Chats with players from other clubs

[Sanctorum]

Following article comes from SEN website, written by Andrew Slevison.

I wonder if it accords with AFL rules because I had a feeling that this practice was prohibited. It's a double-edged sword, especially in regard to players who move interstate when drafted. I guess that it would be nigh impossible to control without the AFL imposing the severest penalties if teams are caught out.

"AFL clubs speaking to players from opposition teams during the season is becoming more and more normalised.

Pursuing a player from a rival club in the throes of a campaign was once seen as a massive no-no, but the industry is slowly starting to become more mature in regards to player movement.

St Kilda recruit Paddy Dow admitted that his new head coach Ross Lyon and Saints list boss Stephen Silvagni had been in contact with him during the 2023 season while he was attempting to force his way back into Carlton’s senior side.

“There were conversations that started a few months ago with Ross and ‘SOS’ (Silvagni) and their recruiting team,” Dow told saints.com.au.

“After chats with them, it made the decision pretty easy and the things I could potentially provide for this club. When it got done I was very glad and looked forward to getting started.

“There were a couple of text messages from Ross (earlier in the year) just providing a bit of support and things like that. I know SOS from Carlton and through my draft, we had a bit of a relationship and he definitely made it pretty easy too.”

While those chats took place just this year, similar situations in the past would no doubt be rife across the league.

Former Carlton star Bryce Gibbs experienced something very similar during the 2016 season when the Adelaide Crows made contact with him. Gibbs did not end up leaving the Blues that year, but he did make the shift to Adelaide the following trade period.

“I experienced a similar situation where it wasn’t the senior coach of the Adelaide footy club, but it was their list manager that did get in touch with me throughout the football season,” Gibbs said on Saturdays In SA.

“It was Justin Reid who I had a relationship with. He was part of my management company before he got the job as the Crows’ list manager.

“He certainly reached out during the year while I was still playing and wanted to have a chat and catch up to discuss where I was at and what his thoughts were, what the Crows were potentially looking to get in. Some of those conversations were happening throughout the 2016 year leading into the 2017 season.

“No doubt that it has been happening for a while on the sly, but now it’s becoming more and more shared.”

Gibbs admits the aforementioned situation would not have been approved in years gone by, but feels the modern day increase in player movement has made it much more acceptable.

“Not that long ago, something like this would have been severely frowned upon,” he added.

“And if you were caught doing it, there were huge ramifications within your club.

“But as we’ve learnt how free agency works and player movement and players looking to seek trades, it is starting to become a bit more normalised.

“We’ve seen teams reach out to other players during a season and in this case a senior coach. We’ve moved on from the days where you only have to go through the player manager which was the most common way to go about it.

“The way the game has progressed and we’re starting to talk about mid-season trades and this sort of stuff as the game evolves, it’s becoming more normalised and more common.”

Gibbs also believes that a scenario involving an AFL player announcing he will be moving clubs well in advance is not too far around the corner.

However, the 268-gamer does not feel the AFL is quite ready to operate in circles similarly seen in the NRL where player movement is fluid and widely accepted.

“I think that’s the way it’s going,” Gibbs said further.

“Will we ever get to a stage where it ends up like the NRL? Where players nominate 12 months before that they’re actually signing with another team and they’ve still got months to go in that season.

“It’s a little bit different in terms of it’s accepted in that code and players usually still go out and give 110 per cent and the club backs them in to do that.

“Whereas I think we’ve seen in the past in the AFL where if a club gets a sniff that a player is talking to another club, if they’re not going to make the finals, they would just send them to the VFL with a couple of weeks to go and say, ‘You’re looking like you’re leaving our club, we’re going to give some opportunities to guys that are in the reserves but we see a future here at the club. We’re going to prioritise them over you’.

“In the NRL, that player would probably still play out the year regardless of how the team or individual is performing.”

Gibbs concluded: “The more the Paddy Dow situation happens and the more we normalise that, it sort of progresses.

“It might get to that point at some stage but with the way a club is set up, a list is set up, there’s so many moving pieces now, that to get to that stage I think we are quite a while away.

“But you never know. The way it’s progressing…”

Conversations between player and club will likely be happening earlier and earlier within any given season once the AFL opts to pull the trigger on the mid-season trade period, which could be just around the corner."

[CarlD]

Far from a fan of the NRL system. I hope that the AFL does not go down a similar path.

[damienc]

I see nothing wrong with the Saints giving Paddy some love. He certainly didn’t get any from Carlton. This argument might have some merit if Paddy had given up trying. I’m fact the opposite is true. Dow kept trying to get senior selection and when he did took his opportunity and had a great end to the year and unlucky to miss out playing finals footy. The writing was on the wall for Paddy for some time. He was leaving at the end of 2023. What is surprising for me is the strength of our interest. RTB really rates him.

[damienc]

I see nothing wrong with the Saints giving Paddy some love. He certainly didn’t get any from Carlton. This argument might have some merit if Paddy had given up trying. I’m fact the opposite is true. Dow kept trying to get senior selection and when he did took his opportunity and had a great end to the year and unlucky to miss out playing finals footy. The writing was on the wall for Paddy for some time. He was leaving at the end of 2023. What is surprising for me is the strength of our interest. RTB really rates him.