Free Agency coming end of 2012 [merged]

[one-eyed]

Who would qualify from your club
Herald-Sun | May 27, 2009

IF THE AFL and the players' association agree to a seven-year eligibility period for free agency, these are just some of the players who would qualify at the end of 2012.

Richmond: Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley, Richard Tambling.

Adelaide: Nathan Bock, Bernie Vince, Nathan van Berlo.

Brisbane Lions: Josh Drummond, Jed Adcock, Daniel Merrett

Carlton: Marc Murphy, Eddie Betts, Jarrad Waite.

Collingwood: Dale Thomas, Scott Pendlebury, Travis Cloke, Nick Maxwell.

Essendon: Paddy Ryder, Angus Monfries, Henry Slattery, Andrew Lovett.

Fremantle: Aaron Sandilands, Byron Schammer, Ryan Crowley, Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy,

Geelong: Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Steve Johnson, Andrew Mackie.

Hawthorn: Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell, Clinton Young.

Melbourne: Aaron Davey, Brock McLean, Colin Sylvia.

North Melbourne: Daniel Wells, Hamish McIntosh

Port Adelaide: Danyle Pearce, Brett Ebert, Steven Salopek.

St Kilda: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Nick Riewoldt, Sam Fisher, Justin Koschitzke, Sam Gilbert.

Sydney: Jarrad McVeigh, Nick Malceski.

West Coast: Dean Cox, Quinten Lynch, Mark LeCras.

Western Bulldogs: Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney, Shaun Higgins, Robert Murphy, Daniel Cross, Dale Morris.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25549698-19742,00.html

[wayne]

You'd hope that a lot of players are loyal.

You put all that time and effort into them only to lose them when they're just about to hit their playing peak.

[Infamy]

7 years is far too soon
Given it takes at least 4 years of development that means the club puts in all the work for not even the same amount of years as a fully developed player
Should be 8 years plus, I liked the idea of 10 years when it was mentioned as it means a player that has been loyal enough to go onto the veterans list (were they old enough) should be able to leave if they want to chase success elsewhere

[Stripes]

This is great for the players, bad for the clubs and competition. This will revert things back to the day when clubs like Collingwood and Carlton used to buy premierships while teams such as Melbourne, Kangaroos and the Dogs will continually lose players to more financially stronger teams.

The reason why the competition is so equal is because of the draft, trade and salary cap. Looks like ones gone now and before long the rest will follow until we end up like the Soccer - same teams up the top of the ladder every year. I just hope we are one of them.....

Stripes

[mightytiges]

North won 2 flags thanks to the VFL bringing in free agency for a short period of time in the early 70s - Davis, Wade, Rantall, etc. The Roos were smart and ahead of the pack. You could argue it denied us the '75 flag.

I'm not for it because wealthier clubs can do "VISY" deals to 'legally' get around the salary cap but by 2012 our young group will be hitting their mid 20s together. If we can hold them together through the upcoming GC and WS years we may have room in our salary cap to use it to our advantage.

[Hellenic Tiger]

North won 2 flags thanks to the VFL bringing in free agency for a short period of time in the early 70s - Davis, Wade, Rantall, etc. The Roos were smart and ahead of the pack. You could argue it denied us the '75 flag.

I'm not for it because wealthier clubs can do "VISY" deals to 'legally' get around the salary cap but by 2012 our young group will be hitting their mid 20s together. If we can hold them together through the upcoming GC and WS years we may have room in our salary cap to use it to our advantage.

That was a 10 year rule than North benefit from MT not a 7 yr rule that is being drawn up now.
It only existed for a few months of 1973. Just long enough for North to entice Barry Davis, John Rantall and Doug Wade and ironically North voted against it when it was being brought in.

[WilliamPowell]

Dead set against free agency simply because being a MLB fan you dee what free agency has doen to that sport. The smaller teams (eg Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Washington) just cannot compete in the market place against the likes of the Yankees, BoSox, Dodgers, Mets etc.

I am Yankees fan and I know they are the chief offender.

[mightytiges]

North won 2 flags thanks to the VFL bringing in free agency for a short period of time in the early 70s - Davis, Wade, Rantall, etc. The Roos were smart and ahead of the pack. You could argue it denied us the '75 flag.

I'm not for it because wealthier clubs can do "VISY" deals to 'legally' get around the salary cap but by 2012 our young group will be hitting their mid 20s together. If we can hold them together through the upcoming GC and WS years we may have room in our salary cap to use it to our advantage.

That was a 10 year rule than North benefit from MT not a 7 yr rule that is being drawn up now.
It only existed for a few months of 1973. Just long enough for North to entice Barry Davis, John Rantall and Doug Wade and ironically North voted against it when it was being brought in.

Yeah I know it was the 10 year rule. I was just illustrating a bottom of the ladder club that was smarter than the rest to gain an advantage.

I can't see it working as a 10 year rule now either given the veterans' list and only half their salary contributing to the salary cap. There wouldn't be the incentive to leave unless a player wanted to go home towards the end of his career such as O'Keefe wanting to leave the Swans last year. While 7 years is too soon for a player to walk with no compensation for his old club.

[one-eyed]

Free to go after eight years

  * Mike Sheahan
  * Herald Sun
  * February 23, 2010

THE AFL Commission is believed to have set eight years as the qualifying period for the highly contentious free agency for players.

AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou is expected to make the announcement to club presidents and chief executives at a meeting in Melbourne today.

Free agency is expected to take effect in the 2012 post-season draft.

The plan ends several years of negotiations between the AFL and the AFL Players' Association, and must be seen as a victory for the AFLPA.

Gary Ablett Jr and Luke Hodge already meet the eight-year qualification, but clubs with players of similar ilk in 2012 are expected to have the right to make a matching offer.

Clubs will be disappointed with the term, most hoping for a qualifying period of at least nine years and possibly 10.

The sop to the clubs will be in the form of tougher qualifications for the elite players.

The commission is believed to have reached its decision yesterday, but offered nothing to the media, indicating the sensitivity of the issue.

Clubs that lose players to free agency are likely to be compensated with draft choices, although it is not known whether those choices would come from the recipient club or the draft pool.

Free agency will be introduced after the establishment of Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, which will enjoy a modified form of free agency in the next two years.

For years seen as inevitable, the concept has emerged slowly, given it is such a marked departure from tradition.

Yet it is going to cause much grief in the early years.

A lot of rich young men are going to be richer as a result. Whether they stay or go.

Guess who completes eight seasons in 2012? Buddy Franklin for one.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/free-to-go-after-eight-years/story-e6frf9jf-1225833211887

[one-eyed]

Tigers who would meet the criteria in 2012 (ie. everyone from the 2004 draft and the drafts preceeding it)

Newman
Moore
Foley
Jackson
Tuck
Deledio
Tambling
Polo
McGuane
Thursfield
Simmonds (most likely retired by 2012)

[Tiggytam]

We're in trouble then if we haven't improved.

[Infamy]

I'd have preferred it to be 9-10 years, but I don't think 8 is so bad. I would also prefer that they lower the requirements for a "veteran" to purely be 10 years at the same club, or if there must be an age also then make it 28. That way the club can counter offer the salary from the club chasing a player with the carrot of only half their salary counting towards TPP in 1-2 years time. That way they can match the salary being offered if they stick around. In fact if a player can play well into his 30s, then the "veteran" salary benefits would most likely be even better than if they swapped clubs.

[Mr Magic]

We're in trouble then if we haven't improved.

Perhaps then again free agency might actually help us improve.

[the_boy_jake]

A good start, but there shouldn't be any year limit - if you serve your initial contract, you should be free to go, like in any other walk of life.

[Stripes]

We're in trouble then if we haven't improved.

Perhaps then again free agency might actually help us improve.

This could be very much the case. One thing we still haven't lost is our strong supporter base and potential to be extremely financially viable. Once we start to put a strong list together, even if we were to lose a player or too, we could buy some stars to cover the deficencies we have in the team at that stage.

Teams which are on the cusp are unlikely to lose many players whereas under performing teams (lets hope we have shaked that tag by that stage) or teams beginning to descend after years of success are likely to be pilfered heavily such as Geelong will be in the next few years.

I just hope it doesn't turn into the trade fest it was when we swapped stars with Collingwood all those years a go a which hurt both clubs. Teams such as Collingwood, West Coast, Adelaide, Carlton and Essendon will benefit most from this new development.

I guess just wait and see..

Stripes