Strategy How would you fix free agency?

[danielG]

How often does that happen?

But by all means, get rid of the ability to match. It's a grey area anyway.

I'd leave compo in but correct it so it can't be manipulated...Tie it to the players previous contract, and achievements within the game...B&F votes, All Australians, Brownlow...If the player is in the top 3 of the team he's leaving some compensation would be justifiable.
Secondly water down the compo. Having a prospective pick two really adversely affects other struggling teams...Moving back from 3 to 4 and 2 to 3 really can be a big difference. I'd say Non Finalists losing top 3 player get a pick after the other non Finalists have their selections...Finalists get their band one compo at end of first round..and it carries on from there...
Would also scrap NGA selections....particularly in the first round. Bullies getting JUH is a real shame for this draft..Same with Campbell to the Swans...
The NGA is just an unnecessary complication. I understand its merit for the Northern states but for Vic Clubs, I just don't get it. I believe the phasing out of NGA is being worked through, not sure not what extent.
An end to NGA rival club bidding, Dilute the FA compo...I'd also get rid of PSD and rookie and just put all as senior listed players...
Just simplify the whole system, its just unnecessary how complicated it is right now.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

I'd leave compo in but correct it so it can't be manipulated...Tie it to the players previous contract, and achievements within the game...B&F votes, All Australians, Brownlow.

No, that stuff is all bullshit. Age, money, contract length is fine.

 

[Duskfire]

Take away the ability to match, keep the compo. But it shouldn't be top 10, regardless of player. Its unfair to struggling teams like North that they can have their pick bumped up because some other club offered a shit ton of money to a player.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

Remove the salary cap floor so it works how it’s intended.

 

[RUNVS]

Remove the salary cap floor so it works how it’s intended.

AFLPA will never agree unfortunately. So with the salary cap floor ridiculously high the only solution is compensation. Just think how bad Gold Coast or Brisbane would be right now if neither club got compensation for the players they lost.

 

[go_the_dockers]

Extend it further, any player out of contract is a free agent.

All draftees have a club option to extend them for another 2 years on an agreed value (like NBA).

 

[Mr Pickles]

This is seriously the easiest question to answer which is why it's so ridiculous. You have tried and tested FA models in place across the major american sports. You don't have to copy one, but FFS is it too much to ask to draw from models that work well? FA in the NFL works perfectly fine. Instead, it feels like they polled a group of primary kids to establish this model that they implemented. Fools.

 

[telsor]

Any player over 28 can automatically move to Geelong as an UFA.

No compo. paid.

Geelong also allowed multiple first round draft picks, a cheat ground, double Salcap, and free pubs for all players.

28?

Going by Geelong's efforts, that's trying to add youth to your list.

 

[jsdsgn]

I had a thought earlier.
Why can AFL clubs wait to see what compensation is before deciding to match.
The AFL should not reveal what pick they get as compensation unless the club actually decides to match whatever the offer is.
Its allowing clubs to sit back and finesse the system to get the best possible deal.

 

[SSwans2011]

Compensation should be at the end of each round and the team recruiting the free agent should lose the equivalent amount of draft picks.

The more I think about it, the more farcical it is that a free agent moving impacts the draft hand of any club but those involved.

 

[Kreuuuzeurns]

AFLPA will never agree unfortunately. So with the salary cap floor ridiculously high the only solution is compensation. Just think how bad Gold Coast or Brisbane would be right now if neither club got compensation for the players they lost.

Its very unfortunate.

I am happy for clubs to receive compensation, maybe at the end of the rounds like suggested. I just wish the middle-bottom clubs had the ability to build an actual war chest. A million bucks isn’t a war chest when the best players available will cost you 700k+.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

Why even have free agency.... contracted players get to make specific requests all the time they want to leave and go to exactly X club.

Other sports have it to give power to players as they have 0 power when contracted and can be traded at will without their permission.

They can also trade during the season though. Given how often AFL players keep their intentions hidden until the time they are becoming out of contract, it would be tough on clubs to facilitate trades earlier on to minimise their losses.

 

[cryptor]

If they don't get rid of it completely then the very first step before anything else is to publish the formula used to determine the compensation.

I can't think of one good reason that it shouldn't be public. If it is truly an impartial process then it shouldn't matter. Clubs will game the compensation regardless. They do it right now without knowing the formula.

Then also don't make the compensation tied to the club's ladder position.

 

[CharacterFirst]

28?

Going by Geelong's efforts, that's trying to add youth to your list.

Yeah.

I thought about making it 30, but you know, Jezza Cameron and all.

 

[RUNVS]

Its very unfortunate.

I am happy for clubs to receive compensation, maybe at the end of the rounds like suggested. I just wish the middle-bottom clubs had the ability to build an actual war chest. A million bucks isn’t a war chest when the best players available will cost you 700k+.

Yep, lower the salary cap floor to 80%, then Gold Coast 2 years ago or something could have offered Dustin Martin $3 million in his first season, and $1.2 million after that for the next 4 years. No way would Richmond have been able to afford to match a contract offer like that, and it would have made the worst team in the league better, and the best team in the league worse.

 

[PenAndPaper]

How often does that happen?

But by all means, get rid of the ability to match. It's a grey area anyway.

It doesn't happen but that's because teams end up trading late picks or swapping picks to get a team not to match, therefore not making it free agency.

It 100% should be scrapped.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

It doesn't happen but that's because teams end up trading late picks or swapping picks to get a team not to match, therefore not making it free agency.

How is it not free agency? The player still gets where they want to go. But sure, you could scrap the provision for RFA which allows matching.

 

[PenAndPaper]

How is it not free agency?

Because a player's movement is then dependent on the teams making a trade.

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Because a player's movement is then dependent on the teams making a trade.

That's something different to what you said in the previous post. The fact that clubs pull strings around compensation doesn't nullify free agency.

 

[PenAndPaper]

That's something different to what you said in the previous post. The fact that clubs pull strings around compensation doesn't nullify free agency.

No its not at all haha

 

[Sweet Jesus]

No its not at all haha

Such comedy.

 

[PenAndPaper]

Such comedy.

Please explain how my first comment was different to my second?

 

[Sweet Jesus]

Please explain how my first comment was different to my second?

The fact that clubs pull strings around compensation doesn't nullify free agency.

 

[telsor]

Drop 'bands' and just have the formula translate to draft pts and the compo pick becomes the first pick worth less than those pts.

Lower the value so only massive deals make it into the first round. (over $1M/year)

Have the value determined by an independent body, removing the perception (probable reality) that the AFL has it's finger on the scales. I'd rather it was open to all, but the AFLPA would have a fit about the players salaries being so public and this seems the best compromise.

 

[PenAndPaper]

The fact that clubs pull strings around compensation doesn't nullify free agency.

It does when the 'free agent' has to rely on a trade being done to move clubs instead of moving 'freely'. Pretty simple to understand really.