Dimma on trading, list management & equalisationJoshua Papanikolaou
SEN
12 Jun 2015, 07:01PMThe ability for clubs to make trades happen and significantly modify their list in one off-season is too restrictive and ought to be changed, says Damien Hardwick.
If the free agency magic number is lowered the Richmond coach would like to also see the player’s right to veto a trade.
“It’s really hard to get deals done in the AFL because we’ve only got limited resources to trade and three parties have to agree,” said Hardwick on SEN’s Coaches Box.
“I would like to see that given more freedom.
“I’m a big advocate for free agency, I think it’s great for our system, but to have it work (the clubs must have more power).”
Hardwick was reluctant to talk specifics regarding what positions the Tigers might be looking at upgrading next summer but pointed out that it is not always a superstar that is required.
“We look at our list from a positional point of view and we look for holes, where are our weaknesses or our overflow of talent,” he explained.
“That’s where the list managers take over and try to find players to fill those holes.
“It might not necessarily be an elite talent you’re looking for, we’ve got a lot of really good midfielders, what we might need is a second tier type.”
The AFL recently announced they were happy with the latest figures regarding the caps and taxes put on football department spending to promote equalisation.
However, Hardwick insists that changes to the draft and trading systems are much more important.
“You can talk about off-field equalisation all you want but a fan wants on-field equalisation, that’s what their after, they don’t want to wait five years for success,” he said.
“The clubs are that well-managed these days that trading future draft picks could work.”
http://www.sen.com.au/news/06-15/dimma-on-trading-list-management-equalisation