"Free Agency" Is Farcical & Has To Go

[LordLucifer]

There are only two options to rectify this farce :

Option 1 - completely scrap the Free Agency system altogether

Option 2 - keep Free Agency and scrap the compensation picks altogether

Either way I'd be happy although I would prefer Option 1.

If Free Agency is to be kept, then the rules relating to trading players has to change too. If a player has the power to walk when he wants via the FA system then the club should be allowed to trade a player when they like and where they like.

Right now, the players have it both ways and the clubs are finding it difficult to either build a decent list or maintain one, especially the clubs in the bottom half of the ladder.

 

[Beer n Skittles]

How would scrapping compo help solve your problem? It'd only make it worse.

The AFL resisted free agency as long as it could

 

[tigerwill]

There are only two options to rectify this farce :

Option 1 - completely scrap the Free Agency system altogether

Option 2 - keep Free Agency and scrap the compensation picks altogether

Either way I'd be happy although I would prefer Option 1.

If Free Agency is to be kept, then the rules relating to trading players has to change too. If a player has the power to walk when he wants via the FA system then the club should be allowed to trade a player when they like and where they like.

Right now, the players have it both ways and the clubs are finding it difficult to either build a decent list or maintain one, especially the clubs in the bottom half of the ladder.

I'd rather
Option 2 - keep Free Agency and scrap the compensation picks altogether
but make the top 4 clubs ineligible for FA to go to.

 

[beta_condition]

I'd rather
Option 2 - keep Free Agency and scrap the compensation picks altogether
but make the top 4 clubs ineligible for FA to go to.

You cant do that, easy just put a separate salary cap to free agency.

 

[Demonheart]

FA is here to stay, you can thank the players for it. Abolishing compensation will further benefit the stronger clubs and make it almost impossible for the weaker clubs to improve. No matter what happens now this competition is already stuffed, cola, academies, the top teams taking the best players for free, lopsided fixture, some teams travelling and others not, etc The competition is farcical and the only reason why I'm still here is for the love of my team that was developed when this was a real competition.

 

[shintemaster]

With a hard cap I don't see why it can't work.

Would prefer no compensation and no minimum cap (or at least more leeway say 80% minimum). That way clubs at the bottom (not due to injuries) can pay appropriately and have money in reserve to pick up good players.

 

[nickrebellious]

Melbourne lost Sylvia last year and got Vince. They'll probably turn 3 into something better than Frawley.

 

[tigerwill]

You cant do that, easy just put a separate salary cap to free agency.

Why can't you do that?
How many salary caps do you want to have. It's hard enough policing one.

Obviously it's more attractive for a player to want to go to a top 4 club.
Lower rung clubs lose players to the top clubs. The top clubs get stronger the bottom/middle clubs stay in limbo (unless they overpay and then that's no certainty). The cycle continues.

Compensation is out of kilter when judged on finishing position. ie Buddy/Goddard/Frawley which then also penalises the other clubs pushing their selections down the order.
I still believe there are too many inequities with FS/Academy bidding. PErhaps there should be a panel that weighs up what a players worth should beie Heeney to Swans might warrant their 1st and 3rd round pick etc.
Buddy with the Hawks getting pick 19 (?) Goddard (14?) Frawley (3?) what a load of hogwash.
Lesser lights M.White=0, Higgins (26), Waite zero. Not sure how they work out their magic formula. I know age & contract price are considerations, but still it's a mockery as to the true value.
Just scrap AFL compo pick or make the receiving club offer a pick back. That way the player can still go, other clubs aren't penalised.
Friggin AFL, how the stuff do they have picks anyway. It's just the biggest load of bullshit.

 

[ziad]

Melbourne lost Sylvia last year and got Vince. They'll probably turn 3 into something better than Frawley.

You make a very solid case for FA.

Me I just don't like it, but accept it is here to stay.

the compo is obviously a charity case at the moment

 

[juss]

FA is not going anywhere, ever again. Once these things come into an agreement, the AFLPA will hold on to them for dear life, get used to FA, and potentially it will get worse with the years of service due to be reduced.

But yes, scrap the compo.

 

[kreglze]

Just do what the NFL do, top 4 teams can't get anyone via free agency unless they lose someone to it.

 

[Dan12]

I've never understood the argument to scrap compo. It so blatently would damage the competition to scrap compensation. The bottom clubs like Melbourne that have free agents leaving every year would get no young players to compensate them and then destine them to perennially be at the bottom. That's a ridiculous situation. I think we can all cop moving down the draft order one spot so that we don't have clubs with no experienced players and no highly rated young players sitting down the bottom with a bleak present state and a bleak future as well. I personally hope Melbourne get pick 3.

 

[Rankor]

Maybe the club getting the FA player must trade either their first, second or third round pick for the player depending on the contract/player in question. Team losing the player still gets compo and other teams draft positions are not affected.

 

[LordLucifer]

I've never understood the argument to scrap compo. It so blatently would damage the competition to scrap compensation. The bottom clubs like Melbourne that have free agents leaving every year would get no young players to compensate them and then destine them to perennially be at the bottom. That's a ridiculous situation. I think we can all cop moving down the draft order one spot so that we don't have clubs with no experienced players and no highly rated young players sitting down the bottom with a bleak present state and a bleak future as well. I personally hope Melbourne get pick 3.

No we can't !!

What happens if there were 3 or 4 compo picks and you got shuffled down that many spots in the draft, that is unacceptable.

Besides, why should all of the other clubs be penalised as well for the player movement ??

 

[J Freeloader]

I've never understood the argument to scrap compo. It so blatently would damage the competition to scrap compensation. The bottom clubs like Melbourne that have free agents leaving every year would get no young players to compensate them and then destine them to perennially be at the bottom. That's a ridiculous situation. I think we can all cop moving down the draft order one spot so that we don't have clubs with no experienced players and no highly rated young players sitting down the bottom with a bleak present state and a bleak future as well. I personally hope Melbourne get pick 3.

Scrap compo but give the clubs more power. It's been posted elsewhere but things like removing the mandatory 95% cap and allowing players to be traded without their consent would balance the scales. Things like no trade clauses could then be negotiated at the trade or free agency table.

The compo is a half measure that will be removed as it disadvantages clubs that aren't even involved in the dealings. The AFL must push the clubs' agenda rather than allow the AFLPA to run roughshod over the competition.

 

[Lemma]

Besides, why should all of the other clubs be penalised as well for the player movement ??

Because eventually your team will lose a player and will want compensation. It's the better option

 

[Dan12]

No we can't !!

What happens if there were 3 or 4 compo picks and you got shuffled down that many spots in the draft, that is unacceptable.

Besides, why should all of the other clubs be penalised as well for the player movement ??

If that happens I'm okay with it. Really unlikely to happen anyway.

Scrap compo but give the clubs more power. It's been posted elsewhere but things like removing the mandatory 95% cap and allowing players to be traded without their consent would balance the scales. Things like no trade clauses could then be negotiated at the trade or free agency table.

The compo is a half measure that will be removed as it disadvantages clubs that aren't even involved in the dealings. The AFL must push the clubs' agenda rather than allow the AFLPA to run roughshod over the competition.

Allowing players to be traded without their consent would fly in the face of the main point of free agency- giving the players power.
Scrapping free agency would be better than doing that.

 

[J Freeloader]

The main point of free agency was to allow greater player movement. That's fine but it has to work both ways. Otherwise you will just have top clubs and feeder clubs.

Free agency is here to stay. The afl has to even up the scales for the clubs. The measures described above will do that.

 

[Tas]

Players want free agency, can't realistically scrap it.

I think it will eventually come to a point where players will be considered free agents outside of their first 4 or so years when they are out of contract and while in contract the clubs will be able to trade players without player approval.

The pool of players is just too small with FA as it is to scrap compensation. If the pool of free agents is much larger then clubs can realistically replace outgoing players with other free agents.

 

[Aussie Joe]

Scrap the compo. Having the AFL making decisions based on magic formulas is dangerous.

 

[Ruse]

Instead of trying to penalise top clubs from grabbing free agents we need to incentivise players to move to bottom clubs. Maybe the AFL give a $100k extra allowance to a single player per club to move to a bottom 4 club.

 

[grouse mate]

Clubs deserve compo but the magic formula is not so magic, basing it on ladder position where the pick has to come after yours is just not working. Players need to be judged on their market value not on how successful their clubs season was.

 

[jim boy]

Make it so that the destination club of unrestricted free agents have to match whatever offer the losing club offers.

 

[Demonic Ascent]

Clubs need to be able to franchise tag players

Top 4 clubs should not be able to sign FA and receive no comp for losing a FA - similarly there should probably be some restrictions on bottom 4 clubs losing FA

No compo picks should occur in the first round of the draft, all compo picks from pick 19 on (so tier 1 compo would be after first round pick)

There needs to be a hard salary cap and it needs to be strictly enforced - no 3rd party deals, no ambassador roles, no COLA or anything else

Contracted players can be traded anywhere without their consent - to mitigate the impact on players FA qualifications are based on tenure in the AFL not tenure at a particular club

There could also be some thought to reducing qualifying times for FA (eg 4 years restricted 6 years unrestricted) however drafted players are signed on to 4 year contracts (2+1+1) so they cannot leave the club who drafted them in the first 4 years however clubs can still cut them after 2 years if they are a bust

They are just a few measures which could be brought in to create a fairer draft/FA system - ideally you'd also lift the draft age however in our country/sport that's not really feasible

 

[Barry_Badrinath]

I've never understood the argument to scrap compo. It so blatently would damage the competition to scrap compensation. The bottom clubs like Melbourne that have free agents leaving every year would get no young players to compensate them and then destine them to perennially be at the bottom. That's a ridiculous situation. I think we can all cop moving down the draft order one spot so that we don't have clubs with no experienced players and no highly rated young players sitting down the bottom with a bleak present state and a bleak future as well. I personally hope Melbourne get pick 3.

It's not 1 spot though is it? There are a number of compo picks handed out each year. Last year there were about 4-5 compo picks in the top 25, meaning pick 28 gets knocked back to pick 32. It's a big difference when you have 3-4 picks all pushed back a number of places.