Collingwood’s Dayne Beams has finally flown the coop, leaving the Magpie nest and flying north to join his brother Clay at the Lions.
The five-way deal involving Beams, as well as Mitch Clark, Heritier Lumumba, Levi Greenwood and Travis Varcoe, was brokered after Collingwood agreed to trade Beams for Jack Crisp, as well as draft picks 5 and 25.
It was clearly a relief for Beams – who had already showed signs of discontent by abstaining from the club’s Best-and-Fairest awards. Beams tweeted, “the decisions I’ve made are for what I think is best for myself, partner and family”.
As a contracted player, a premiership player, and a midfielder coming into the prime of his career, the Beams trade was always going to trouble, frustrate and perplex Collingwood. The retirements of several key players in the past two years compounded the Magpies’ desire to retain Beams, their 2012 Best-and-Fairest winner.
But Beams was in an unusual position. Unlike Ryan Griffen, he didn’t want to get out of the Melbourne football bubble. Unlike James Frawley, he didn’t want to chase Premiership success at another club.
Instead, Beams wanted to be traded to a Queensland club to be closer to his ill father.
In almost every workplace, employers and employees negotiate the terms of contracts. Employees will argue for higher salaries and employers, in turn, will carry the expectation that the terms of the contract will be honoured.
Invariably, though, contracts are broken. People change career paths, retire, have children, move overseas or move back home to be near their family. Like promises, contracts, it seems, were made to be broken.
AFL clubs are no strangers to this reality. Players have walked out on clubs and clubs, too, have agreed to release players before their contracts expire.
But the AFL workplace is also very unique because if clubs refuse to release or trade a contracted player – and that player refuses to play for that club – then the player will be left in limbo, with a choice to sit the season out or play on at their non-preferred side.
Throughout the trade period Collingwood, at times, appeared stubborn and impervious to the Lions’ trade bait, and for a while it appeared that Beams might have been a player in limbo.
This would have been an exceptionally bad look for the AFL and for Collingwood – no person should have to choose between moving back home to be with a sick parent and continuing to work in the same industry.
Collingwood have managed to look after their best interests – by securing the promising midfielder, Crisp, as well as two top 25 draft picks – and those of Beams and his family.
Hopefully the Bombers follow suit with Paddy Ryder, as the waters are even murkier in their scenario.
Collingwood did not abrogate their duty of care to Beams as a player. Collingwood nurtured his talent.
Beams tasted success with the club in 2010 and the club has decided let him go. From start to finish, Collingwood has had Beams’ best interests at heart.
The same cannot be said for Essendon, however. The players’ best interests, including that of Ryder, were all but decimated when the club engaged the work of Stephen Dank. And, unlike Collingwood who were willing to help out not only Beams but Beams’ family, Essendon put the health and welfare of Ryder’s unborn child at risk.
Paddy Ryder may be coming into the prime of his career. He is an agile ruckman whose ability to go forward and kick a goal is almost unparalleled in the AFL. But if Essendon retains him for these reasons, they are once again putting themselves first.
When players ‘want out’ for personal reasons, the decisions that clubs’ make are viewed through a different lens. Clubs must evaluate the needs of the individual, which is at odds with the ethos of doing what is best for the team.
Geelong were very quick to release Allen Christensen for personal reasons, contrasting with the predicaments of Beams and Ryder. However, the difference in the Christensen case is that we are yet to hear what his personal reasons for moving are.
I hazard a guess that another player or players at Geelong wanted Christensen gone. Why else would Geelong release him so quickly? Only time will tell.
As for Ryder, the clock continues to tick.
Essendon have two moves to make, but only one of them is right.
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