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As Essendon inevitably sink towards the bottom in 2016, expect speculation to increase regarding how they should handle the upcoming offseason.
David King started the discussion on AFL 360 last night so expect the mainstream media to jump on this in the coming weeks.
The argument presented by King is that Essendon should be trading away the suspended players still under contract beyond 2016, and letting those with expiring contracts walk away to sign with other clubs. When it comes to free agency, Cale Hooker is the big name unrestricted free agent for the Dons this season.
On first glance it makes absolutely no sense for Essendon to let Hooker walk away without a fight. I mean, why would any sane person be willing to let a player with the pedigree of Cale Hooker leave uncontested? But the ghastly AFL compensation system for free agents makes it an attractive option.
Why? It is because compensation is tied to a club’s finishing position. This means that if Essendon finish last (still very likely) and Hooker gets an elite level salary (almost guaranteed) the Dons will receive pick number two in return. Beyond the fact Essendon will benefit from being found guilty of providing players illegal drugs, it boggles my mind that we continue tying compensation to finishing position.
Does Essendon finishing last mean Hooker is a more valuable player? Of course it doesn’t. This system stupidly allowed Melbourne to gain pick three for losing James Frawley, while Hawthorn only got pick 19 when they lost Lance Franklin to Sydney.
Not even the staunchest Frawley supporter would argue he is more valuable than Buddy. The AFL continues to burry its head in the sand and it’s beyond ridiculous, its amateurish and idiotic.
When taking a step back, the idea of first round compensatory picks seems like a flawed concept to begin with. For me, it seems counter intuitive to reward clubs who can’t retain their own players with a blue chip asset.
The AFL constantly praises the NFL but seem reluctant to adopt some of the little things employed by their American idols. Compensatory picks in the NFL are based on net players gained and lost in free agency and have no link to ladder position and only begin after Round 3 of the draft.
This model is far more equitable and carries less incentive for clubs who cannot entice their employees (remember footballers are employees after all) to remain.
Too bad the AFL don’t seem to see the problem. It was announced yesterday that the compensation model will remain for at least 2016.
The AFL is willing to chop and change strategy when their backsides are on the line, but only when someone or something threatens the public perception of their product. A great case in point being the Essendon ‘review’ completed on the Monday before Round 23 in 2013.
But when it comes to maintaining integrity of its competition there is no action.
What really exacerbates the problem is the AFL’s ignorance to an issue that has an obvious solution. Simply rank any free agent departures in tiers and award compensatory picks at the end of each draft round.
Sounds easy doesn’t it?
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