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Retired #45: Conor McKenna ☘️ - Returning to the AFL to play with Brisbane - 17/11

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Whats the difference between this and the Liam Jones case that means Carlton get compensation and we wouldnt?
 
Whats the difference between this and the Liam Jones case that means Carlton get compensation and we wouldnt?
The main differences are:
  • Both left with a year remaining on their contracts, but Connor's contract would have ended last year.
  • Both made a choice due to Covid (not taking the vaccination, reacting to closing borders) but some don't see Jones's decision as a choice.
However, there are definitely enough similarities that we should be asking the AFL the question. Especially given that Conor will (presumably) sign a bigger contract than Jones, and we (should) be happy to take him back and let him fulfill the last year of his contract with us.
 
Irish star Conor McKenna is only interested in a return to the AFL via a Victorian club, reports SEN’s Sam Edmund.

It was revealed last month that the former Bomber was quitting his Gaelic club Tyrone to return to the AFL in 2023, with Geelong, Brisbane and Port Adelaide linked to the 26-year old.

However according to Edmund, McKenna is currently only eyeing a return to Victoria, which would rule the Lions and Power out of the mix.

“I’ve spoken to Brisbane about this, the Lions’ information about this is Conor McKenna wants to come back to Australia, but he doesn’t want to come back to any state, in fact, he wants to come back to Victoria. So that’s the initial feedback from them,” he said on SEN.

“They do have an interest and they have had an interest before, whether they’re playing it down or not, they don’t expect to be a factor when it comes to Connor McKenna.”
 

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He probably wants a club that's run well and has a chance at success, while also getting the best payday. So which of the Vic clubs in the top half of the ladder are best placed to pay him what he wants? I wouldn't have thought Geelong would have the money but they always seem to be able to find it from somewhere.
You would have to think all of Dees, Pies, Tigers & Cats would struggle to fit him in for good $$. Tigers recruiting a couple of big names already, Pies will want to keep list intact and DeGoey will be getting huge contract now, Cats will have some big contracts to keep and Dees also.

We are well placed with $$ but on the nose.
 

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There isn’t an 18 month rule to my knowledge.

As far as Liam Jones is concerned:

AFL sources said Jones would be deemed a free agent because he had been on Carlton’s list for eight seasons, the minimum period necessary to qualify for free agency. While he retired from the game before this season, due to his stance on vaccination against COVID-19, Jones remained on Carlton’s playing list.

McKenna was not on our list long enough to be a free agent, and wouldn’t have been even if he’d seen through the contract he was on when he retired, which would’ve finished at the end of 2021 and therefore 7 years service (needs 8 to be a free agent).
 
There isn’t an 18 month rule to my knowledge.

As far as Liam Jones is concerned:



McKenna was not on our list long enough to be a free agent, and wouldn’t have been even if he’d seen through the contract he was on when he retired, which would’ve finished at the end of 2021 and therefore 7 years service (needs 8 to be a free agent).


I was going off this scenario, and it's been mentioned previously on BigFooty somewhere as well.
 
Don’t you think it’s weird that Essendon is not mentioned at all in the reports he wants to come back to Vic?

Surely journals are asking the question of his management.

The lack of comment makes me think we are still in the mix as one of his possible destinations
 
But you are allowed to 'retire' mid contract and then go to the club of your choice 18 months later?
You can go to the club of your choice 12 months later... it's what we call the Mumford rule.

Standard Player Contracts end on October 31 each year, but the player is bound to the club they were at that year until the conclusion of the draft, unless they qualify as a free agent. That's how trades work, otherwise it'd be a free for all like in the European soccer leagues.

After the draft you have the pre-season supplemental selection period (SSP), which enables clubs to fill any remaining spots on their rookie list and any further spots created by long term injuries and retirements. It is only open to past players that have been out of the game for 12 months, delisted free agents, and players who nominated for the draft and weren't selected.

Delisted free agency eligibility requires that the club initiates the delisting. Retiring or delisting yourself doesn't count. So if you delist yourself or retire, you're still bound to the club you came from until after the draft, and your only option is to nominate for the draft if you want to get back in (which you can do without delisting yourself anyway, simply being out of contract allows you to nominate for the draft).

The next possible opportunity to return to AFL for a former player is via the mid-season rookie draft, which is exactly the same eligibility as the SSP except that it's a draft, the contracts are 6 or 18 months only, and you don't get to choose which club you go to. As a former player he would be able to put a price on his head though, which a never-drafted player under a certain age can't do.

So in terms of someone in McKenna's position, if you wanted to do it on purpose, you'd have to sit out for 12 months first, and then wait until the free agency, trade and draft periods are over, clubs have all filled their lists, and then, if the club has a list spot available, and enough cap space to pay you, then you can sign wherever you want as a rookie.

And then on top of that, if you're getting paid out at all as part of retiring, then you lose that money (or part thereof) if you start getting paid by another club. So there's an incentive not to go elsewhere in that circumstance.


It's rather a lot of hoops to jump through which is why people generally speaking don't do it.
 

I was going off this scenario, and it's been mentioned previously on BigFooty somewhere as well.
There's nothing about 18 months there though. That's just the difference between a retirement versus a club-initiated delisting.

The other example is Luke Hodge – he did the Form 40 thing and then decided he wanted to play on one year at Brisbane, so Hawthorn had to trade him, even though he was a free agent before he signed Form 40.
 
There's nothing about 18 months there though. That's just the difference between a retirement versus a club-initiated delisting.

The other example is Luke Hodge – he did the Form 40 thing and then decided he wanted to play on one year at Brisbane, so Hawthorn had to trade him, even though he was a free agent before he signed Form 40.

Sorry, it's a season out, so not technically 18 months, that's just the period I'd seen used when it came up on here previously.
 

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Retired #45: Conor McKenna ☘️ - Returning to the AFL to play with Brisbane - 17/11

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