Trade week 2008 and free agency

[Sockeye Salmon]

After the events of this week, especially with Warnock and O'Keefe, it is just about a certainty that free agency will be introduced and IMO this will be a disaster.

The arguement for free agency is that the salary cap will keep inflation in check and make sure things remain fair for all. This is naive in the extreme.

Currently there is enormous risk in cheating the cap for very little reward - you can't get players from other clubs without giving up a fair(ish) trade for them. You then have to weigh up the opportunity cost of the missing draft picks/player - you might come out ahead, you might not.

Risk >>>>>>reward.

Yet it still happens. When St. Kilda was trying to re-sign Nick Riewoldt but couldn't fit his higher wage under the cap, Ricky Nixon jumps on SEN and says St. Kilda needed to get more "creative". Nick signs in a matter of days.

I personally know of one instance where an aboriginal player was offered $20K from his club president for "a piece of original aboriginal artwork". The player drew a stick figure on some butcher's paper. He was laughing his head off when he told me.

I met this guy professionally. His account was always paid by an aboriginal community group. The club made a "donation" to the group (and no doubt claimed it as a tax deduction) and a % of that money was syphoned back to the player by way of paying his bills.

All free agency will do is increase the reward for cheating the salary cap. Instead of getting a small benefit from cheating (retaining a fringe player) a successful salary cap cheat could pick up Jonathon Brown.

How does Brisbane keep him? By cheating the salary cap, of course.

You will recognise the most successful cheats, they will be the ones holding up the big, gold cup.

The comp will be heading towards 1982 all over again.

[Pembleton]

I agree that if the cap can easily be dodged, then the competition is compromised. Some form of free agency doesn't automatically open the flood gates to cheating though.

The potential benefits for cheating now are much bigger than you suggest SS. You could pilfer uncontracted players in the PSD every year if your official TPPs were low enough. The Hawks are willing to cough up the picks for ROK, but can't fit his asking price in the cap.

Any form of free agency would be very restricted. I don't buy that suddenly there will be a huge increase in the potential benefits of cheating.

[Sockeye Salmon]

I agree that if the cap can easily be dodged, then the competition is compromised. Some form of free agency doesn't automatically open the flood gates to cheating though.

The potential benefits for cheating now are much bigger than you suggest SS. You could pilfer uncontracted players in the PSD every year if your official TPPs were low enough. The Hawks are willing to cough up the picks for ROK, but can't fit his asking price in the cap.

Any form of free agency would be very restricted. I don't buy that suddenly there will be a huge increase in the potential benefits of cheating.

Of course it will be restricted, but what's the point if you can't police it?

If free agency comes in Visy Paper will need to build a new office block for the sudden increase in staff levels in their 'environmental' division.


By-the-by.
There was a company I did some business with many years ago in Reservoir, it was something to do with Visy and has since been sold (I doubt it even still exists). The IN/OUT board behind the receptionist was full of ex-Carlton players - Jesaulenko, Ashman, Harmes, Glascott, Meldrum and a few others I've forgotton. Funnily enough Roy Ramsey and Kerry Good from North Melbourne were involved as well.

[Pembleton]

Of course it will be restricted, but what's the point if you can't police it?

If free agency comes in Visy Paper will need to build a new office block for the sudden increase in staff levels in their 'environmental' division.


By-the-by.
There was a company I did some business with many years ago in Reservoir, it was something to do with Visy and has since been sold (I doubt it even still exists). The IN/OUT board behind the receptionist was full of ex-Carlton players - Jesaulenko, Ashman, Harmes, Glascott, Meldrum and a few others I've forgotton. Funnily enough Roy Ramsey and Kerry Good from North Melbourne were involved as well.

Well, your argument that free agency would mean the sky falls in was predicated largely on the idea that there will be an exponential increase in the benefit of cheating once free agency arrives. So, that it will be restricted is relevant.

I am not knowledgable about the full content of the salary cap rules. I would imagine that if the cleverest trick club's have up their sleeve is to pay players through companies owned by club directors, or have directors directly pay players, that the AFL will be all over it. The problem i foresee is that the rules currently seem to allow too much of this kind of thing. It wouldn't be hard for that to be tightened up though, and i'd guess that doing just that would be a part of the 'give and take' between the AFL and the PA of creating some free agency.

[Go_Dogs]

So basically SS, you're advocating for us to hire some creative accountants?

[Sockeye Salmon]

So basically SS, you're advocating for us to hire some creative accountants?

If you want to win a premiership, that's what it will take.

Your accountant could become more important than your recruiting manager.

[Rocket Science]

If you want to win a premiership, that's what it will take.

Your accountant could become more important than your recruiting manager.

Westy's old man's a recently-retired practitioner in this field and could be looking for a new gig ;)

[Go_Dogs]

If you want to win a premiership, that's what it will take.

Your accountant could become more important than your recruiting manager.

Time to put A39 and his CA to use. :D

[LostDoggy]

What concern me at the about is how obvious Carlton as cheating the cap again but no one is saying boo. Talk now they will get O'Keefe in the PSD