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AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon says the league will discuss potential free agency changes with the players' association to prevent the system from favouring premiership contenders, as the Brisbane Lions landed two free agents after a third straight flag.
The AFL will consider changes to free agency to ensure the system does not skew competitive balance in favour of teams in premiership contention. Chief executive Andrew Dillon confirmed the league would discuss potential rule changes to make sure the balance of the 18 clubs is not distorted.
Asked if the AFL would consider changes to free agency, Dillon said: Yeah, with the agreement with the players, just to make sure that the competitive balance isn't distorted. Dillon said free agency had been in place for probably 12 or 14 years. He said recent seasons had produced what everyone thought would happen at the start, but it did not necessarily occur that way.
But it's something that we'll talk with the players' association about because competitive balance is really important, Dillon said. He said the league does a lot of work around the draft, the salary cap and the soft cap. The potential to reform free agency comes as the Brisbane Lions, once stragglers, won their third flag on end in their fourth consecutive grand final. They attracted both Sam Draper and Oscar Allen from lowly Essendon and West Coast as free agents.
Lions success fuels free agency debate
West Coast received a generous pick No.2 for their ex-skipper Oscar Allen. The Lions' success and their free agency haul have added to debate about whether the system favours clubs already in premiership contention. The AFL wanted to change the compensation system at the end of last year to remove compensation picks inside the top 10. That change aimed to avoid compromising the draft for teams who were not finalists, not counting the new wildcards.
But the AFL Players' Association resisted that change, and the status quo remained. As a result, Port Adelaide can receive pick No.5 in return for exciting superstar free agent Zak Butters. Gold Coast can gain pick No.7 for key forward Ben King, who is crossing to Hawthorn. These deals give the clubs losing the star arguably superior compensation compared to what they could gain in a trade if they choose to match the free agent offers.
The AFL is closely watching the side deals that those clubs propose, to make sure that they are commercial and reflect market value. The clubs involved are the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide, and Hawthorn and Gold Coast. One potential reform likely to be canvassed is a rule that forces the top teams to give up a draft pick, such as their first pick, for a high-value free agent.
Reform could cost top teams draft picks
Under that reform, Hawthorn, as a top four team, would lose their first draft pick for King and still land him as a free agent. The rule could potentially apply to the top four, top six or top eight teams from that season. Most of the most prized free agents have gone to teams that had been in premiership contention.
Those players include Lance Franklin to Sydney, Patrick Dangerfield to Geelong, Tom Lynch to Richmond, Jeremy Cameron to Geelong and Joe Daniher to the Brisbane Lions. It is rare for a restricted free agent to opt for a team in the bottom six or eight. The position on free agency varies among clubs. Some would argue that it should be less restricted, while others argue that the system is skewed towards teams in premiership contention.
AFL free agency was introduced for 2012 and has been the subject of minor changes and ongoing debate. It is enshrined in the players' collective bargaining agreement and needs the players' union's consent to be altered in that agreement. Dillon's comments in grand final week signal that the league is prepared to open talks with the players' association about possible reforms. Any change would require agreement through the CBA process.
brisbanetimes
theage:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Andrew Dillon Competitive Balance Brisbane Lions AFL Players Association
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