Trade talkin'

by CAMERON PALMER

AFTER this season's trade week it is evident that there has to be a change to the current system. This season turned into a farce with no trades for the first three and a half days, talk of blackmail, ransom, deceit, siege and breaking the rules. Neil Balme afterwards said that there needed to be a change to the current system. Balme is right, the AFL trade week needs to be updated and changed.

The biggest problem with the system is the AFL's strict policy on squad numbers and contracts. Unlike in America, where the trade is successful in the NHL, NBA and the NFL, a squad must be set for a season and no player can be picked up after the pre-season draft. In America trading runs for the majority of the season and this works as it gives teams time to make deals, it gives teams time to get their salary cap in order and it gives teams time to see who they still do and do not want. The biggest anomaly with this rule in the AFL on squads is that players can still be de-listed during a season therefore players can be left out of the game as was the case with Matthew Capuano this year.

Another problem with the AFL's trading period is the allowance for teams to go into a pre-season draft.

In America rather than having a draft with all left over out of contract players they are put on a free agent list with the team with the most money left to pick up the player.

One final problem of the AFL's trade week is that it takes place before teams have finalised their rosters. Rather than having it once teams know the standing of every player they have it prior. This wastes the time of trade week, as was the case with Dean Solomon. His mind was not made up and for two days the entire trading period was held up because a teams squad had not been decided.

The AFL has improved the competition with the introduction of a draft but now it is time to move with the times and improve the system. A new and improved draft would see:

1. Each club producing a list of players who are out of contract and a squad list prior to the national AFL draft. After this point no out of contract player may be signed on with the club from the previous season.

2. The national AFL draft takes place in November, however players are only eligible to be picked if they have yet to have been on an AFL squad or were not part of an AFL squad in the season prior. Therefore out of contract players remain with their club of the previous season and are not able to be drafted.

3. The trading period takes place following the draft with each side knowing who is under contract and who is out of contract. The trading period should also be extended to a fortnight. Players under contract are still able to be traded as is the case with the current system such but this is the first opportunity that clubs have to pick up out of contract players. If a team wishes to exchange draft picks in order to gain a player the pick will be deemed to be for next year's draft. for example Bulldogs round one pick rather than 'pick four'.

4. Following this trade period all out of contract players and any player who was not picked in the AFL draft are put on a free agent list which is where any club can pick up any player by making a deal with just the player himself. A player may only go to a club if he chooses to himself. The free agent list stays open for the entire season and players can be de-listed to the free agent list throughout the year and players can be picked up from the free agent list at any time during the season. Any player on the free agent list at the end of the season is eligible to go into the following season's draft.

This system would eradicate all the problems with the current one especially those experienced this season. In the case of Jade Rawlings the Bulldogs would not have been able to bend the system to gain a player in the pre-season draft, as there would be no pre-season draft. Hence if Hawthorn could not get a deal for Rawlings he would become a free agent and therefore could go to his club of choice (Kangaroos) at a price negotiated by himself, not by his ex-club.

The same goes for Nick Stevens. Port tried to prevent Collingwood from picking Stevens up but knowing that if they could not trade him they would lose him to the club of the highest bidding (which would probably have been Collingwood) they may be more inclined to make a trade.

In the case of Dean Solomon where he was unsure the trading period would not be held up as all teams would know who is out of contract and who is not.

When trading for draft picks this new system means a lot of luck plays a part as a team will not know whether they are trading for a good pick or a poor pick. By extending time it also allows for teams to get all deals done and with two weeks there is less chance of a team missing out on a player by a few minutes. It also allows teams and players who have a falling out to be put on a free agent list and hence find more opportunities during the season.

This new system would be more dynamic. It would make for more excitement and would make trading period more cut-throat. More importantly however it would tidy up the problems of the past and make it more efficient and easier to understand.

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