More clubs are threatening to keep stars to their contracts in player movement power play
MORE clubs are threatening to keep players to their contracts for next season as they attempt to wrestle back some power in the player movement market.
MORE clubs are threatening to keep players to their contracts for next season as they attempt to wrestle back some power in the player movement market.
Clubs have been frustrated by the number of players looking to break contracts for personal reasons or more attractive deals at rival clubs in recent years.
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It has prompted a push to explore the possibility of trading players without their consent, with Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury declaring contracts “don’t meant anything anymore”.
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But, in a fascinating opening to the AFL trade period, clubs fought back as Western Bulldogs and Geelong stood firm over requests from Marcus Adams and Tim Kelly to find new homes.
Adams, 25, wants to move north to Brisbane, but new Bulldogs list manager Sam Power said the Dogs would not release the key defender from his current deal, which expires in 2020.
“We will hold him to that contract,” Power said. “He’s a required player.”
Likewise, Geelong list chief Stephen Wells was adamant the Cats would require a top-10 draft pick to relinquish star first-year midfielder Kelly to West Coast.
Wells said the Cats have told Kelly he would likely remain at Geelong next season despite his desire to be closer to his West Australian family.
“His value has increased amazingly and it would have to be an astonishing deal for us to budge,” Wells said.
“He is (worth) a top-10 pick I would have thought.”
Other high-profile stars exploring the chance to break their deals include Dylan Shiel (Greater Western Sydney), Lachie Neale (Fremantle), Jesse Hogan (Melbourne) and Steve May (Gold Coast).
Tense negotiations over these players’ trade values are expected to drag on until next Wednesday’s deadline, with each of their clubs saying the star players would only be let go if they received adequate compensation.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott is in favour of a push to trade players without their consent to give clubs more leverage in the exchange period.
“If you want player movement, you want surety of contracts, you want confidentiality of contracts - which a lot of sports don’t have - we have got to have the conversation about making it more equitable for everyone,” Scott said.
Carlton boldly declined Bryce Gibbs’s trade request, while Gold Coast rejected Gary Ablett’s attempted move home to Geelong in late 2016.
Former St Kilda star Leigh Montagna said clubs were within their rights to ask players to honour their contracts.
“Clubs have every right to hold a player to their contract unless they get the deal they want,” Montagna said on Triple M.
“Whether it is Jesse Hogan, Lachie Neale, or someone else who is contracted, clubs can say ‘No, we are not getting a good enough deal, you can stay at our club’.
“That is the way the balance of power will shift back to the clubs a little bit more and not just be all for the players.
“I think we all agree the players have got a fair bit of power.”
Originally published as More clubs are threatening to keep stars to their contracts in player movement power play