Mid-season AFL trades: Good call or recipe for disaster?

Do they get anything for them when they leave at the end of the year? No, so what is the difference?

The Subiaco WAFL football club lost two players out of their senior side mid season to the AFL midyear draft and got stuff all for them not one cent or any compensation. Ground roots football in all states needs a helping hand not pilfered and pillaged to appease a club in the AFL that might have a long-term injury and it doesn't matter what AFL club it is, it is wrong on so many levels. State football clubs spend money and time to bring players from amateur or other through the ranks to win a premiership for their club. now with the mid season draft they could lose top players they have spent money on and nurtured to get stuff all back for them. it is a national sporting disgrace.

It’s weighted towards were the most clubs are located for the mid season trading which is what is being discussed not the end of season trade which clubs take twelve months to develop what they will be doing so you are trying to compare chalk and cheese there. It’s a wonderful idea for sports which involve alot of money not so for a regional code which has a majority of clubs located within 100 KMs of each other. And no even though he is a WA why would narkle leave or be attractive mid year? Why not wait a further 4 odd mths and celebrate a possible club premiership over possibly being in the same situation only with the WAFL as his comp not the vfl.

Don't imagine many players being traded would be that valuable that all Victorian clubs would want them.If you follow your logic the same can be applied to the end of season draft .Still think players like Narkle ( hasn't played ones all year after an injury)at Geelong would be an attractive proposition to a finals bound WA club.

The mid-season draft is terrible, this would not be as bad if limited only to players who haven't played at AFL level that year. But I'm a big fan of the list you start with is set, and deal with what happens.

Not trying talking reality, a Vic based player will entertain an offer from nine possible suiters long before he would up and move himself and his family for playing reasons to another state. It is obviously an advantage to Victorian clubs with a huge disadvantages to sides on western seaboard.

Clubs out of contention with big name players coming out of contract could try to trade them as 'rentals' and get more in return than letting them away away for nothing. Only issue with mid-season trades is getting players to agree to them.

Why make this a state v state issue.I think if clubs were willing to move players on mid season they were probably gone anyway at seasons end.Therefore any player who is recruited interstate would probably jump at the chance particularly if they were returning home.

Opportunity to pass on list-cloggers and has-beens. The Scribe gives us a heap of second-class football citizens that would free up Collingwood's list once on their way. Every other team would do the same. Shuffling fours and fives in the pack won't give you any aces. Geelong's ruck stocks have one player worthy of mention.etc,etc.

Unless wce and Freo traded between ourselves there is no point for wa teams to participate in mid season trading as we are a long fkkn way from the eastern seaboard where a majority of teams are. This is another Vic centric idea in the long run.

He'll probably want to trial 6 zones, 3 players in each.

I saw that. Hocking has way too much power when you think about it. Gilligan just follows blindly whatever until.... "Oh Gilligan, you've done it again!"

Now Hocking us on about curbing the number of tackles a game. This guy is awful. Just go away.

Please...not the night grand final again,

Was there a coach sacked? People talking about the train wreck optherwise known as Gold Coast? Quick lets talk mid-season draft, rule changes. how about the night grand final.

So could a player be at 4 different clubs in one season?

Yes there should be a trade window.It is stupid that some clubs have an abundance of certain types of players languishing in the seconds while other clubs need them.Take Geelong as an example we have six options for a ruckman.Of them Zak Smith is up to Afl standard playing mainly seconds.If clubs run out of ruck options (a couple of years ago Jack Watts was Melbourne's ruckman) it is almost a health and safety issue to put a big bodied player in the ruck.I don't get why we don't reduce list sizes and clubs can recruit players on say six game contracts from wherever all season.I know the Afl demands a certain level of fitness but obviously due diligence would have to be done by the clubs if they were to bring a new player into the system.

If they want a middle season spike in interest, eliminate those 3 bye weeks that quell interest. If players want a rest, "manage" them.

I see it as the domain of ageing players or players that clubs have lost patience with or vice versa. For the Pies, Ben Reid was struggling to get in the ones and might have seen a chance at struggling clubs, Tyson Goldsack too, then maybe players who haven't come on as expected such as Rupert Wills, Tim Broomhead, maybe a couple from last year such as Jack Madgen and Nathan Murphy. Perhaps a Ben Reid or Tyson Goldsack at the Suns might have helped the young defence a bit.

I'm all for a mid-season trade window solely for the reason it will result in every team having their bye on the same week.