Get Rid or Change The Compo System

[Adz2332]

Its about time the AFL looks at the compo system for loosing free agents.

The current system is easy to play, given teams that are down the bottom no incentive to keep and pay their 26 + year olds. Players that clubs cant or shouldnt afford to loose but do, keeping them down for longer but stocking up on high picks.
It also gives the top teams a chance to stay in contention longer with a sharper crash at the end of the ride.

The system also has so many grey areas, its ridiculous. The AFL wanted Ablett to go back to Geelong while giving the Suns a decent pick. Motlops compo seemed above what many thought it would attract, giving Geelong a gift and handing that to the Suns.

If they dont want to scrap it completely dont have it tied to the teams ladder position, saving the farce Franklins compo compared to Frawleys caused. Or the current talk about Crouch.
Make the highest the available end of first, making teams try harder to keep players but if they cant have a token pick.

The draft system every year seems to be to compromised as is

To many grey areas in this sport and this is another that needs to be looked at

 

[Brutalitops]

Would prefer they change it to priority access to mature state league players, not dissimilar to what we and Gold Coast got. A kid doesn't replace a guy who had 5-7 years in the AFL system.

 

[HeHateMe]

I think they will need to change the salary cap floor first so teams can get the full effect of the salary cap space. This way clubs down the bottom can be more efficient with their cap and don't just become feeder clubs.

 

[Sirlemsip]

I never understood the need for the 'pick after your round 1 pick' band.
Basically they are indicating that a player's 'value' is different based on what team they are leaving - which is just stupid.

I like the idea of each FA departure giving the club priority access to a state league player - with the pick order being based on the banding/contract size.
e.g. if Crouch is 'band 1' then Adelaide get the first state league pick. If multiple clubs have departures at the same band, then the club finishing lower on the ladder picks first.
Any state league player who is 21 years old or over at the start of the year can be selected..

 

[Kwality]

Is another band aide the best solution ?

 

[falcons2]

I don't like that all clubs pay compensation. A solution. Maybe at a point , round 11, after H&A or finals, all free agents are given a rating, 1.2.3.4
The number correspond to draft rounds. A rated 1 player = 1st round draft, 2, second round and so on.
Let's say Crouch is a rated 1. If he goes to Hawthorn, Hawthorns first round pick goes to Adelaide. It would be pick 3 and Hawthorn get Crouch. If he chose Port Adelaide would get Port's 1st round, I think currently pick 18. If he chooses Geelong it's their first pick in the first round as they have multiple picks. If he chooses a club without a first round pick that club would have to trade into the first round or offer a future first round. No other club is effected. If he was rated a 3 it would be a the third round pick.
It's about shifting compensation from the league to the club that benefits.
Delisted free agents or those yet to be offered contracts - no compensation

 

[Underarm]

Its about time the AFL looks at the compo system for loosing free agents.

The current system is easy to play, given teams that are down the bottom no incentive to keep and pay their 26 + year olds. Players that clubs cant or shouldnt afford to loose but do, keeping them down for longer but stocking up on high picks.

Clubs may be doing it, but in most cases its not effective. Only 4 clubs (Frawley - Melbourne,Luenberger - Brisbane, Rockliff - Brisbane and Vickery- Richmond) have turned a compensation pick into a finals appearance within 4 seasons.

 

[HairyO]

Make the best compo be end of 1st round. And dont give any priority picks other than end of 1st round.
Clubs should get something, but shouldnt be gifted too much as it encourages draft manipulation.

 

[RonnieRaven]

All priority and compensation picks should start at pick 10.
Any nga inside the top 10 can’t be bid just chosen by whoever.
Teams that don’t make finals should not be disadvantage in anyway.
It’s that simple.
compesation and priority picks should be pick 10,20,30,40.

 

[RUNVS]

Need to keep the compo system as can you imagine how bad Gold Coast would be now without it? The compo system is in place so if a team suffers an exodus they are at least getting some draft picks back in order to rebuild.

I do agree though that the system needs fine-tuning as there is no way any club would pay pick 2 for Brad Crouch on the open market.

 

[Jen2310]

All priority and compensation picks should start at pick 10.
Any nga inside the top 10 can’t be bid just chosen by whoever.
Teams that don’t make finals should not be disadvantage in anyway.
It’s that simple.
compesation and priority picks should be pick 10,20,30,40.

That will start next year.

 

[VictorianCrow85]

Need to keep the compo system as can you imagine how bad Gold Coast would be now without it? The compo system is in place so if a team suffers an exodus they are at least getting some draft picks back in order to rebuild.

I do agree though that the system needs fine-tuning as there is no way any club would pay pick 2 for Brad Crouch on the open market.

This is made in jest as I agree that I wouldn't personally give up pick 2 for Crouch though do you really think that last statement is true?

Gold Coast - Lachie Weller, I rest my case.

Point is there's a glut of examples out there where teams gave up massive overs to bring a player in. I don't know or particularly care what the Crows get for Crouch but the system is in place and everyone out there knows it so why wouldn't Adelaide let him go if a big enough contract comes? Equally if other teams value him so lowly and he's legit happy enough to stay then they have the right to match. Seems to be so much angst around over what Adelaide may or may not get for him when it's not like it's anything new.

 

[Adz2332]

550 to 600k for 4 or 5 years is whats being thrown around by people that are "supposedly" in the know.
If thats band 1 and ends up being pick 2 the whole system should be thrown out

 

[Tackle Bag]

Link it exclusively to the whole contract value the players gets at his new club.
That’s the best indicator of the players real worth and removes any guesswork or fiddling by head office.

 

[The 747]

I think they will need to change the salary cap floor first so teams can get the full effect of the salary cap space. This way clubs down the bottom can be more efficient with their cap and don't just become feeder clubs.

Yes this, and no compo at all if you lose a player. Ridiculous rule.

 

[master bate]

Need to keep the compo system as can you imagine how bad Gold Coast would be now without it? The compo system is in place so if a team suffers an exodus they are at least getting some draft picks back in order to rebuild.

I do agree though that the system needs fine-tuning as there is no way any club would pay pick 2 for Brad Crouch on the open market.

Would the Suns be significantly better or worse with Rankine this year than pick 11? Not if they took Butters.

But that's also one of the few situations where Lynch was worth the compo and probably more honestly.

The real farce is the Suns let Lynch go for free to join the premiers when trading for mediocre players often costs clubs useful draft picks. Or even trading for a couple of years of Bryce Gibbs costs a lot! But hey, go get Lynch for free, why not?

And then the farce gets even worse when the Tigers can't afford to keep Ellis because they signed Lynch and then get pick 40 odd for Ellis. And even had the gumption to complain that they weren't compensated well enough for losing him!

I'm all for compensation but I think it should be weighted over a 2 or 3 year period to encourage teams to go out and sign up players. Expanding free agency by making it 6 years service (including time spent in state or lower leagues) would increase the amount of free agents available too. Plus make a proper restricted free agency and normalise teams matching deals and trading. So hey - you can sit back for a couple of years and collect your compo or you take your salary cap space and get out their and get senior players in and get better.

The Suns have replaced Lynch's cap hit with Brandon Ellis and Hugh Greenwood. That's exactly what should happen and those are the players who are making them better this year, not Rankine. And they should've traded Lynch by matching his contract and forcing Richmond to pay up. Net result would be a far more equal competition.

Instead we have this silly result where Richmond are better and have a 2nd flag and going for a 3rd. And the AFL felt so bad for the Suns they now have received 4 top 20 priority picks and a few academy guns as well. The biggest and most ridiculous gift of all time. Open up a proper free agency and encourage clubs to use it, the salary cap and draft will be proper equalisers when clubs are allowed to use them as such.

 

[LordLucifer]

Its about time the AFL looks at the compo system for loosing free agents.

The current system is easy to play, given teams that are down the bottom no incentive to keep and pay their 26 + year olds. Players that clubs cant or shouldnt afford to loose but do, keeping them down for longer but stocking up on high picks.
It also gives the top teams a chance to stay in contention longer with a sharper crash at the end of the ride.

The system also has so many grey areas, its ridiculous. The AFL wanted Ablett to go back to Geelong while giving the Suns a decent pick. Motlops compo seemed above what many thought it would attract, giving Geelong a gift and handing that to the Suns.

If they dont want to scrap it completely dont have it tied to the teams ladder position, saving the farce Franklins compo compared to Frawleys caused. Or the current talk about Crouch.
Make the highest the available end of first, making teams try harder to keep players but if they cant have a token pick.

The draft system every year seems to be to compromised as is

To many grey areas in this sport and this is another that needs to be looked at

Well done ADZ, this is a subject close to my heart.

The whole Free Agency system from top to bottom has been horribly flawed from the start but is constantly being tweaked but not for the better either.

The players wanted Free Agency, not the clubs so as usual, the AFL caved in and gave them what they wanted. They then implemented a compensation aspect for something called "Free" but based around a formula that no-one can ever understand or has any consistency. It also penalises a number of the other clubs who were not involved in the player move.

The qualifications for Free Agency has been made easier & easier too which makes a mockery of having it in the first place.

The problem for me is that the genie is now out of the bottle and we will never be able to put it back. Therefore, some commonsense needs to be applied to the thing to make it workable.


Player qualification for FA needs to be based on number of games played at a club, not years of service.

Compensation should be totally scrapped, it's a totally stupid concept that just doesn't work and never will.

Players in contract can be traded without their approval as well, you can't have them able to leave at the drop of a hat but on the flipside, be able to veto a trade the club wants to do.

 

[master bate]

This is made in jest as I agree that I wouldn't personally give up pick 2 for Crouch though do you really think that last statement is true?

Gold Coast - Lachie Weller, I rest my case.

Point is there's a glut of examples out there where teams gave up massive overs to bring a player in. I don't know or particularly care what the Crows get for Crouch but the system is in place and everyone out there knows it so why wouldn't Adelaide let him go if a big enough contract comes? Equally if other teams value him so lowly and he's legit happy enough to stay then they have the right to match. Seems to be so much angst around over what Adelaide may or may not get for him when it's not like it's anything new.

Lachie Weller was a unique situation where a club was so desperate for a home grown and more mature player who actually wanted to join them. He also has the advantage of being a pretty decent footballer and was 21 which is the perfect age to overpay.

Brad Crouch will be 27 when he next plays, has played 2 full years in 8 seasons and missed 2 years entirely. Any club giving up a top 10 pick would surely be making a mistake, yet alone a top 5 pick.

Of course Adelaide have to do what is best for them. Melbourne did the same with Frawley. That said, there was a bit of an allowance that Melbourne were a complete basketcase and had been down the bottom for years. The Crows were in a grand final a minute ago. You overcompensate a team like the Crows and you're getting back to the times good teams like Hawthorn and Collingwood went hunting for priority picks.

 

[powerrrrrrrrrrrr]

Get rid of the compo pick completely and implement a new FA “pre draft” for teams that loose a player which is only for mature aged selections.

Before the draft starts, teams that have lost a player to FA have first access to anyone who has nominated for the draft over the age of 20. Loose a mature age player, gain a mature age player without getting access to the top end talent in the draft pool and the ability to manipulate draft positions. This maintains the integrity of the draft while providing a hopefully instant player.

For example, let’s say B Crouch left the crows last year. Before the draft starts, the crows get a pre draft selection and take Riccardi.

Would obviously require clubs to recruit strong but if they know they are likely to loose a player to FA one year, they have the whole year to scout these likely mature agers.

Where multiple clubs have lost a FA and deciding the ranking of the FA pre draft selection order, it is decided based on contract length and salary first, then if still tied, the lower positioned team on the ladder gets the earlier selection.

Then we continue with a normal, unbiased and compromised draft where we can avoid clubs determining contracts based on draft picks.

Almost the reverse of the Pre Season Draft

 

[VictorianCrow85]

Lachie Weller was a unique situation where a club was so desperate for a home grown and more mature player who actually wanted to join them. He also has the advantage of being a pretty decent footballer and was 21 which is the perfect age to overpay.

Brad Crouch will be 27 when he next plays, has played 2 full years in 8 seasons and missed 2 years entirely. Any club giving up a top 10 pick would surely be making a mistake, yet alone a top 5 pick.

Of course Adelaide have to do what is best for them. Melbourne did the same with Frawley. That said, there was a bit of an allowance that Melbourne were a complete basketcase and had been down the bottom for years. The Crows were in a grand final a minute ago. You overcompensate a team like the Crows and you're getting back to the times good teams like Hawthorn and Collingwood went hunting for priority picks.

Yes of course you can give reasons why Lachie Weller is different but the point is still it was a massive over pay any way you look at it. We simply don't know which club can make a strange decision for whatever reason at the time. Do I personally see that happening with Crouch (especially with this years uncertainty) - no.

The thing is the AFL has their system in place & everyone has a rough idea of what it is. If clubs don't want to see Adelaide over compensated then it's simple - don't offer a big enough contract that could tip it into band 1. Of course they do that and they risk missing their target which is why you can't rule out the slightly bigger contract than is warranted even if the compo to everyone but Adelaide supporters seems excessive.

It's all a balancing act in the end.

FYI I've suggested I could see the AFL changing things on the run over a deal like this one and award a mid round compo as they somewhat opened the door for that kind of thing with the GC's rescue package last year and in truth it would probably be close to the fairest thing so I wouldn't really be opposed to it.

 

[Dirty Bird]

At the very least, scrap it (or severly nerf it) for Restricted free agents.

Look at the Tom Lynch move.

Richmond wouldnt have had the currency to obtain him via trade.
So the compensation makes a draft pick out of thin air to allow clubs (in this case Richmond) to get a good player which they otherwise wouldnt.

It's basically giving Richmond the #3 draft pick on the proviso they trade it. Compromises the draft more than promosing to trade Kurt Tippett for a 2nd rounder.

Richmond gets a huge leg up.
Gold Coast gets good compensation
While the rest of the league is ****ed over.

If you get rid of compensation for RFAs, Im sure Gold Coast would've matched the bid to hold onto him. Now it's on Richmond to decide, 'do we trade out players to get the currency to bring him in, or do we stick with the structure we already have'

WHen it comes to UFAs though. If they leave, you get NOTHING if theres no compo. So I would probably keep it for UFAs.

But RFA compo? Either get rid of it entirely, or nerf it drastically (ie. No top 20 picks at the bare minimum, reaslitically though, nothing until end of 2nd)

 

[tony__montana]

550 to 600k for 4 or 5 years is whats being thrown around by people that are "supposedly" in the know.
If thats band 1 and ends up being pick 2 the whole system should be thrown out

That’s not Band 1, that’s what Gold Coast gave Ellis and we got a 2nd rounder as compensation. Of course Motlop got the same and Geelong got a band 1 compo so..

 

[Freomaniac]

This is made in jest as I agree that I wouldn't personally give up pick 2 for Crouch though do you really think that last statement is true?

Gold Coast - Lachie Weller, I rest my case.

Point is there's a glut of examples out there where teams gave up massive overs to bring a player in. I don't know or particularly care what the Crows get for Crouch but the system is in place and everyone out there knows it so why wouldn't Adelaide let him go if a big enough contract comes? Equally if other teams value him so lowly and he's legit happy enough to stay then they have the right to match. Seems to be so much angst around over what Adelaide may or may not get for him when it's not like it's anything new.

I even agree that Lachie Weller wasn't worth pick 2.


The only reason Lachie Weller was traded for pick 2 was because Freo took a risk and played hard ball and he was contracted.

Saying that, the rumour was that the original trade for Lachie Weller was suns hand picks 2 and 21 for Freo and Freo trade Lachie Weller and pick 5 to the suns. Would of meant that Weller was worth pick 18. Sounds fair as Weller was taken at pick 14 in the 2014 draft.

 

[Freomaniac]

I think they will need to change the salary cap floor first so teams can get the full effect of the salary cap space. This way clubs down the bottom can be more efficient with their cap and don't just become feeder clubs.

So make the minimum salary cap 90 percent? Sounds about right.

This year's salary cap was 13 million. Take 10 percent of that or 1.3 million and the floor would of been 11.7 million. Thats a fair bit of lee way or wriggle room.

I look at the saints. This time last season, they struggled to pay the minimum 95 percent of the cap. They had to front load key players contracts to reach it.

Then the saints got 3-4 players on big cash to fill up the cap.

 

[Blackas87]

Should be based over a few years. Perhaps 3.

Losing a free agent you should be able to replace with a free agent, but if a club that hasn’t played finals for 3 years has lost quality free agents without being able to replace them should get compensated.

Teams playing finals shouldn’t get compensated for the salary cap doing its job.