The mid-season draft was a success but adding trades doesn’t sit well, writes Alastair Lynch

A mid-season draft is a good idea, even though a few tweaks are needed, but a trade period is a step too far, writes Brisbane legend Alastair Lynch.

SANFL players, twins Mark (left, South Adelaide) and John Noble (West Adelaide), nominated for the AFL mid-season draft, with John joining Collingwood. Picture: Keryn Stevens

The AFL wants to dominate sporting headlines around the country and although the mid-season draft has merit for both clubs and players, there is no doubt the league is also hoping to build another event that captures the public’s imagination like the existing trade and draft periods.

Which is why many people feel a mid-season trade period is both desirable and inevitable.

I for one would not like to see it introduced.

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It has nothing to do with maintaining a point of difference to our main winter rival the NRL where player movement can happen mid-season, as we have seen with Bronco James Roberts this week.

And I accept it would be an interesting spectacle and one way to perhaps fill a bye weekend.

It just has the potential, like the recent introduction of free agency, to favour the rich and powerful clubs over the rest.

The first mid-season draft in 26 years occurred this week and I think it was a successful start with some refining needed.

I like the idea of giving clubs the opportunity to plug holes in their list caused by injury and fully support the principle of providing another avenue to the AFL for state league players who had previously been overlooked.

But I believe more thought needs to go into the effects it has on the second-tier clubs and also greater protection for the players involved.

SANFL players, twins Mark (left, South Adelaide) and John Noble (West Adelaide), nominated for the AFL mid-season draft, with John joining Collingwood. Picture: Keryn Stevens

It is a big gamble for a footballer with a solid job to walk away, potentially interstate, for a contract that may only last for five months but it’s certainly an opportunity few would pass up.

My concern is the system will be manipulated by clever clubs to get a jump on the following year’s draft.

That is what appears to have happened this year with some younger players selected in the mid-season draft with a view to the following year or beyond, with full expectation that they will not be ready to play in the near future.

The idea being to get a jump on the other teams before the national draft later in the year.

I believe that goes a little against the spirit in which the draft was devised.

My reservation is because I like the art of building and managing a list.

A safety net for a rotten run of luck with injuries is fair enough but I don’t like the idea of creating space on your list to gain a head start on other clubs for the next draft.

This draft can also have a dramatic impact on state league clubs if their best player or players are removed mid-season without any compensation.

This season WAFL club Subiaco and the SANFL’s West Adelaide were the most impacted, with both losing their best two midfielders, including Lions football boss David Noble’s son John to Collingwood.

Sam Day is out of favour at the Suns. Picture: AAP

It would be mixed emotions for those clubs, proud that their players will get an opportunity at the highest level but devastated that a lot of the planning and work put into winning their own premiership just walked out the door with zero in return.

I think on review the AFL will have to agree to a “transfer” fee to compensate these clubs.

With some finetuning the mid-season draft can be a regular feature that improves our game.

I’m not as comfortable with a mid-season trade period.

My reading is that the intention for this period would be for players not getting their opportunities at their current club to move.

Suns forward Sam Day would be the perfect contender here as he is out of favour at his club but is rated by some still an AFL standard player. That can work.

There are other pros. It creates enormous interest with player movement discussion in the weeks leading up to the trade period, which the AFL loves.

Players like Day may receive new opportunities via a transfer to another club to fill a void.

Contending clubs top up with talent to push for a flag.

And clubs will no doubt look to tap into opposition intellectual property mid-season.

But all the above can also be cons and be hard for players being forced into a move.

I wouldn’t be comfortable seeing a flag contender somehow trade in an elite player mid-year from a bottom team.

For me there’s just something about a player transferring mid-season within the same competition which doesn’t sit comfortably.

It sounds like a mid-year trade period is on the way, but for me it’s a step too far.

Originally published as The mid-season draft was a success but adding trades doesn’t sit well, writes Alastair Lynch