Just a few garbled thoughts on salary cap issues.
Obviously the COLA, in its current form, has to go.
I have no issue with different teams being allowed different salary caps based on the unique challenges that each face. However it stinks that Sydney get relief for the cost of living, when we don't get relief for the fact that pretty much no AFL footballer wants to live here.
On the Swans/Buddy deal specifically, if he retired the Swans wouldn't have to pay him his contract, but they would have to count it towards their salary cap as it was an inducement for him to sign the contract initially.
The issue of how to deal with out of contract players who are not yet free agents is a massive challenge for the AFL. There are a few things that they could do. One is salary cap exceptions, which exist at least in the NBA. I'm not sure of exactly how they work, but I think it is along the lines of teams being allowed to pay players who they have drafted a certain amount outside of the salary cap when the time comes to extend their contracts. Sort of a loyalty bonus, I think.
Another thing is the dubious practices when it comes to drafting uncontracted non-free agents. I don't think a situation where a player can be traded against their will is desirable, but I think the power needs to shift back to the clubs a bit in these circumstances. I think the answer is rather than a player putting a price on their own head in the draft, the price on their head is whatever their last contract was, plus some sort of loading, the amount of which greater minds than mine could figure out. This would stop virtual free agency, where a player has agreed a deal with a club in advance and simply goes through the motions in the draft.
Another option would be that, when a player demands a trade to a particular club and the clubs can't agree on a trade, there be some form of binding arbitration system that the clubs have to subscribe to which puts a draft pick value on the player's head. It would then be up to the buying club to come up with a pick of equal or greater value than that to push the trade through.