AFL considers introducing mid-season trade period

THE AFL is considering introducing a radical mid-season trade period — possibly as early as this year — with Gillon McLachlan expressing strong support for greater player movement across the competition.

THE AFL is considering introducing a radical mid-season trade period or draft — possibly as early as this year — with chief executive Gillon McLachlan expressing strong support for greater player movement across the competition.

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McLachlan confirmed today discussions were taking place with all 18 clubs about the potential change, with AFL football operations manager Steven Hocking working on a raft of different options for how it could work.

While conceding there was still plenty of work to be done, McLachlan and Hocking refused to rule out the radical move happening as early as this year.

“If Gill had his way, it would be potentially this year,” Hocking said.

“We’re well ahead of it already, there’s a lot of work that’s been done in the background.”

“There are a range of things being considered ... we don’t want a predictable competition, (we) want everyone to have a chance to succeed.”

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Asked if it could be turned around quickly enough for a mid-year trade period for June or July this year, Hocking said: “I’m open on this.”

A mid-season trade window could allow Sydney, which today lost ruckman Sam Naismith to a knee injury, to make a play for a big man like Kangaroo Todd Goldstein to help in a premiership push.

While it is understood some clubs have been lukewarm about the prospect of trading players to rival AFL clubs during a season, others have been more open to the discussion.

McLachlan is leading the push for change, and is keen to see it happen sooner rather than later.

Among those issues still being discussed are how any potential trade would impact on club salary caps, the prospect of a mid-season bye in the future which may encompass a trade window; the possibility of short-term “loans” between clubs; and also whether state league players could join AFL lists halfway through the season.

“Clubs should have more flexibility (during the season),” McLachlan said.

“To have no flexibility ... doesn’t make much sense to me, and you don’t have to participate (mid-year) if you don’t want to.”

“That’s my view, it’s a good discussion.

“I just feel currently, our player movement has the ability to be opened up further.

“In the end, it’s Hock’s (Hocking’s) call.”

He said the season-ending knee injury to Carlton’s Sam Docherty during the preseason showed how the Blues could potentially look to a replacement in a mid-season trade, allowing them to potentially even lure former Saint Leigh Montagna out of retirement for the second half of the season.

“If I was CEO of the AFL and there was one thing I could change tomorrow, which I can’t do now, it’s that a rebuild for a club in trouble doesn’t take longer than five or six years,” McLachlan said.

“If you’re at the bottom now, to get back to competing for a flag is a long period of time.

“But to do that, you need to have a whole series of things to change in terms of player movement — the ability to make decisions fast.

“If you open stuff up, there are consequences ... things can go worse, quicker, too.

Tom Lynch is one of this year’s biggest trade targets.

Meanwhile, McLachlan said he would be willing to sit down with Gold Coast free agent Tom Lynch to guarantee him the struggling club has a long-term AFL future.

Lynch, 25, is being heavily courted by a number of rival AFL clubs, with Richmond and Collingwood signalling their interest in recent days, with the Suns set to offer him more than $10 million over seven seasons to remain.

“I will talk to any player,” McLachlan said.

“I would tell him what I would say publicly that Gold Coast should take huge confidence in our support.”

The CEO stressed any AFL ambassadorial money for Lynch to stay with the Suns would only be discussed after he had potentially signed a new deal with the club.

McLachlan said he personally hoped Lynch stayed with the Suns.

“It’s his decision, and I have got no issue with players moving clubs because everyone’s personal circumstances are different,” he said.

“That is a decision for Tom but the romantic in me wants every player to stay at the one club for the whole journey.”

He said the league was yet to finalise a time for this year’s Grand Final, with a twilight finish to the season still an option being considered ahead of next week’s AFL Commission meeting.

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