Its not promoting disloyalty, I'm pointing out that the AFL world is changing and it's better to accept that and get on with it, than be the last to realise. I saw it happen in the NFL as some clubs took a decade or more to struggle through the implementation of proper free agency; its only in the last 10 years it has evened out and become another equalisation measure. For its initial 10-15 year period it favoured the biggest and cash-heavy clubs, and that's how AFL is right now with Hawthorn seemingly playing it perfectly.
As you say, strength through loyalty is a truism. I have played 3 contact sports, 2 of them at a very high level including representative. Often the representative teams, the coaches would focus as much on off-field as the training together, as the key thing was to feel 'together' as a group and willing to literally put your body on the line to help another, who was potentially a stranger to you a few days ago. That's what I think strength through loyalty means. I don't feel it necessarily extends to the business side of things, where loyalty can also get you into trouble. We didn't show loyalty to Rhys Stanley, we showed him the door when presented with good value. We hired a head coach who didn't show loyalty to Port Adelaide, given his contract and the time of season and the verbal commitment he made to them not 48 hours prior.
But you concede yourself loyalty isn't an across-the-board thing. Any clever person takes a pragmatic approach to loyalty same as with anything else. Sing about it when it suits, change the subject when it doesn't. Technicaly we weren't loyal to Saad. We chose someone else first. If North had taken Saad in the first round, I don't feel that was the club being disloyal to him. Its just circumstances. And in this particular situation, we didn't create most of those circumstances, whilst Saad mostly did.
I'm glad to see him back too. But I don't care so much for loyalty in player dealings, I want the best players for the lowest payout, regardless. I would hate to see us screw ourselves over some intangible or moral gift such as loyalty or not wanting to irritate a rival club.
As you say, strength through loyalty is a truism. I have played 3 contact sports, 2 of them at a very high level including representative. Often the representative teams, the coaches would focus as much on off-field as the training together, as the key thing was to feel 'together' as a group and willing to literally put your body on the line to help another, who was potentially a stranger to you a few days ago. That's what I think strength through loyalty means. I don't feel it necessarily extends to the business side of things, where loyalty can also get you into trouble. We didn't show loyalty to Rhys Stanley, we showed him the door when presented with good value. We hired a head coach who didn't show loyalty to Port Adelaide, given his contract and the time of season and the verbal commitment he made to them not 48 hours prior.
But you concede yourself loyalty isn't an across-the-board thing. Any clever person takes a pragmatic approach to loyalty same as with anything else. Sing about it when it suits, change the subject when it doesn't. Technicaly we weren't loyal to Saad. We chose someone else first. If North had taken Saad in the first round, I don't feel that was the club being disloyal to him. Its just circumstances. And in this particular situation, we didn't create most of those circumstances, whilst Saad mostly did.
I'm glad to see him back too. But I don't care so much for loyalty in player dealings, I want the best players for the lowest payout, regardless. I would hate to see us screw ourselves over some intangible or moral gift such as loyalty or not wanting to irritate a rival club.
