he went to the Gold Coast but chose to stay at St Kilda. A lot of it comes down to peer pressure, most players don't want to turn their back on their mates at the club just to chase a few extra bucks elsewhere.

[Banana Republican]

North Melbourne still hasnt recovered financialy, from the last time it was in in the 70s
Buy every ageing captain in the league
It won them a a few Grand Finals and made Barrassi a 'super coach' but at what cost?