Opinion "Why free agency has become an unmitigated disaster as a player movement mechanism"

[Lore]

I don’t think the players have the professionalism nowadays to play with hidden contract values. Time to publish then to the public.

They only have themselves to blame for that change. They broke the trust and until that rule is changed the game willl be in disrepute.

Yep. I reckon make salaries of the top 25% public at least. Between that and earlier free agency (my suggestion has been 100 games) I reckon that ticks most of the boxes.

And maybe get rid of or otherwise alter FA compensation. Perhaps it's a points amount added to the club's existing pick, and taken off the receiving clubs pick.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

If a top 8 side takes a FA from a bottom 8 side they need to pay a first round pick that is then put back into the draft pool.

 

[Chism]

If a top 8 side takes a FA from a bottom 8 side they need to pay a first round pick that is then put back into the draft pool.

Cats / Pies / Hawks and Lions wont like this idea!

Top teams will always benefit from FA and it has been this way for every sporting code all over the world when FA has been brought in. It creates a divide that can never be closed when players always want to leave middle of the road and bottom clubs to go to successful ones.

Bottom and struggling teams will just continue to stay at the bottom and struggle. It is not rocket science and the Salary Cap is BS and just look at the Cats as it is to easy to manipulate it and get around things.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Cats / Pies / Hawks and Lions wont like this idea!

Top teams will always benefit from FA and it has been this way for every sporting code all over the world when FA has been brought in. It creates a divide that can never be closed when players always want to leave middle of the road and bottom clubs to go to successful ones.

Bottom and struggling teams will just continue to stay at the bottom and struggle. It is not rocket science and the Salary Cap is BS and just look at the Cats as it is to easy to manipulate it and get around things.

The salary cap just exacerbates the issue as the bottom, especially low profile sides like North & Saints have to overpay to recruit and retain players while the top sides can attract top line talent like Bailey Smith for a pittance:

 

[Ross]

Cats / Pies / Hawks and Lions wont like this idea!

Why would Geelong hate that? We're still the only club that's given up anything of value for players eligible for free agency and we've done it twice. With that idea we'd have been able to sign Cameron and still retain two first rounders instead of zero. And we didn't even make the top eight when Dangerfield moved.

The Lynch and Dangerfield moves are the two perfect illustrations of how flawed and broken the compensation system is. Richmond got Lynch for nothing because the top three compensation pick meant there was zero incentive for Gold Coast to match, and the same thing is going to happen this year with Allen to Brisbane. Meanwhile, Geelong had to trade for Dangerfield because we finished below Adelaide and our first pick was better than what the AFL was offering in compensation.

Free agency is a disaster because the top teams are constantly able to get star free agent players for nothing, they lose no draft picks and don't even have to blow up their salary cap while the teams who attempt to sign free agent players while finishing lower on the ladder either have to give up picks (Dangerfield to Geelong) or pay way too much in salary (TDK to Saints).

 

[tombomb]

The problem is the compensation for restricted free agents, especially first round.

If they got rid of that, most of the issues would resolve themselves.

The geniuses at the AFL have created a system that incentivises weak teams letting their best players go to good clubs.

 

[go_the_dockers]

AFL is one of the few games that 1 player doesn't have much impact on team success.

A quick rebuild is 5 years. AVG career is less

 

[Thrillthorpe7]

Equalisation is working so well for the AFL though

 

[Pure_Ownage]

What they should do is ensure that if a player moves as an FA and the deal has been front ended he has tp pay money back to his club. They should also ban players agents from earning any extra commission if a long term deal is cut short to move clubs before the final year (eg if its a 5 year deal you are on and you move before year 5 the agent doesnt get an extra commission cut on the new deal). This would reduce incentives for player agents (who have awful ethics) to encourage players to look for trades part way through front loaded deals.

 

[MisterMarcus]

The problem is the compensation for restricted free agents, especially first round.

If they got rid of that, most of the issues would resolve themselves.

The geniuses at the AFL have created a system that incentivises weak teams letting their best players go to good clubs.

Then bottom teams potentially lose good players for absolutely nothing.

We've seen with Merrett how players can 'go nuclear' on their existing club if they won't let them go, so "just keep them if they're a RFA" doesn't necessarily work.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Any change has to allow clubs to rebuild quicker.

7 year rebuilds encourage players to leave. Can't blame Merrett for leaving.

No draft, full free agency would be a better system than this

 

[tombomb]

Then bottom teams potentially lose good players for absolutely nothing.

We've seen with Merrett how players can 'go nuclear' on their existing club if they won't let them go, so "just keep them if they're a RFA" doesn't necessarily work.

Match the deal and force a trade then.

 

[VDS66]

If a top 8 side takes a FA from a bottom 8 side they need to pay a first round pick that is then put back into the draft pool.

Forgive my slowness, but please clarify this. Does it go to the club losing the player.

 

[VDS66]

What they should do is ensure that if a player moves as an FA and the deal has been front ended he has tp pay money back to his club. They should also ban players agents from earning any extra commission if a long term deal is cut short to move clubs before the final year (eg if its a 5 year deal you are on and you move before year 5 the agent doesnt get an extra commission cut on the new deal). This would reduce incentives for player agents (who have awful ethics) to encourage players to look for trades part way through front loaded deals.

Agree. I'd also add that you give clubs the power to trade players without consent if they have signed a long term deal. In this scenario, if Tracca wants out then Melb trade him to the club that gives a better return.

You then watch how players opt for 2 or 3 year deals.

 

[WilloTree]

Should never have been linked to the draft.

Low clubs push out good players for ridiculous comp picks.

The tpp is so big now the natural advantage to losing a player to FA (cap space) is moot.

Absolute balls up from start to finish.

 

[VDS66]

I would worry for the northern clubs and even WA re ability to attract and retain talent compared to other clubs in the league, particularly those in the VFL.

I get the idea that money talks, but the 10 clubs in the VFL operate under the same cap and likely have access to more third party RORTS.

Maybe just remove compensation except for bottom 4 clubs or something.

Do you wear a tin foil hat when you write this nonsense?

 

[Suma Magic]

Of course FA has increased salaries.

In a lot of cases, clubs do wink wink deals to overpay, so the club losing the player doesn't match and gets a better draft pick.

Ben McKay got massive overs.
Oscar Allen will too.

It hasn’t increased salaries overall though. Just transferred cash between players. The salary cap would be the same with or without free agency.

 

[CatToTheFuture]

Interesting from Wreck it Ralph.

Jared Rivers
Sam Blease
Scott Selwood
Luke Dahlhaus
Isaac Smith
Tyson Stengle (DFA)
Jack Martin (DFA)

From the non discarded bunch Smith would be a success, and Rivers played some good footy, but hardly the poster child for his point I'd have thought.

I'd take Stengle and Martin off this list too because delisted players starting again elsewhere is not the same thing

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Do you wear a tin foil hat when you write this nonsense?

Yes, yes he does.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Equalisation is working so well for the AFL though View attachment 2428105

Odd post from a fan whose club went to the bottom and back to minor premiers in 5 years.
You can bounce back and rebuild quickly if you have a well thought out plan and nail what you're doing.

 

[ItsAllAboutMe]

Forgive my slowness, but please clarify this. Does it go to the club losing the player.

No they just forfeit that pick which then pushes the draft order up.

 

[eastfreo75]

Interesting from Wreck it Ralph.

Jared Rivers
Sam Blease
Scott Selwood
Luke Dahlhaus
Isaac Smith
Tyson Stengle (DFA)
Jack Martin (DFA)

From the non discarded bunch Smith would be a success, and Rivers played some good footy, but hardly the poster child for his point I'd have thought.

Dangerfield says hi.

 

[eastfreo75]

I was under the impression that the WAFC don't want to give up control of it...

That’s true.

AFL wants to get rid of the Colts and WAFL clubs won’t have anything to do with that.

WAFC is the governing body is doing exactly what the WAFL clubs want.

 

[Art Vandelay_]

Dangerfield says hi

Love to know how. Was responding to Ralph asserting We've benefited from Free Agency... And Dangerfield was a traded player.

 

[iameviljez]

Interesting from Wreck it Ralph.

Jared Rivers
Sam Blease
Scott Selwood
Luke Dahlhaus
Isaac Smith
Tyson Stengle (DFA)
Jack Martin (DFA)

From the non discarded bunch Smith would be a success, and Rivers played some good footy, but hardly the poster child for his point I'd have thought.

Dangerfield and Cameron moved to us when they were RFA, but not technically via FA. Whether they would have moved otherwise, I don't know.