The commentators and fans of the AFL who fear that free agency could ruin the AFL, as reported in today’s media, are either dinosaurs, communists or both.
The AFL has been a leader in Australian sports capitalism and progression since the 1980s, when the football codes embarked on national expansion.
But fundamentally the AFL is a powerful dictatorship in which the players, clubs and fans operate under oppressive conditions.
By oppressive, I first refer to the fact there is no freedom for players to play for the club their heart desires at either the beginning or end of their career.
Rather, players are primarily at the mercy of a draft system and a trade week that largely recycles just a few lower-tier players who want out.
Secondly, players cannot take their talents to play overseas. Nor can they even represent their home state or country on a larger stage, against the very best players the game has to offer on the same field.
Take Jonathan Brown for example. He played in three premierships in his first four seasons, yet for the past eight season he has put his body through the ringer in irrelevant matches for a minor club, in front of the smallest of audiences the AFL has to offer.
Surely, deep down in Brown’s thoughts he yearns to play on the AFL’s biggest stage again where he belongs one last time.
If Brown demanded a trade at the end of this year to a contender or to at least help make a team a contender in his home state of Victoria, no-one could dare question his loyalty or integrity, given what he has done for the Brisbane Lions over the years.
In fact, it would be selfish and naïve of the Lions to request that he remains with them for the rest of his career.
Such a move from Brisbane would ensure that the final years of Brown’s career be played for a team that won’t be relevant in the AFL for the next three years.
Furthermore, in trading him for draft picks they would be accelerating their rebuilding phase.
While it can be seen as a negative for the club that free agency could have facilitated Brown’s departure years ago and left the Lions with nothing in return, the alternative view is that it frees up a lot of salary-cap room for the Lions to pursue new talent.
Alternatively, they could entice a talented player from another club, which can’t afford his services for a salary the Lions can offer.
Given the Lions recent attendances (down from 30,000 to 21,000) and performances since Fevola’s departure, it’s not likely that the Lions would have performed that much better had Brown fled.
With respect to other clubs like the Melbourne Demons, the current AFL player transfer system leaves them at the mercy of the draft.
If they don’t succeed with their selections they can end up in permanent rebuilding mode, which can definitely leave the club and fans quite oppressed.
Reports that the Demons might lose Brent Moloney and Mark Jamar at the end of the season through free agency can be seen as a concern for such clubs that free agency will see these average players seeking out careers at the bigger clubs.
But it’s hardly a death sentence for the club as it’s not like Moloney and Jamar are critical pieces in the premiership pie.
Like the rest of the sports world, it can also be an opportunity to generate new talent and recruit players from other clubs.
Sure there might be less players hanging on at the same clubs to lay claim on becoming a prestigious one-club 200 or 300 game player, but at least those that make it to that point under free agency will do so with a smaller level of oppression.
Lastly, the AFL is the only sporting league in the world that does not have free agency.
The only reason it can get away with it is due to it being a sport that is only played in Australia and that there are no competing locations or sports on the planet that desire their athletes’ services.
If the world’s biggest sports leagues, like the NFL and Bundesliga, continue to grow and flourish with free-agency systems that are not dissimilar to what the NRL adopts (and what many AFL pundits snigger at) you would imagine that the AFL has the strength to also be vibrant under a free-market system.
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If the Lions are clever they can use this season as a passing of the guard season and send off some very talented players whilst also trying to be competitive.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
The AFL need a more simple approach to high contact and one that makes players accountable, regardless of intent.
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We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
