AFL (non-Swans) off-season moves - 2022 edition

[bloodspirit]

Going through the Mega Deal, I thought everyone did okay except GWS. As someone said before, they are such a dumb side. It's dumb for the Giants to trade 2 first rounders for 1, since they need at least 2 to have any chance of keeping 1 of them. Now they will train whoever they pick with Pick 1, who will go to Geelong to replace Hawkins.

Agreed. Giants have given up a fair bit effectively to get Cadman (so the pundits tell us) who they may well have been able to get anyway. Disappointing.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

As it stands Dogs have a choice to accept unders OR walk him to the PSD and get nothing, but the satisfaction that he's unlikely to get to the Lions. If they do that I imagine clubs won't mess with them again.

We did that with a want away #1 pick, Darren Gaspar. Sent him to the PSD. He got where he wanted to go, we got nothing and it didn't stop anyone from messing with us (Shannon Grant and Rocca2)

[barry]

Lol essendon. Will setterfield is the answer to a question no one has asked.

List clogger.

[The Big Cat]

Lol essendon. Will setterfield is the answer to a question no one has asked.

List clogger.

Most of Silvani’s picks at GWS have turned out to be list cloggers.

[Industrial Fan]

I have remarked on the flaws with free agency before. A club with some cap space can fill up their list with free agents from other clubs, at no cost to themselves other than cap space. The club losing players gets a compensation pick, but the other clubs lose their position in the draft. It's a small price per club but it can add up quickly.

If the free agency system was fair, the points value for the compensation pick would be taken from the destination club's picks, perhaps at a 20% discount. If this was implemented, the AFL would no longer need the rule where compensation picks were lost for free agency going both ways. This would simplify trading because a club receiving a compensation pick is assured of keeping it.

Another flaw with free agency is the end-of-round compensation picks. These are ridiculous for top and bottom clubs because there is almost no difference between an end-of-first-round pick and a second-round pick for the wooden spooners, and similar for first-round and end of first round for the premiers. These picks should be replaced by mid-round picks separated by nine draft places. (For example, a bottom club holding pick 1 would have their end-of-first-round compensation pick at pick 10, not pick 19.) If this is done in conjunction with the destination club paying for the compensation draft picks, this would discourage top clubs from raiding bottom clubs for players because paying for the compensation picks for a bottom club would become very expensive.

that’s a really good post underlining the current issues with free agency. Why does every other club that’s not involved in the trade pay the cost of free agency picks?

I’ve thought more or less the same since we got Buddy that way. I’m not one to feel sorry for the hawks but they got pick 19 if I remember correctly and we paid nothing in draft terms.

If we’d given some draft currency I’m sure there would have been more tolerance around his contract terms.

[KTigers]

More than that, they need to revamp the entire free agency system and play hardball with the players union, if necessary. For a 19 year old to "demand" to go home is INSANE. If you accommodate those requests, teams like Gold Coast will never be relevant. Players shouldn't his restricted free agency for six years and the payout for poaching them should be SEVERE (In the NHL it used to cost them FIVE number one picks..don't believe me? Look at what the price the Carolina Hurricanes would have had to pay the Detroit Red Wings if the Wings didn't match their offer for Sergei Fedorov...which Detroit did match in the end). Once a player has been in the league for 10 years, it should be there choice. I remember Papley demanding to go home at age 23 to Carlton...yada yada...girlfriend unhappy...yada yada. Guess that stuff didn't matter once the team became good again. 18 year olds used to go to war against their will...I don't really need to hear the men who are privileged (and worked hard to be so) to play a sport and then complain about the singular price you pay to be in that business...freedom of movement. Professional sports is unlike any other industry and if you do not reign in this insane player movement, you may as well contract the fringe teams entirely.

The way footy exists currently the players barely travel at all and never have. 10 of the 18 teams are in the one state, nine in the one city. 60% of the players come from Victoria and when they are drafted there will be some that have never been outside the state. It's a lot different from the NHL where there are 32 teams spread all over the US and Canada and there isn't more than two of them in the one city. It's a proper national comp. The AFL is an expanded local league and so many of the players act that way.
The game itself is great, but pretty much everything around it is severely compromised and a bit lame. It is what it is.

[Blood Fever]

The way footy exists currently the players barely travel at all and never have. 10 of the 18 teams are in the one state, nine in the one city. 60% of the players come from Victoria and when they are drafted there will be some that have never been outside the state. It's a lot different from the NHL where there are 32 teams spread all over the US and Canada and there isn't more than two of them in the one city. It's a proper national comp. The AFL is an expanded local league and so many of the players act that way.
The game itself is great, but pretty much everything around it is severely compromised and a bit lame. It is what it is.

Used to get angry about the farcical VAFL. As you say, no point to beating your head against a brick wall. If you bring it up down here in Melbourne, all you get are vacant stares.

[Industrial Fan]

What a bizarre “mega trade”

I can see a lot of players and picks moving around but none of the four clubs seems to be in a better position than they were before the trade.

[Aprilbr]

What a bizarre “mega trade”

I can see a lot of players and picks moving around but none of the four clubs seems to be in a better position than they were before the trade.

Yes, I took a close look at it and it was hard to pick a winner. They were all giving up quite a bit to get what they wanted. Still, I prefer to see that than lopsided trades. If Horne-Francis lives up to the hype then Port will be the winner but its too early to tell on that front.

[i'm-uninformed2]

What a bizarre “mega trade”

I can see a lot of players and picks moving around but none of the four clubs seems to be in a better position than they were before the trade.

I think:

* Port have done well, in that Horne-Francis being added to Rozee and Butters gives them an excellent midfield core for the next decade. The downside risk is the number of draft picks they had to give away to get it done. On balance, he's probably worth it.
* I get West Coast's approach, which is to get a deep draft hand for the next two years given they have a big rebuild ahead.
* Given the flight risk GWS continually face, it's a big bet they are making on Cadman. I watched the Vic Metro v Vic Country under-18s decider, and he does look special. It's whether they can keep him.
* As for Norf, it's just a cycle of doom and dumb.

[rb4x]

Big risk for Port as both Horne-Francis and Rioli have issues and now have only 33 and 60 left at present in the draft. H-F contract may cause some unrest with other high profile players such as ZB and XD.

[dimelb]

I think:

* Port have done well, in that Horne-Francis being added to Rozee and Butters gives them an excellent midfield core for the next decade. The downside risk is the number of draft picks they had to give away to get it done. On balance, he's probably worth it.
* I get West Coast's approach, which is to get a deep draft hand for the next two years given they have a big rebuild ahead.
* Given the flight risk GWS continually face, it's a big bet they are making on Cadman. I watched the Vic Metro v Vic Country under-18s decider, and he does look special. It's whether they can keep him.
* As for Norf, it's just a cycle of doom and dumb.

Will Norf go to Tasmania?