Simply: he'd be leaving our family for some more shekels. I would blame him for that.
grizz, have avoided this discussion like the plague as finding factual info rather then journo's sprucing their exclusive knowledge and inside info on what has already happened, is about to happen, or may not happen .... It's become a circus that was always going to be the case.....and it's round 9.
Free Agency is in its second year, it's been driven by the AFLPA, once managed by the CEO of the AFL himself. It's design was to allow players to move more freely between Clubs given the restrictions the draft or trade insisted. It was meant 'mainly' to allow players who were middle tier, who we're valued by one Club more than the other and allow them more opportunity. That was the primary reason for its introduction.
Of course it would reach out to the top players also yet that was less likely given the salary cap all Clubs have as a restriction. All Clubs, let's ratify that. There are Clubs that have a higher salary caps (read Sydney who would not have been able to sign Kurt Tippett but for this allowance) The AFL not only pay for this gap they give it its own name ' cost of living concession allowance'. So let's call this Compromise 1 for the sake of it.
Then the AFL under its expansion plans to grow the game extended significant concessions to GCS and GWS, concessions at the draft table that raped the best talent to these 2 Clubs prior to the draft through preselection of uncontracted players and then at the draft through priority draft picks, this has been going on for 3 years (stand corrected on that term) Call this Compromise 2. I don't deny that new franchises need a leg up, I am not sure the extent of that leg up needed to be so extreme.
Now add Compromise 3 in the AFL's so called Ambassador roles, this is where our man Buddy is lured, and for the sake of this let's link GWS into the equation. Under the salary cap and any additional variations GWS may have there is no way they can offer the figure being mentioned of $2m per year. A major chunk of this lets say $900 p.a. will be from Compromise 3, Ambasador. Note also that GWS CEO David Matthews is an AFL planted executive, he has a red phone to the AFL CEO on all matters to do with GWS. Compromise 3 is the main factor that makes the Free Agency factor in the Buddy debate a farce. The drive to land him at GWS is being negotiated by the AFL CEO, his stooge that is the GWS CEO and has nothing to do with the SOS, Sheedy etc.
For an organization that preaches equality and fairness, they are completely Compromised. The above are just 3, maybe others can add more...actually Compromise 4 is obvious - look at the AFL's plans to remove our Clubs major sponsor in Tasmania, remove us from playing games in Tasmania in favor of another Club who they have decided deserves this.
Rant over
TM