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Let the AFL's free agency begin

Roar Rookie
11th August, 2011
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Roar Rookie
11th August, 2011
5

The impending introduction of free agency into the AFL has been brought to light again in the wake of the Phil Davis controversy, and once again people seem to be predicting doom and gloom for the AFL once it is introduced.

Look, I get where Brett Ratten is coming from. The idea of loyalty to a team is a romantic one, and playing your whole career at one club in most cases grants you legend status almost instantaneously.

Additionally, no self-respecting, Aussie Rules-loving Australian wants to see the AFL turn into the mirror image of the American professional sports leagues, where players seemingly go to the highest bidder.

But the free agency model that will be used does a lot to prevent this from happening.

Just because the words ‘free agency’ are used, does not mean the league will become a merry-go-round of players changing clubs every year.

Here are some points from the AFL site on the upcoming free agency and what impact it will have on players:

Players delisted by a club on or before 31st October each year will be unrestricted free agents.

This one is simple. Basically, if a club does not want a player, then any club can make a bid for their services, and established players don’t have to re-enter the game through the draft.

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Players who are not in the top 25 percent of salaries at their clubs will be eligible for unrestricted free agency if they have served eight years on the primary list of the club

This point says, that if a player is not a top player (or not being paid like a top player) at his club and their contract expires, then he is available to go to the club of his choice.

This point is one that could mean a few players will move between clubs, but those players won’t be their top 10 players, based on pay grade.

By the time the player has played eight years, the club would know how important the player is and should be paying them what they deserve.

Players who are in the top 25 percent of salaries at their club will be eligible for restricted free agency for their first new contract after they have served eight years on the primary list of the club. This is the case regardless of when the first new contract arises.

For example, a player who is contracted after his seventh year for two, three, four or years will still only be eligible for restricted free agency for his next contracts as a 9, 10, or 11 year player.

Restricted free agents have the right to move to a club of their choice subject to the current club’s right of first refusal over their services.

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That is, if the current club can match the offer from a rival club, the player must stay or enter the draft. The tabled offer only includes capped salary and capped ASA  (Additional Service Agreement) amounts.

Here is where the top players on each list are affected. Once their contract is over, after serving eight years as a player, then they become a restricted free agent.

So any teams whose restricted free agents get a contract offer can match it if they choose. Or if the player really wants out of the club, they can choose not to take any offers and move on through the draft.

A top 25 per cent player will then be eligible for unrestricted free agency for his next contract, provided that a player can’t be an unrestricted free agent until completing at least ten years service at one clubs.

A player only becomes an unrestricted free agent once his contract expires after serving ten years at a club. The player will be coming towards the end of his career, and will probably be remembered for the ten years service at his first club, not the few years of service at following clubs.

This gives long serving players who have given a great amount of service to one club a chance to win a premiership that may not have presented itself at said club.

Alternatively, they have the opportunity to stay at their club and finish their careers at the one club.

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What matters here is they have played enough to earn the right to have a say in where they want to play.

Compensation in the form of AFL allocated draft picks will apply to clubs with a net loss of free agents. This will be based on a formula to be determined by the AFL.

Even if you do lose players, you are compensated accordingly and have a chance to replace who you have lost through the draft.

Free agency might seem like a big deal, but it really isn’t going to destroy loyalty in the AFL.

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