Should the AFL abolish Compensation Picks?

[GrandBlue]

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-05-06/scrap-the-compo-pick-kelly

LEADING player manager Craig Kelly has supported calls for compensation picks to be abolished as the AFL moves closer to reviewing its free agency model.

The League and AFL Players' Association will meet mid-year to discuss the first year of free agency, with the future of the compensation picks on the agenda.

While some clubs believe the draft selections play a role in the competition's equalisation agenda, Kelly, the long-time chief executive and co-founder of Elite Sports Properties management group, believes handing out draft picks muddies the process.

"I personally think it makes it messy and complicated," Kelly told AFL.com.au.

"If there were none the deal could just be done and it [would be] about managing your salary cap and freeing up space to go and get other free agents."

ESP had a group of clients – including Brendon Goddard, Danyle Pearce, Shannon Byrnes, Jared Rivers and Angus Monfries – who crossed to rival clubs through last year's inaugural free agency period.

Kelly says clubs will work several years in advance so that if they lose a free agent they are immediately prepared to chase a replacement.

"I can understand why they wanted [the compensation picks], but we'll probably have to get to a point where we're all organised and can say 'OK, we've lost that player but it's freed up $600,000 in the salary cap, what can we do with it?'" he said.

While the competition grows into the free agency era, Kelly and ESP are also moving into their next phase, with the company on Monday launching its Perth office.

ESP recently acquired Perth-based company Vault Sports Management, owned by Wayne Smith. Smith will head ESP's Perth arm.

Kelly worked for the Collingwood marketing department before starting Ned Promotions in 1993 while he was still playing for the Magpies. ESP now has offices in Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and London, managing AFL players, cricketers and Olympic athletes.

The rationale behind a Perth office is simple. It wants to support its talent already in Perth, like Fremantle captain Matthew Pavlich and West Coast star Beau Waters, but also wants them to have an easy link to networks and opportunities in Melbourne and Sydney.

Kelly believes ESP needs to be more active with talent identification and recruiting in the region, and have a greater presence on the ground for interstate athletes who relocate to Western Australia.

"I don't believe the current Perth management groups do it as well as it can be done, and they have no connection to the Eastern seaboard," Kelly said.

The reception from their West Australian clients has already been strong, with Pavlich having a key role in the implementation.

"He's an old Adelaide boy but Perth's where he's built a beautiful house, and has a young family. He wants to be there for the long haul. He has been one that we've really wanted to make sure we've engaged with through this process," Kelly said.

Respected player agent Dan Richardson announced his departure from ESP in February to take on the role as Richmond's football manager, seeing a restructure in the management group.

Having headed the South Australian base, Justin Reid will move to Melbourne later this year to run ESP's football department, with former Adelaide Crows defender Michael Doughty to hold a more prominent full-time role in Adelaide.

"It's great for Dan," Kelly said.

"The more people employed from ESP to the AFL or clubs means we're doing something right."

Personally, I think that's crap. Abolishing compensation would favour the richer clubs heavily.

 

[Bomberblitzer]

Why don't poor clubs just buy more money?

 

[Kwality]

Why don't poor clubs just buy more money?

Wayne Swan?

Of course there should be no compensation. Take my mob the Eagles & the Q Stick - we could have matched the offer from the Pies, we chose not to, why did we get compensation?

I'll be watching Q in Fri night footy

 

[doona]

Should the AFL abolish Compensation Picks? YES!!!!

 

[GrandBlue]

Wayne Swan?

Of course there should be no compensation. Take my mob the Eagles & the Q Stick - we could have matched the offer from the Pies, we chose not to, why did we get compensation?

I'll be watching Q in Fri night footy

and what do you propose for clubs who are unable to match an offer for a player despite wanting to keep him?

If Luke Shuey was out of contract and Melbourne offered him a million per year contract your mob wasn't able to match, you'd be crying for compensation.

 

[Prudster]

I think there should be compensation for the transitional period. AFL is not currently like American sports where players are moving regularly, and leaving for more money. Usually when AFL players leave, it is due to opportunity, or to go home/a certain state. Until moving for money becomes common, it will be difficult to replace a lost star with a good player from another club.

Having said that, the situation with the GC/GWS compensation picks vs free agency compensation picks is a farce. For example, Hawthorn lost Campbell Brown and received a pick at the end of the first round. We then lost Tom Murphy a couple of years later and received nothing.There needed to be a consistent compensaiton across the two.

The biggest flaw with free agency is that it assumes that money is the only factor. This assumption will likely see players from smaller, less successful clubs move to bigger clubs for reasons other than money. Since smaller clubs will probably have to pay more for players under free agency, bigger clubs will get a massive advantage with free agency unless there is some sort of compensation.

 

[daniel_4tw]

Of course they should. The compensation is freeing up cap space so they can sign another star.

How is it fair every team gets punished by moving down the draft order when some other team benefited?

It was a joke last year when Port and Essendon were trading a free agent so it wouldn't effect their compensation.

Scrap compensation picks. Scrap priority picks. Finish bottom get pick 1, finish top get pick 18. Done.

 

[Kwality]

and what do you propose for clubs who are unable to match an offer for a player despite wanting to keep him?

If Luke Shuey was out of contract and Melbourne offered him a million per year contract your mob wasn't able to match, you'd be crying for compensation.

You sure you understand what is being discussed here?

Limited free agency/unlimited free agency, not players out of contract, let alone a 22 yo such as Shuey/NicNat, even when out of contract.
Get your head around the Harry Taylor discussion, he's not out of contract.

I understand the whinge of D's & Bullies fans re Scully & Ward, & the Crows/Davis, but this is a different scenario.

 

[GrandBlue]

Of course they should. The compensation is freeing up cap space so they can sign another star.

You think exactly like the AFL, in thinking everything's about money.

If we were to lose Cooney, yeah, we'd have the extra cap space, but who could we use it on? Dale Thomas? He could just say 'No, I want to join a club that's challenging for the flag' as could any A-Grade Free Agent.

 

[LeverPuller]

Move to an NFL-style compo system. NFL teams are compensated for free agents lost the year after. Means we get none of that pissing around waiting for the AFL to dole out the compo picks.

And I agree with compo. A Goddard or a Buddy is irreplaceable regardless of the cash. Clubs should be compensated for how they're simply losing out on a player and having virtually no say in the matter.

 

[doona]

and what do you propose for clubs who are unable to match an offer for a player despite wanting to keep him?

If Luke Shuey was out of contract and Melbourne offered him a million per year contract your mob wasn't able to match, you'd be crying for compensation.

Salary Cap management allows you to keep restrictive free agents. If another club wants to pay a player double what the are worth, it is a detriment to their salary cap. They will probably have an overall worse squad.

It reinforces good team culture to keep players and good team management.

Plus, why should all clubs below the club loosing a player, get a lower draft pick? where is the logic in that?

 

[GrandBlue]

You sure you understand what is being discussed here?

Limited free agency/unlimited free agency, not players out of contract, let alone a 22 yo such as Shuey/NicNat, even when out of contract.
Get your head around the Harry Taylor discussion, he's not out of contract.

I understand the whinge of D's & Bullies fans re Scully & Ward, & the Crows/Davis, but this is a different scenario.

Honestly, I don't.

Harry Taylor is not out of contract, I get that, but as far as I can tell, people are discussing what the WA Clubs would have to offer Geelong in a trade to get him. What's it got to do with free agency?

I was using Shuey as an example btw. Swap Shuey for Mark LeCras, who is eligible.

Salary Cap management allows you to keep restrictive free agents. If another club wants to pay a player double what the are worth, it is a detriment to their salary cap. They will probably have an overall worse squad.

It reinforces good team culture to keep players and good team management.

Plus, why should all clubs below the club loosing a player, get a lower draft pick? where is the logic in that?

What absolute nonsense. So what if the other club has an overall worse squad? The club who lost the player still loses that player against their will, and should be compensated for it.

 

[Igloo]

I'd have preferred they never brought in Free Agency. Nothing wrong with the way trades were working, imo.
As it is, compensation needs to be here. Richer, bigger clubs would benefit enormously compared to the smaller clubs if it wasn't in place.

 

[It Just Is]

Last year Port lost two experienced players through free agency, without compensation we would have had to replace them with 2nd and 3rd round pre season draft picks or delisted plodders. The compensation system might not be perfect but it's a fair bit better than nothing.

 

[Moggy]

It's a tough one, because you have to consider the impact on less desirable teams, as far as players wanting to play for them.

How do you stop, for instance, every promising recruit that comes into, say, Melbourne, walking away for nothing at the end of their contract?

Improving the attractiveness of a club towards players is not a simple thing to do...

On the other hand, the compo picks have a lot of "cons", as have been mentioned.

 

[Moggy]

I'd have preferred they never brought in Free Agency. Nothing wrong with the way trades were working, imo.
As it is, compensation needs to be here. Richer, bigger clubs would benefit enormously compared to the smaller clubs if it wasn't in place.

I think most would agree, but the reality is that it would only be a matter of time before someone mounted a legal challenge to the system, as happened with the Bosman case in European football. That blew the system apart and a free-for-all ensued.

The AFL want to avoid that scenario, and the loss of control, by freeing things up a little bit more and trying to keep everyone happy.

 

[port_adelaide_1870]

I dont think compensation should be "abolish"

 

[Kwality]

Honestly, I don't.

Harry Taylor is not out of contract, I get that, but as far as I can tell, people are discussing what the WA Clubs would have to offer Geelong in a trade to get him. What's it got to do with free agency?

I was using Shuey as an example btw. Swap Shuey for Mark LeCras, who is eligible.


What absolute nonsense. So what if the other club has an overall worse squad? The club who lost the player still loses that player against their will, and should be compensated for it.

Clearly Shuey was a poor example but the thought of losing Le Cras is real, but we get a chance to match, we lost Lynch, a player I loved to watch - no compensation is fine.

Whats relevant for Taylor is that Geelong can deal this year & get something for him, or face losing him next year for nothing aka free agency.

 

[Underarm]

the way I see it, Free space in the cap really isn't enough of an incentive. Who were Saints able to pick up with the extra space? Top Players are going to leave bottom clubs for greater opportunities, the compensation is a way of getting those bottom teams to bounce back faster.

 

[GrandBlue]

Clearly Shuey was a poor example but the thought of losing Le Cras is real, but we get a chance to match, we lost Lynch, a player I loved to watch - no compensation is fine.

Whats relevant for Taylor is that Geelong can deal this year & get something for him, or face losing him next year for nothing aka free agency.

If GWS make LeCras a 1 million per year offer, then you won't have a chance to match, you'll lose him for jack shit.

Harry Taylor is totally irrelevant.

 

[doona]

Honestly, I don't.
What absolute nonsense. So what if the other club has an overall worse squad? The club who lost the player still loses that player against their will, and should be compensated for it.

Giving a player a long contract, at double there worth is a determinant to their squad, for player pay increases etc...

With the advent of free agency, most clubs now will probably be extending players contracts before they run out, ie. with one or two years to go rather then wait to let them test the waters.

In addition, if you think a player will leave in as a restrictive free agent, and your club has no room to move around the salary cap to keep the player, why not trade him the year before? Then you can get your draft picks.

Like I said, good list management.

 

[Prudster]

The worst thing about free agency, is nothing can protect you from teams doing stupid things. If someone offered Buddy 1.5 million or more, there is nothing Hawthorn can do. That move would almost rule the other team out from winning a flag, due to the lack of balance on their list, and Hawthorn can't match it without throwing their own list management out the window.

Another problem, which is seen in other sports with free agency, is when a smaller team lose their star player, in an attempt to not completely give up on a season, offer over the top money to an average player. This puts them into a big hole, usually for at least a couple of years. Comes about because bigger teams have less problems finding good players who want to play for them, whereas small teams tend to struggle.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Just needs tweaking.
There should be 0 compenstation picks until pick 37 (End of 2nd round)
Priority picks on the other hand? Yes, abolish!

 

[Upgrayedd]

the NBA has a better system

Rigged Lottery, Hawthorn lose Franklin, We get a first round pick somewhere, Suddently via lottery we get pick 1 and 4, or two first round picks two years in a row

Perfect system.

 

[Mantastic]

Don't want to lose your star player for nothing? Offer him a more enticing deal.

Can't offer him a more enticing deal? Then sign up a star from a different team.

Can't sign up a star from a different team? Then entice several B-graders to strengthen your teams weaknesses.

Can't entice B-graders to your club? Front load the contracts of your up and coming stars and lock them in long term.

Can't do that? Then get the f**k out of professional sports.