Frustrated clubs are still in the dark over next year’s AFL trade landscape
Frustrated clubs are still in the dark over next year’s trade landscape, with no clarity from the AFL over a potential second trade period after clubs have completed their pre-season training.
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Clubs will enter the final stretch of the trade period still uncertain if there will be a second window to swap players before Round 1 next season.
The league was expected to tell clubs last Monday morning whether the pre-season trade period it has been working on behind the scenes would get the green light for next season.
The radical initiative would see players complete full pre-seasons for their club only to be traded to a rival on the eve of Round 1.
But frustrated club officials were left bemused when AFL investigations manager Ken Wood and his offsider appeared to be on different pages at Monday’s meeting, which occurred before trade period started.
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Wood eventually told the room that a final verdict would be delayed.
A decision was then expected by Friday, but that deadline passed still without confirmation.
The pre-season model would see a trade window slotted in between the JLT Community Series and the traditional Carlton-Richmond season-opener in late March.
The AFL appears determined to push ahead with the concept despite some fierce opposition.
The league wants to give clubs more flexibility in managing their lists, while a second exchange period would also deliver commercial opportunities.
But one club feared that a second trade period would only fuel player impatience, with more and more stars demanding to be traded with multiple years left to serve on the contracts they signed.
AFL Players’ Association powerbroker Brett Murphy was cautiously opposed to the idea, despite the union wanting to promote “player movement and freedom of choice”.
“Players accept they might get a tap on the shoulder and asked to potentially move clubs in the October trade window, but do you really want to see that in March?” Murphy said.
“I’m not so sure. There’s still a few things we need to work through with the AFL before that one gets over the line.
“A pre-season trade window would technically give greater choice to players, the trade would still need to be with the players’ consent (and) if a player did get to the end of the pre-season and thought he wasn’t going to get an opportunity then that might be good for a particular player.
“There are pros but there are certainly cons as far as I can see.”
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Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd smashed the concept.
“Surely that can’t happen … where you do a whole pre-season with a team you’re getting set to play for and suddenly you’re moved on to another team,” Lloyd said on Trade Radio.
“Who does that serve? It might serve the clubs but I just don’t like it from a player perspective.”
Club chief executives were presented two options — a pre-season and a mid-season trade period — at a recent conference, and told the league the March timeslot was “more palatable”.