AFL news 2024: The AFL is preparing to bring in mid-season trading but will delay until 2025
In what could be a monumental shake-up to player movement, the AFL is set to approve mid-season trading, but needs a year to answer all the unknowns of mid-year list management.
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The AFL is preparing to green-light the brave new world of mid-season trading – but with a 12-month lead-in for 2025 so clubs can plan for greater player movement.
Clubs have been asked to lodge submissions on the mid-season trade period, next generation academies and competitive balance measures by Friday.
While a decision has not yet been made, this masthead understands the extremely likely scenario is the league approving a mid-season trade period in coming months but only starting next season.
One key reason for that 12-month delay is some clubs have already traded away the 2024 draft picks that could be integral to a mid-season trade period.
Many clubs also have salary caps largely set in stone for 2024 at 100 per cent capacity as the league considers the myriad flow-on effects of trading players mid-year.
Collingwood, Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs have already traded their 2024 first-round picks so giving all clubs a 12-month lead-in would be a fairer proposition.
Issues the league will have to consider as it introduces a mid-season draft include:
*Can clubs trade future picks for players as part of a mid-season swap or only selections from the upcoming draft?
*Will clubs have to keep salary cap room spare for potential mid-season trades or can they secure a rival player that pushes them over the cap with some kind of off-set mechanism in future years of the salary cap?
*Can free agents be part of the mid-season trade period or only uncontracted players?
The league will take on board the feedback from clubs but is strongly in favour of a mid-season trade period to expand opportunities for greater player movement.
But the league, under football boss Laura Kane, will be desperate to prevent unintended consequences as a result of new rules.
For instance as the league works on restoring greater competitive balance would a mid-season trade period disadvantage some non-Victorian clubs which already have travel disadvantages?
Already some non-Victorian clubs fear power clubs including Geelong and Collingwood would have their pick of the mid-season selections given the difficulty in getting players to move to teams including GWS and Gold Coast.
GWS could not lure Orazio Fantasia across the border from Port Adelaide despite strong interest, with the goalsneak instead joining Carlton.
Under a mid-season trade scenario for 2024, clubs in a premiership window might be keen to secure stars from potential bottom-four clubs including Jeremy McGovern, Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia or Luke Breust.
But if that player was instrumental in winning a flag for their new team only months later – with their wage over the salary cap – it would go against every current principle of competitive balance.
Currently clubs can bank salary cap room then overspend in following years, so clubs might be able to spend over one year’s cap because of a mid-season acquisition but then play the next year by a similar amount under the salary cap.
Similarly the league would need to put measures in place against bottom-four clubs conducting a fire sale of elite talent to gain draft picks and also guaranteeing a lower draft order in a legalised form of tanking.
The league is expected to loosen NGA rules which ban clubs from drafting their academy players in the first 40 national draft selections.
The league fears the rules have stifled club investment into Sudanese and indigenous players.
The AFL could also tinker with its bidding system and points table for draft picks to ensure when clubs like Gold Coast take four early academy players they pay a fairer value.
Originally published as AFL news 2024: The AFL is preparing to bring in mid-season trading but will delay until 2025
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