Melbourne coach Paul Roos believes 2014 trade period game-changer after sensational Dayne Beams, Tom Boyd moves

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos fears the “unsettling” movement of contracted players might turn the AFL’s meat market into open season.

Melbourne training at Gosch's Paddock, Coach Paul Roos at training . 12th December 2014. Picture: Colleen Petch

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos fears the “unsettling” movement of contracted players might turn the AFL’s meat market into open season.

Contracted stars including Dayne Beams, Ryan Griffen, Patrick Ryder and No. 1 pick Tom Boyd all forced moves to a new club, eroding the sanctity of the player contract.

Roos told the Herald Sun on Thursday list management groups would now be attempting to pick off rival players regardless of their contract status.

Beams said his move was purely about family.

But the Demons coach wonders if the 2014 player movement period was a game-changer.

“It was certainly an unusual off-season. Tom Boyd only being at the club for one year and moving, Beamsy leaving, I think all clubs will be sitting down with list management having talks about not only uncontracted players but contracted players,” he said.

“I think it was an unsettling off-season and one that probably took us all by surprise.

“I don’t know Tom at all but that was probably the big one for all of us, a No. 1 draft pick that had only been there (at Greater Western Sydney) a year and he signs a seven-year contract (with the Western Bulldogs).

Western Bulldogs recruit Tom Boyd. Picture: Michael Klein

“When we thought we had seen it all, we all got hit between the eyes a bit. Where it all ends up I don’t know but it was a very different off-season.”

The Demons were able to lock away key forward Jesse Hogan until 2017 and secure a top-three free agency compensation pick for departing defender James Frawley.

Beams is unsure if his type of decision will become a trend but says players believe they can get to rival clubs if desperate to move.

“Obviously with free agency it has thrown a few spanners into the works (for clubs) but at the end of the day I just wanted to go home,” he said.

“I guess when that stuff happens it gets done and the player gets what they want, but it doesn’t happen a whole lot. Hopefully my contract now will see me out until the end of my career and I don’t want to worry about it again.”

Roos remains adamant clubs will soon forcibly trade players 12 months short of free agency, worried about losing them for trifling compensation.

“I think it makes everyone nervous, whether the player is contracted or not. What clubs seem to be saying is if you want to be here you can be, but if you don’t want to be we will trade you.

“The next stage is going to be the year previous to free agency are we going to see clubs saying we will trade you and talking players into leaving or re-signing?

“It is the American model. When will that happen in Australia?”

The AFLPA has defended the nature of contracts in the AFL, with player union executive Ian Prendergast last year adamant they were still critical.

“’From the PA’s point of view the integrity of a contract remains critical,’’ Prendergast said.

‘People need to be very careful about making generalisations about what played out in this period,’’ he said.

“It was a very strange period due to the circumstances players found themselves in.

“Dayne Beams went home because of a sick father, Patrick Ryder wanted out because of the ASADA affair, Mitch Clark’s depression saw him find a fresh start, Heritier Lumumba’s antics saw him move and Boyd was offered the deal of a lifetime.”

Originally published as Melbourne coach Paul Roos believes 2014 trade period game-changer after sensational Dayne Beams, Tom Boyd moves