Swans told to end COLA - OR be banned from trading in players for 2 years

[Andrew Mc]

The timing of this is needs more focus. Was something big about to go down? Griffen to Swans?

Perhaps the AFL have found Sydney haven't been phasing out COLA in their 2014 & beyond contracts.

There has to be more to it for this to happen four days into the trade period, and six days into the FA period.

Can't see it being Griffen - plenty of coverage there. And the AFL see the contracts - so they'd know what the new ones would contain (maybe not Tippetts extra one). Gotta be something in it though.

 

[sherb]

I don't know all the geographic details and trust that you do. My point was merely that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. In the employment world what Ireland did was act like a rogue employee working against, not with the company. I can guarantee you that the AFL would have been seething after the $10M Franklin contract. The contract in itself also sets a very dangerous precedent.

Yeah, I went off on a tangent.

 

[BobHawk]

That doesnt explain the timing of the rule change.

Nobody knows when the change took effect. It has just been reported now. For all we know it could have been put in place when the COLA phase out deal was negotiated.

 

[Jtree]

He would make no sense, we have midfielders coming out of our a-hole and need KPDs

I would've thought the Frawley or Ryder possibilities as being most plausible... Either way this is truly bizarre of the AFL and needs a 'please explain' soon to alleviate the conspiracy ideas...

 

[underthestars]

Excellent, please list the specific actions of the Swans and AFL. Once again, Swans fans do not need to produce anything at all, you're the one making the accusation, I'm simply asking you to back it up with evidence.

perhaps you can't read. i already wrote and linked to them in the first post. We're also discussing an AFL action in this thread. And yes, the Swans fans don't need to produce anything, unless they are arguing against this AFL action. It's only unfair if the Swans were above board - we can assume they weren't. Prove otherwise or not. Up to you.

 

[Leather Poisoning]

It must cost more to live in the western suburbs if GWS get to keep it.

What a joke.

 

[Foreign Legion]

Depends whether a big name trade was under way that the AFL has decided was inequitable for the rest of the comp.

Then let the trade be announced. They have to sign off on it surely? If the trade is illegal or breaches the cap etc it would not be approved!

This is bizarre.

 

[Mcveigh]

Eddie sent his cronies out last night to spread some rumour of another "big" name moving up to sydney. After hearing these rumours, Gillons knee jerked straight through his laptop while looking at Nikki Minaj gifs.

This is the result. Take it to the bank.

 

[WideOpenRoad]

So its ok to lose 3 established players and not be able to sign a high profile recruit to replace them?

If the AFL is petty minded to not stand beside its own rules what does that say about its integrity and belief system?

Laugh it up.
Who's next?

I understand you may be angry, but I'm not saying anything about the right or wrong of it in the post you quoted, that's just my best guess as to what happened. If you want my opinion on it, refer back to my previous post.

 

[base615]

Whether this is true or not, it doesn't matter. What matters is whether your TPP would be higher than the rest of the competition.

Agreed but a trade for a player without CoLA where we released a player with CoLA would be reducing our TPP more than it is without that trade.

 

[Jtree]

You're quickly becoming the thing you hate

Settle down buddy... Just a joke.

 

[Syd]

Ireland burnt the AFL (more so than Hawthorn) with the Franklin trade. I think people forget that Franklin was being touted as the player to launch GWS in western Sydney. People can talk of legalities and all sorts of thing but in the end Ireland broke a level of trust and good faith in terms of what the AFL is trying to do in expanding its market where it has invested massively. In fact, what Ireland did was make it clear that Sydney was threatened and would do everything in its power to defend its territory. This is not a good way to do business and shows either a naivety or total disregard for where Sydney fits in the scheme of things in the AFL world.

And GWS retaliated in kind by signing Mumford and then Lamb for peanuts
One signing hurts us more than the other, but each club has a right to fight for its share of the Sydney market

Now one club has one hand tiedfor 2 years, the other a 9.8% cap advantage
Who's the AFL's love child now kiddies??

 

[Andrew Mc]

Nobody knows when the change took effect. It has just been reported now. For all we know it could have been put in place when the COLA phase out deal was negotiated.

Nah, from the article: "Following discussions last month, the league wrote to the Swans last week confirming the club's recruiting would be restricted to draftees, delisted free agents and promoted rookies."

 

[yodellinhank]

It surprises me that people are surprised by hamfisted manipulation of the competition by the AFL.

 

[Maddo11]

Nobody knows when the change took effect. It has just been reported now. For all we know it could have been put in place when the COLA phase out deal was negotiated.

There's no way the swans would have just sat on this information without leaking it. They'd either leak it, or set up trades for draft picks, or shed enough players by now that they'd be under the cola-less cap and could trade in someone to cover Malcho, RoK and LRT leaving.

 

[Damon_3388]

This is a gradual phasing out.

Then why is it being presented as the AFL saying "do it, or else!", when they're the ones that instigate and fund the COLA in the first place? Makes it sound like Sydney have been running rogue and funding extra salary cap payments off their own bat, and the league have just now decided they've had enough and are cracking down. Ridiculous misrepresentation that paints the Swans in a terrible light for no reason whatsoever.

 

[Boxhead_31]

People asking about the timing need to remember Gerard Healy said Mike Fitzpatrick had warned the Swans off of going after Frawley either in the week of or the week after the GF

 

[clogged]

Then let the trade be announced. They have to sign off on it surely? If the trade is illegal or breaches the cap etc it would not be approved!

This is bizarre.

It's not bizarre. The AFL permitted Sydney to retain the ability to pay over the standard TPP for a number of years after they made the decision to remove it, so as to give them relief from having to immediately restructure all contracts or cut players.

The intention was to give Sydney the opportunity to phase it out gradually, without the AFL mandating hard cuts to it.

The problem is that while the ability to pay over the standard TPP existed the incentive remained for the Swans to take advantage of it. Clubs exist to win premierships. Sydney may have decided to take advantage of the last years of its salary cap allowances to fill holes.

If the AFL felt the spirit of their agreement was being abused then this is the reaction to it. And it's nothing but fair. They could have been far more punitive.

 

[Chris Pelchen]

Please explain

My apologies but I am genuinely puzzled as to why you are persisting with this angle.

Do you not understand why Gws still have a cola?
Do you not understand why freo never received a cola?
Do you prefer everyone had/has a cola?
Do you prefer cola never existed?

Your question regarding why cola is removed from some clubs but not others suggests you cannot grasp why cola was given to some clubs but not others in the first place.

With all due respect, this limited starting point would put you at a serious disadvantage should a more detailed discussion continue.

 

[DavyRed]

It does smell like something was going to happen that was going to make people hate Sydney and the AFL more than they already do and the AFL jumped in..

I've been banging on a lot tonight about the production of evidence to demonstrate that the Swans have been doing something dodgy re the COLA. That's mainly because I'm tired of all the s**t being put on the club I love with nothing to substantiate it. That is different to opposition fans not agreeing with the principle of the COLA btw. I disagree with you, but understand your viewpoint.

However, let me be clear, if it is found that the Swans have deliberately done something contrary to the COLA rules I will be disgusted with them and deeply deeply disappointed. They will then deserve to have the book thrown at them. However, if it's found that all of this is only because they were actually playing strictly within the rules and had still managed to secure another big name signing my disgust and anger will only be directed at those pricks at AFL Headquarters.

 

[HPKS]

s

I don't know all the geographic details and trust that you do. My point was merely that you don't bite the hand that feeds you. In the employment world what Ireland did was act like a rogue employee working against, not with the company. I can guarantee you that the AFL would have been seething after the $10M Franklin contract. The contract in itself also sets a very dangerous precedent.

Has anyone asked Franklin if he ever seriously considered GWS or was the AFL just going to make a rule that forced him to play there

 

[legend166]

Ireland burnt the AFL (more so than Hawthorn) with the Franklin trade. I think people forget that Franklin was being touted as the player to launch GWS in western Sydney. People can talk of legalities and all sorts of thing but in the end Ireland broke a level of trust and good faith in terms of what the AFL is trying to do in expanding its market where it has invested massively. In fact, what Ireland did was make it clear that Sydney was threatened and would do everything in its power to defend its territory. This is not a good way to do business and shows either a naivety or total disregard for where Sydney fits in the scheme of things in the AFL world.

The idea that we should have passed up an opportunity to improve our team in order to help the AFLs expansion plans is ridiculous.

 

[wallyt99]

What's next? Bulldogs banned from having a sub until they change there logo

Melbourne is banned from drafting players until they can win more than 5 games ???


This is ridiculous

To be fair - with how they use high picks - Melbourne should be banned from drafting.

 

[Chris Pelchen]

Surely this "rule" is a restraint of trade

Lol

 

[Syd]

I understand you may be angry, but I'm not saying anything about the right or wrong of it in the post you quoted, that's just my best guess as to what happened. If you want my opinion on it, refer back to my previous post.

I'm not angry at you, AFL yes.
I've posted before my understanding of the angst but most AFL posters here are so blinded by the anti-Sydney rage they don't see the longer term damage the GCS and GWS advantages will wreak

I have never been "pro cola" but accept something was needed in the late 90's to stop the Roccas, Grants, Gaspars going back to Victoria
The high draft picks were meant to equalise the comp and ours were simply going home at the end of their compulsory service after being drafted

Cola wasn't an issue in 2005/6 BUT Tippett and Franklin recruitments have changed that
The AFL knee jerk reaction to Eddie Everywhere is not for the good of the game IMO and as I've said, the haters who laugh now could be the next recipients

I hope my club takes the league to task but I highly doubt we'll mortgage the next 20-years for the next 2 sadly