Without Consent…

HB Meyers·
AFL Drafts and TradesAFL Season 2024

Nice title, huh? It reminds me of the type of movie title you’d see on network TV at midday when you’re at home sick. Sounds like it could be traumatic. Could involve a high-powered female lawyer in it. Might have Jennifer Lopez as the star, or something.

Anyway, whilst your thoughts linger on J-Lo and what she’s up to these days, the matter of trading players without their consent is something that seems to be gaining traction within AFL circles. Are you a fan? Or is this something you’re dreading when it comes to our sport?

At a recent sportsman’s night, Essendon’s Zach Merrett spoke on the topic and seemed to believe the move toward trading without consent was inevitable. As we inch closer to instituting a mid-season trade period, we are also heading toward a time where players, in the middle of the season, may be playing for one team one week, and shipped off to another team, sometimes on the opposite side of the country, the next.

Feels a little callous, doesn’t it?

Time to look at the positives and negatives of the situation.

 

Oh, what the hell? A Mongrel paywall? Yep, I believe my work is worth twenty-five cents per day. If you don’t, that’s fine. Standalone articles, off-season news, into season previews and pre-season game reviews, before we hit the 2024 season are all part of Mongrel Membership. You’re welcome to join/rejoin

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    HB Meyers

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    6 Responses

    2. Your positive comments could work well for players of the ten Victorian clubs, the majority of whom living and playing within a 20km radius of Southern Cross Station.
      it could be inconvenient for Geelong players – just a commute which many workers would do on a daily basis.
      However, for all of the non-Victorian clubs it could be, as you suggested, a huge disruption to many players and their families for many reasons.
      I appreciate your playing the Devil’s Advocate, but I for one would prefer that the trade and transfer season continue to be conducted in the existing format.
      The mid-season period should exist only to fill long-term list holes created by serious and season ending illness or injury.

      Reply

    3. The current scenario where the player has complete veto power is too one-sided. Not sure I’d like it to go too far the other way where the player has no say.

      I’ve felt for a while now that at most a player should be able to nominate which state they want to be traded to and the terms that they are willing to accept.

      Reply

    5. I hate it. Like you, I would like the game to be frozen in time but leaving that to one side: what about the poor supporters? We pay for our memberships, we support the club, and of course we get favourite players! It’s bad enough that we might lose a favourite at the end of the season, but the thought that a favourite one week might be playing against us the next week – how does that work? And what about the inside info a player takes with them? – about the game plan, particular centre bounce set ups etc etc

      I hate the idea, both of forced trades, and of a mid season trade period.

      Reply

    6. There are two key points to this and the first should be blindingly obvious. A player is a person, not a piece of property. That alone should still this dividing in its tracks.
      The second is the members of the clubs. These aren’t franchises to be bought and sold but the uber rich, playing at modern day slave master in the big house. They are clubs that are made up of members and woebetide a league that tries to treat us as if we are nothing.

      Reply

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