It’s in the best interest of the players to know they are delisted as soon as possible so that they can explore possibilities as a delisted free agent or work out their life post AFL. Disco waits till the 11th hour every year in case someone offers us a packet of chips for the player. Saying that it is a player welfare issue is fanciful nonsense.
Can you provide an example, any example, of when holding onto someOne has harmed them?
Prismall we cut as soon as he had a vague offer from the dogs
Pears we cut as soon as he had a vague offer to be a firey
Heater with his baking
And on and on.
If anything, not being delisted at the first opportunity makes someone look more desirable. And let’s face it, for the vast majority of footballers, an extra year on AFL dollars is the best financial outcome they could hope for.
If you asked a player so you want to know now or at the latest moment, I’m pretty sure I know which one they’d pick. Yeah, they let Heater and Pears go earlier, but only because they knew they were finished with AFL.
Of course it’s impossible to say who has missed out on an AFL gig, or even a coaching or playing opportunity outside AFL because of our typically last minute delistings. Silly question really.
Delisting no longer matters as much as previously.
If a player is out of contract, he can find his way to another club by free agency.
Their managers would be doing their best to secure a contract from a other club.
The only guy I recall getting screwed by the system (and it is a very tenuous link) is Josh Green. Due to the change of coaches and his injuries, his spot on the Brisbane list dropped and his contract negotiations broke down. For memory he was delisted during or slightly after the trade period. By that time his chances of getting on a list were very slim. Lucky for him, we needed a small forward and we had 1 last list spot available. I doubt any other team would have considered him.
They recruited and developed their role players brilliantly from 2017 to 2018 - after their coaches arguably got it pretty badly wrong last year. Graham and Butler and Townsend and Astbury types, none superstars, but all played roles, did it with purpose and determination, and blunted more vaunted opponents.
And it was them, not Dusty/Cotch/Rance, who got the job done. The speed, the pressure, all over the park. Outworked and outlasted Adleaide.
There was an article the other week about how they got their recruiters to do player profiles for all the new assistant coaches, and how that resulted in changes to the game plan to suit the players better, and move some players back to where they played their best football as juniors. Who knew playing to your strengths could be the solution?