Richmond can't have lion's share in Polak-Cousins deal
Eddie McGuire | December 14, 2008
THERE I was quietly going about my business on Wednesday night when I received a phone call from the Sports Tonight team on 3AW.
They asked me about Richmond's application to place Graham Polak on the rookie list.
It was the first I'd heard of it. Somehow this was being connected to the Tigers considering Ben Cousins in next week's draft.
As usual, the media hype merchants and the lemmings following in their wake somehow entwined the two and all rational discussion went out the window.
Let's go slowly through the scenario:
Richmond wants to place Graham Polak on the rookie list. Polak, who was hit by a tram during the year, is clearly on a long road to recovery.
Everyone in football wishes him the best and no one would oppose the opportunity for him to receive his contract payments and be given every chance of recovery.
However, Richmond's application is for an uncompromised pick in the draft. Under AFL rules, a player going to the long-term injury list must be replaced with a player on the rookie list.
That is what should happen in this instance. Richmond should not be given the unfair advantage of picking up two senior players in the draft.
What any of this has to do with the Tigers picking Ben Cousins has got me baffled.
Richmond has a pick in next week's draft.
It is clearly the club's business who it chooses. If it is Ben Cousins, then we wish the two parties all the best for the future.
Tying the two issues together and giving clubs 24 hours to analyse their position is what is disappointing. All this should have been finalised before the drafting season.
Polak's position has not changed in the past fortnight. What has reportedly changed is Richmond's desire to recruit Ben Cousins.
In its application to the AFL for this change to the rules between drafts, Richmond aims to pick up two players while freeing salary cap space to accommodate them.
Would the lack of salary cap space inhibit Richmond from picking Cousins? Maybe, but it shouldn't.
There were mechanisms in place. The Tigers, for example, could have gone to their playing group and asked them to refashion contracts to allow sufficient space in the cap for a player to join their list. That window has shut.
But you wouldn't think Cousins would be fussed about payment in his first season at Tigerland. Surely getting a chance would be his major concern.
The Tigers have their pick, so pick away and pick whomever is available. As for receiving a second pick, well, that just compromises the draft. Surely allowing a rookie to be upgraded is the fair compromise.
You can't trawl through the November draft, check out what's available and then decide to manipulate your list long after closing time.
Richmond had no intention of changing Polak's position on its list until it decided to go after Ben Cousins at the 11th hour.
There are mechanisms in place for Richmond to recruit and pay for Cousins without getting an extra senior player and salary cap relief.
This whole scenario with Polak and Cousins has been in play for "slightly" longer than 24 hours.
Suddenly, on a whim, the entire sanctity of the draft is to be thrown into the air. Richmond is being opportunistic and so it should - that's its job. The AFL is there to enforce the rules, not to make them up as they go.
The salary cap and the draft are the two major mechanisms that keep half the clubs alive and give them a chance to compete evenly regardless of economic clout.
The impact of tampering with them has been profound over the years, whether by cheating teams who have won flags and cost other clubs their opportunity, or individuals their careers, or by AFL interference through salary cap and draft concessions which have had the same effect.
Ironically, Richmond has probably suffered more from that than any other club.
This week again we have seen the media become cheerleaders rather than analysts. This is not about picking up Cousins or looking after Polak. Both can be achieved. This is about due process.
Cousins could don the black and yellow jumper and Polak could be looked after without policy on the run and an unfair advantage.
If the Tigers need to do some work to get their salary cap in shape, that's their bad luck for changing their mind on their Cousins strategy.
Everyone supports Graham Polak's recovery, but as hard as this may sound, it doesn't matter if you get hit by a tram or a centre half-forward as far as the rules are concerned.
A rookie elevation means those other clubs in the draft are not affected in picking up a senior player.
Richmond, in looking after Polak, would not be left one man short on their list.
Take out the emotion and the grandstanding and it is all very clear.
Compromise, acquiescence and convenient rule bending hasn't been a friend to Ben Cousins in the past. It's hard to see why a disregard for the rules on the first day of the rest of his life would do anyone any good.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24795484-19742,00.html#add-comment
