2019 & 2020 Thoughts

[Lods]

I've said this a few times, but the AFL has half-ar$ed copying the NFLs 'system' in all things. Our draft, free agency etc is all based off that. Any problem we have here, they have already solved. Rather than follow it warts and all, we drag our feet and make things harder for ourselves.

Recent changes of a 2nd signing period just before the AFL season which i think was given the green light recently is yet another baby step in the right direction....and one the NFL took years ago.

In regards to specifically free agency and top teams benefiting....NFL has a rule that the top 4 teams can't get in any free agents unless they lose some first. Tada, translate to AFL and problem solved.

FWIW, NFL also have a trade period which extends to week 6 (or week 8 ) of the season.....which is our next step.

How strong is the "player union" (for want of a better word) over there Kruds.
One of the big stumbling blocks if the AFL want to bring in restrictions to destination clubs would be the AFLPA.

[kruddler]

How strong is the "player union" (for want of a better word) over there Kruds.
One of the big stumbling blocks if the AFL want to bring in restrictions to destination clubs would be the AFLPA.

Thats a hard question to answer.

They get well looked after.
I think the best part of their deals is there training loads. They have OTA (organised team activities) which are voluntary training sessions. They are not required to pad up in most training sessions and have much more time off generally compared to the AFL.

Some times the players actually take it upon themselves to organise their own training sessions amongst themselves in a private setting in order to improve themselves. This is due to the strict PA rules in regards to how much contact the club has with the players and how much training they can do. They get it pretty cruisey in that regard.

Obviously they get plenty of coin....all of which is actually made public.

Players hit free agency a lot sooner in the NFL. They can change clubs once their initial contracts are up i believe. Each year they do a top 100 free agents list, and they could probably do a 2nd list if they chose. Plenty of movement allowed.
I guess that could be part of the trade off......easier movement between clubs (32 of them) but restricted movement to the top clubs (top 4).

Not sure if that answers your question or not.

[Lods]

Thats a hard question to answer.

They get well looked after.
I think the best part of their deals is there training loads. They have OTA (organised team activities) which are voluntary training sessions. They are not required to pad up in most training sessions and have much more time off generally compared to the AFL.

Some times the players actually take it upon themselves to organise their own training sessions amongst themselves in a private setting in order to improve themselves. This is due to the strict PA rules in regards to how much contact the club has with the players and how much training they can do. They get it pretty cruisey in that regard.

Obviously they get plenty of coin....all of which is actually made public.

Players hit free agency a lot sooner in the NFL. They can change clubs once their initial contracts are up i believe. Each year they do a top 100 free agents list, and they could probably do a 2nd list if they chose. Plenty of movement allowed.
I guess that could be part of the trade off......easier movement between clubs (32 of them) but restricted movement to the top clubs (top 4).

Not sure if that answers your question or not.

To a point...
I guess the issue is this....there may be good reasons why the implementation of some of the successful NFL trade/ draft procedures cant be readily duplicated in Australian Football.
I just don't see the players agreeing to a system that dictates that they can't transfer to successful clubs, especially if it's for more money.

Private ownership of clubs seems much more the go over there. I'm not sure if and how that impacts on player movements.
They probably don't have the issue of player retention in expansion, non-traditional areas that clubs like the Gold Coast experience.
There is no rival code dominant in certain areas of the country like Rugby League is in Queensland and New South Wales.

[kruddler]

To a point...
I guess the issue is this....there may be good reasons why the implementation of some of the successful NFL trade/ draft procedures cant be readily duplicated in Australian Football.
I just don't see the players agreeing to a system that dictates that they can't transfer to successful clubs, especially if it's for more money.

Private ownership of clubs seems much more the go over there. I'm not sure if and how that impacts on player movements.
They probably don't have the issue of player retention in expansion, non-traditional areas that clubs like the Gold Coast experience.
There is no rival code dominant in certain areas of the country like Rugby League is in Queensland and New South Wales.

Private ownership doesn't really impact those kind of things.

But there are very much big teams and not so much. Including expansion teams. The ownership side of things just makes it easier for people to pack up and move clubs easier.....and sometimes back again. However, one of the biggest, most successful teams is Green Bay Packers, and they are the only team who does not have an owner. Its kinda like our AFL teams....owned by members/shareholders.

As far as players going to successful clubs....you can still trade. Although its a lot rarer for players to change that way then via free agency. Since free agency is so prevalent though, most teams will lose a player (or more) from their 53-man roster every year, so movement to the top clubs can still happen...you just don't see the mass migration year after year.

I think culturally its different too.
In NFL its more about 'getting paid' than having success. Sure, there are some who are driven by success.