Mid Season Trade Period - Good Idea or Bad?

[bornadog]

Link (http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/opinion/patrick-smith/afl-mulls-midseason-trading-and-extra-draft/news-story/52048bb94c30099c654a142bab347a3d)

The AFL has discussed the pros and cons of a mid-season trading period as the league tries to envision how the game will operate in the future.


The radical suggestion came up at a powerful AFL think tank which also considered a nationwide mid-season draft as well as league clubs drafting from their state leagues.


It is believed the idea was greeted enthusiastically by those at the think tank — AFL general manager football operations Mark Evans, the league’s general counsel Andrew Dillon salary cap boss Ken Woods, integrity officer Brett Clothier and as many as eight club list managers.


The think tank was convened to discuss what football might look like in 10 to 15 years. Football has previously had mid-season drafts: the last was in 1993 when Sydney picked Matthew Ahmat from Norwood at No 1 and Damian Bourke (Geelong) was picked at No 4 by Brisbane. Ahmat played two games for Sydney and Bourke 22 for the Lions.


The most successful mid-season pick was Daryn Cresswell, selection 39 in the 1992 selection, He played 244 games after joining the Swans from North Hobart. Overall, however, it was not a consistent provider of good, long-term talent and was abolished.


The think tank panel looked at two trading scenarios. Champion fullback Brian Lake moved from the Bulldogs to Hawthorn at the end of the season 2012. Lake then played in the Hawthorn hat-trick of premierships from 2013 to 2015.


Evans told The Australian yesterday: “So we looked at the possibility that Lake could have crossed in a trade to Hawthorn in the middle of 2012. It would have made sense.”


Hawthorn lost that year’s grand final to Sydney by just 10 points. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, won only five games for the year.


It would have been opportune for both clubs to trade Lake mid-season. The Hawks would have had their big and tough defender and the Bulldogs given the opportunity to enrich their playing stock by picking up players from Hawthorn’s deep and talented list. The think tank was undecided whether the draft be player for player only or include draft picks.


The timing, of course, would have be exquisite for the Bulldogs. Hawthorn, knowing they needed a big defender to combat opposition power forwards would have had to be very generous to ensure they got their man. An offer too good to refuse.


The other case study the AFL looked at was Port Adelaide’s plight this year. Port have been forced to juggle the likes of Justin Westhoff, Jackson Trengove and Charlie Dixon through the ruck given the suspension of Patrick Ryder and poor form and injury that combined to crash Matthew Lobbe’s season. Ryder, formerly with Essendon, was suspended for the season by the Court of Arbitration for sport which found in favour of WADA’s appeal over the Essendon peptide regime of 2012. Lobbe is still at least a month away from returning.


The AFL think tank looked at the possibility of Port trading mid-season with St Kilda who have three players over 200cm tall. Port are in ninth spot but, without a recognised ruckman for most of the season, they are floundering and face a huge task to make the final eight.


St Kilda are in 12th spot and three games off the pace of eighth placed Adelaide. Their finals hopes are shot. It would have been very appealing to Port had they been able to secure one of St Kilda’s young talls via a trade halfway through the season. The Saints would have had the option of picking up a talented Port player. It was considered a win-win option for both clubs.


The trade idea has much more going for it than anything similar to the old national mid-season draft which failed to provide long-term solutions.


The think tank felt that while the trade was not without its own issues it would give failing clubs a chance to reposition themselves and sides still in the hunt for a premiership an opportunity to plug any weak spot. The AFL discussed but did not decide on whether a club would need to hold space in the salary cap and whether the treatment under the cap would be short-term or spread out over the course of the contract period.


Evans said: “Obviously it means our weaker clubs would be trading away an asset but they would get a player or possibly a draft pick in return.”


If draft picks were included then the higher team would have an extra player and the lower-placed side be left one short with half-a-season to play.


But the opportunity of mid-season trade obviously creates interest in the middle of a long season. It would be a much talked about event for supporters and it can serve sides at both ends of the ladder. It is believed to have caught the interest of senior AFL executives

[1eyedog]

I don't like it because I think it robs the season proper of the limelight and I am concerned we will get bogged down in a mid-season trade. If it was a one week window during the bye it may have merit but ultimately a complicated set of circumstances need to get sorted in a week, and I don't see that happening.

I would like to hear from the players on this as it potentially affects them the most. There is massive stress of the unknown in American sports from players who feel they may be traded mid-season. They have talked about the stress and awkwardness it creates internally at clubs if a trade is on the cards. Rumors, innuendo and what about blokes with families getting shifted interstate within a 2 week window? At least at the end of the season you have a number of months to resettle.

Obviously the AFL is a business and trades are a reality of the business but a mid-season trade is definitely a team orientated decision, but for the players I definitely think that for the majority it's a downside of the business.

[soupman]

The timing, of course, would have be exquisite for the Bulldogs. Hawthorn, knowing they needed a big defender to combat opposition power forwards would have had to be very generous to ensure they got their man. An offer too good to refuse.



Not sure how it would be that different a scenario to the one that played out at the end of the year. Hawthorn were probably more desperate after losing the Grand Final knowing they need something more than they would have been mid season and either way I think it unlikely that they would have offered up more for Lake mid season.



The other case study the AFL looked at was Port Adelaide’s plight this year. Port have been forced to juggle the likes of Justin Westhoff, Jackson Trengove and Charlie Dixon through the ruck given the suspension of Patrick Ryder and poor form and injury that combined to crash Matthew Lobbe’s season. Ryder, formerly with Essendon, was suspended for the season by the Court of Arbitration for sport which found in favour of WADA’s appeal over the Essendon peptide regime of 2012. Lobbe is still at least a month away from returning.


I don't think we need to introduce a trading rule to help out clubs that have lost key players to doping suspensions beyond this year surely? Port were unlucky that they lost a ruckman, the hardest position to cover, but more to the point if they had've been allowed to draft a replacement Essendon style they would probably have Jamar on their list and this would all be fine.

[Bulldog Joe]

I believe there could be merit, but more along a player loan situation.

If you look at where we were in 2009 and needing a big key forward (if only we had Bazza 1 year early). We could perhaps have done a deal with a struggling club such as North and got Petrie onto our list for the business end. We could even have made a direct swap for Scott Welsh.

If both players had reverted back at season's end we may well have had a flag, with no effect on the long term list.

[Twodogs]

I believe there could be merit, but more along a player loan situation.

If you look at where we were in 2009 and needing a big key forward (if only we had Bazza 1 year early). We could perhaps have done a deal with a struggling club such as North and got Petrie onto our list for the business end. We could even have made a direct swap for Scott Welsh.

If both players had reverted back at season's end we may well have had a flag, with no effect on the long term list.


Would you have limitations on the number of players a club could trade in over a period?

[Bulldog Joe]

Would you have limitations on the number of players a club could trade in over a period?

This is where salary cap would play a part, but you would probably limit player movement to 2 per club.

[comrade]

My gut feel is it wouldn't work the way they'd hope and is ripe for manipulation by stronger clubs.

We'd all love a flag but if the best player on the day was on loan or traded in half way there'd be an element of hollow-ness to it? Imagine if Spud Firrito comes in because we're desperate for an experienced defender and he's the only one available and he held Jeremy Cameron to 0 touches, 0 goals and kicked 3 himself to win the Norm Smith? Could you get behind that?

Maybe, I dunno. I'd still celebrate like a maniac but it wouldn't be the same if the flag was won by the group who'd gone through the year together. Then again, I'd probably vomit if Firrito put on the red, white and blue.

I just like the romance of footy a lot and this would detract from it. It's part of the reason I despise GWS.

[Twodogs]

My gut feel is it wouldn't work the way they'd hope and is ripe for manipulation by stronger clubs.

We'd all love a flag but if the best player on the day was on loan or traded in half way there'd be an element of hollow-ness to it? Imagine if Spud Firrito comes in because we're desperate for an experienced defender and he's the only one available and he held Jeremy Cameron to 0 touches, 0 goals and kicked 3 himself to win the Norm Smith? Could you get behind that?

Maybe, I dunno. I'd still celebrate like a maniac but it wouldn't be the same if the flag was won by the group who'd gone through the year together. Then again, I'd probably vomit if Firrito put on the red, white and blue.

I just like the romance of footy a lot and this would detract from it. It's part of the reason I despise GWS.

I agree with everything you say, but other football competitions have loans or short term contracts and it makes me question why we can't do it. What reason apart from culture really is there not to explore whether it would work.

But I know I feel that a premiership won with a couple of players from otter clubs filling holes would feel a bit hollow as well. It's not exactly overcoming the obstacles the competition throws in the way that makes a premiership really special if you've had a chance to top up with players from other clubs halfway through.