Trade week is now longer EMMA QUAYLE
May 30, 2010 PLAYERS seeking a new home during this year's trade week will have an extra three days to find one, with the annual exchange period to be extended as the Gold Coast side enters the post-season market.
Rather than run from Monday to Friday as it has in previous years, trades will officially begin on Monday, October 4, and clubs will have until the following Monday to complete deals.
The change has been made because Gold Coast has until the middle of the week - Thursday, October 7 - to nominate the last of its uncontracted player signings.
The extra days will then enable clubs to launch, continue or finalise any other trade negotiations considering the new club's last-minute moves.
They will also give players extra opportunity to push for a move.
Clubs will almost certainly use the time to complete extra medical screenings of potential targets, but AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson told The Sunday Age that the Gold Coast situation was the major factor behind the change.
''They need until then - or, they've been given until then - to lodge any remaining uncontracted players they've signed, and that then allows the other clubs some extra time to make adjustments or make any other deals based on what Gold Coast does,'' he said.
The AFL has also altered the usual timing of the pre-season and rookie drafts, with both to be held one week earlier this year, on Tuesday, December 7.
The new date fits with the changed national draft date - it has also been moved forward a week, to Thursday, November 18 - but Anderson said that several clubs had pushed for an earlier completion of the draft season so that they could have their final lists in place and be training sooner, before their Christmas break.
''A lot of clubs have told us they'd like to have an extra week with the new players they select, so this will give them that chance,'' Anderson said.
This year the national draft will be held outside Melbourne for the first time in more than a decade, with the Gold Coast Convention Centre to host the night event.
Gold Coast, which can sign 16 uncontracted players but expects to secure eight or 10, holds seven of the first 11 choices in the national draft.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/trade-week-is-now-longer-20100529-wmjy.html
