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- Jul 25, 2010
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Completely random (and almost certainly stupid) idea I had floating around in my head earlier today, which I haven't thought about enough to recognise the problems with it, but how does this sound.
Get rid of trade week altogether (other than free agency), or only allow picks to be traded. If a player wants to leave a club, they nominate for the draft, and whatever pick a club takes them at, the player's previous club gets an immediate selection afterwards. That way you can be pretty sure the club is getting market value in terms of the pick receives. The player can nominate contractual conditions, just as before.
Of course, you lose some fluidity with this system - clubs don't have the option to swap picks when trading for a player, or whatever. But that would probably make things simpler anyway.
Not that the AFLPA would ever allow it to happen.
You're right, the AFL PA would never go for it but it makes sense.
The only problem I can see at this stage would be the location the player ends up at. Most players ask for a trade to go home. If the player who was entering the draft could nominate a state they wished to play in would help remove that unknown location of where they would end up at.
Let's use Polec as an example. If he could nominate SA, I can still see the Brisbane Lions getting between pick 20 and 30 as if the crows passed him at pick 23, I doubt Port would pass him at 30 as I get the feeling both clubs want him.
It would also increase the market value if some if a bidding was to happen as clubs would try and grab that player with their first pick.