Melbourne coach Paul Roos forecasts time when clubs can force free agents to re-sign or be traded

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos has forecast a future where clubs could regain the power over free agents by re-signing them early or risk going up for trade.

AFL - Port Adelaide v Melbourne at Adelaide Oval. Paul Roos and 3 quarter time. Photo Sarah Reed.

MELBOURNE coach Paul Roos has forecast a future where clubs could regain the power over free agents by encouraging players to commit early or potentially have them up for trade before coming out of contract.

While Roos said this was still up to five years away, he said the Demons were very keen for James Frawley to commit to the club in the coming months.

But he did not believe his own decision to agree to a third season with Melbourne — which means he will coach until the end of 2016 — would impact on Frawley’s looming decision.

“I suspect that four to five years down the track, you might see players not coming out of contract or being traded the year before,” Roos said.

“At some point it may get taken out of the players’ hands. That is the trend that is happening (overseas).

“We’re definitely not at that point now. We are at the point where most clubs want their free agents to stay and equally to give them time to make their decisions and make their decisions in their own time.”

Frawley said earlier this year he would likely re-sign if Roos committed for a longer period, but his coach is not holding him to the statement.

“I think people have taken James’ comments a bit too literally,” Roos said. “I think it was a bit more tongue in cheek and I took it as such.

“It bought him a bit of breathing space, so a lot’s been made of that in the last 24 hours ... I don’t think it was as literal as James has said.”

Roos denied the Demons have spoken with Sydney free agent Nick Malceski, who is yet to agree to terms with the Swans and has been linked to Melbourne.

“I haven’t spoken to him. No one from this club has spoken to him,” he said. “There has been absolute no discussion about Malceski within the last eight weeks.”

But he admitted the club would target more midfield depth and potentially a key forward, regardless of what Frawley decides to do.

“As a four-win club you’ve got some holes in your team and our players would acknowledge that,” he said. “We’ve still got a lot of development in our own list.”

“Certainly another tall would be fantastic.

“From a needs basis, really high-quality class midfielders (are) still where we need to get better.”

The retirement of Mitch Clark and the frustrating injury run to highly-promising teenager Jesse Hogan had impacted on the Demons’ forward stocks.

Hogan returned to training this week, and Roos said a decision on whether he would play this year or would be put on ice until next year would soon be made.

“If he really said ‘Roosy, I’m desperate to play this year, we will probably play him,” he said. “If not, the fact he is back training, he gets a good five weeks of training (for next year).”

Originally published as Melbourne coach Paul Roos forecasts time when clubs can force free agents to re-sign or be traded