AFL executives thought with salaries players would move from a good club to lesser club for pay rise…
But in reality its better earning modest income 500-600k P.A and playing more years (cats).
Than going to a lesser ranked club and earning 800k p.a but then get tossed out as they are rebuilding again. Plus pressure of earning big $$ as soon as club performs poorly will be a target.
The other issue is clubs banking salary cap savings and spreading contracts like Buddy’s, keep pushing the final contract down the road. Or Jack Bowes signing with cats and getting pick 7, but able to spread his contract over an additional 2 years. The cat must have been paid their dues for giving the suns Gary Ablett and then some IMO.
Swans can pickup a Ben paton and Riley Bice on peanuts and they are playing regularly along side there stars. If they want too much coin they let them go and someone like Hewett ends up at the blues on above avg salary and they bring in a young academy gun like Caiden Cleary or Braeden Campbell, rinse and repeat.
I think the AFL can say to AFLPA - if players are going to ask for trades within contract anyway, then they can’t complain about bringing in the FA rules a bit
I’m not sure statistically how it would be equal exactly.
Does gws have the same level of equality of opportunity to select f/s as say Collingwood given the relative disparity in the number of players who have played for each club over time?
What does Tassie get?
Or are the parameters in each case a little different depending on the specifics of the situation?
Darcy looked … ok, but we got him for a third rounder under the old f/s rule, and that was probably his range. Good kick, but not much speed to write home about and a bit small to play true kpp, without the anticipation of the ball coming in which makes players like Ridley so valuable. And in the same draft we got Tayte Pears, who was much better at doing the same job, at least until he got his innards exploded in that nasty collision and was never the same player again.
Unfortunately we had some high picks when there weren’t clear standout selections, although most of us loved McClug. Now hawks will use 2 first rounders to nab either Butters/Reid then get Oscar and we’ll be on the back foot
Talk Tassie may get Tasmanian born players who have played 100+ games get to choose Essendon or Tassie.
E.g Jack Reiwoldts kids can choose Richmond or Tassie, or Tom Bellchambers kids.
Plus imagine will get some sort of academy access to Tassie Talent.
Reports that auskick enrolments in TAS up 40% since AFL team announcement.
Sure, some adjustment has to be made there. Of course, recent clubs entering get academies, so it is a bit of a moot point. Tasmania will (presumably) get first crack at any Tasmanian kid.