Yeti is completely correct that free agency isn’t tool of equalisation, but instead is a concession by the AFL to players and the AFLPA in order to retain the actual equalisation measures: specifically the salary cap and the draft. From the league’s point of view, it’s a necessary evil.
From the players’ point of view, it is a completely reasonable request that they have some say in the way their careers – or put another way their working life – plays out.
The pearl-clutching whenever a marquee player signs with a contender is a bit overblown.
My sense is that over a long period free agency favours some teams more than others (I think Freo will do well out of free agency), but in the short term it allows strong teams to extend their premiership windows. But as we’ve seen with Hawthorn, who for a while had first dibs on many free agents, when the equalisation measures kick in the appeal to free agents falls away. As pointed out, Brisbane demonstrates that even smaller clubs who can build through the draft, appoint a good coach and demonstrate they are in contention can benefit from free agency.
Personally, I think the AFL needs to do more to incentivise players to stay with their clubs. I never understood why the AFL removed the veterans exemption from the cap, for example.
I admire players who stick with one club, and while it’s fun to portray Neale as a bit of a sook, he was at Freo for 7 years and few people these days stay at one employer for that long. In my career, about 5 years is the longest I’ve stayed at one employer before I’ve moved on, so I shouldn’t really judge him for leaving (though because it involves my footy team I do).
Also, for what it’s worth, I think clubs need to (and do) consider retention of players when they draft, but it doesn’t mean they need to take WA kids. Brayshaw is an example of player who has a great chance of being retained because of family connections (and perhaps a misplaced sense of loyalty) even though he is from Victoria. We’ve had a pretty decent track record with players from country Victoria, for example. But if I had a choice between a kid from WA and a kid from Melbourne, and it wasn’t immediately obvious who would be better, I would take the WA kid every time.
