How do free agency, trading and drafting work?

With the AFL season over another has dawned – not one in which games are won and lost, but one in which the seeds are sown for premiership glory.

Trade season, in October and November, is when clubs build their lists. It consists of three main elements: the draft, which started in 1986, is primarily about new players entering the league while free agency (introduced at the end of the 2012 season) and trading are for players seeking to move clubs. The overall idea is to create an even competition across clubs.

This year there are some interesting players to watch. Melbourne star Clayton Oliver is contracted for another six years on a deal worth more than $1 million per season, but is pushing for a trade to Geelong. The Cats appear almost certain to secure uncontracted Western Bulldogs midfielder Bailey Smith, so it’s a fascinating watch as to how they could squeeze both men under the salary cap – if the Demons agree to let Oliver go.

Oliver is one of many contracted players who want to be traded. Some of those include Gold Coast forward Jack Lukosius, who wants to head to Port Adelaide, but is contracted to the Suns until 2026. His hopes could be linked to whether Power star Dan Houston finds a new home in Victoria.

Richmond midfielder Liam Baker wants a trade home to Western Australia and the Eagles are his preferred home, while playmaker Daniel Rioli wants to be traded to Gold Coast. Richmond’s Shai Bolton, Essendon forward Jake Stringer, West Coast premiership defender Tom Barrass, Bulldogs midfielder Jack Macrae, Port Adelaide ruckman Ivan Soldo and the Swans’ former captain Luke Parker are also on that list.

Some deals can be simple – for instance, contracted Eagles veteran Jack Darling has nominated the Kangaroos as his new club, and the deal is expected to be done in exchange for the Kangaroos’ fourth-round pick – No.64.

Some come under free agency – such as Richmond’s Jack Graham, who is weighing up an offer from West Coast.

But for the most part, intensive strategising and high-stakes wheeling and dealing are behind the movement of players from one club to another. A lot of jargon gets bandied about that can be confusing, particularly because the AFL tinkers with rules and player acquisition mechanisms regularly. How many different kinds of free agent can there possibly be? Well, several. When is a selection period not really over? Answer: when the supplemental selection period begins … And if picks are the basic unit of transaction, what’s a split pick?

Here are some of the technical terms you’ll be hearing over the next couple of months and when the various moves can be made.

What’s a pick swap?

Players don’t have to be involved in trades. Clubs may exchange draft selections. One club could be desperate for an early pick to take a certain player in the draft while others may be content to slide back.

A club can trade a high-ranked pick for two later selections. This tactic is known as “splitting” a pick. Draft picks can be traded even after the completion of the primary trade period, with deals able to occur right through until the end of this year’s national draft.

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How do you trade a future pick?
Since 2015, clubs have been able to trade draft picks not only for the current year but for the following year. These are known as “future picks”. This allows clubs greater flexibility to reach deals as they have more assets to utilise. If a club trades its future selection to another club, the second club’s pick remains tied to the ladder position of the first club.

In 2022, Fremantle traded their first pick to Melbourne as part of a deal to land Luke Jackson. The Dockers had made finals in 2022 so thought their first pick might be No.10 or above; however, their poor season was a bonus for Melbourne, and they landed pick five after Fremantle finished 14th.

Last year, Collingwood used a future first-round pick to secure small forward Lachie Schultz from Fremantle. The logic was that they got a future second-round pick back from Hawthorn for trading one of their players, Jack Ginnivan, to the Hawks – so really, Collingwood’s first pick in the draft would only slide back as far as then lowly Hawthorn’s second. But the Hawks went on a barnstorming run to the semi-finals this year, while the Pies didn’t even make the finals. Now Collingwood’s top pick in the 2024 draft won’t come until No.33, while Fremantle have pick 10 from the Schultz trade.

From next year, under trading and draft changes announced in August, future trading of picks will be extended to two years in advance.

What’s the deal with live trading?

Before 2018, the draft order was set before draft night and could not be changed. If you had pick No.7, it would remain pick No.7, and so on. Now clubs can conduct live trades of picks during the draft itself. This has opened up a massive new tactical dimension, with clubs working the phones on draft night to manoeuvre favourable positions as the landscape changes.

There have been some famous live trades of picks. Liam Stocker ended up at Carlton after the Blues traded their future first selection to Adelaide for pick No.19 in the 2018 national draft, so they could select the defender. Stocker was eventually traded to St Kilda after just 23 games with the Blues.

Going, going, gone? How do draft bids work?

Several prospective draftees each year are subject to rules that allow clubs to gain priority access to the player in question, an increasing area of frustration for St Kilda president Andrew Bassat, who wants a more even playing field.

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This priority access includes father-son players, whose dads played 100 or more games for an AFL club, such as Nick Daicos, the Collingwood premiership star who is the son of Magpies legend Peter Daicos. Will a rival club bid this year for Lions’ father-son gun Levi Ashcroft? The star young onballer is the brother of Will, now a Lions premiership player and reigning Norm Smith medallist. Their father Marcus played in three premierships with the Lions.

There are also next-generation academy players, which were set up last decade to help the development of players from diverse backgrounds. NSW and Queensland have their own “northern” academies for fostering talent. The Lions will almost certainly secure midfielder Sam Marshall, a star academy midfielder, this year.

Players from those academies are considered part of the open pool if they are chosen in the first 20 selections.

Another club may select one of these players but the club with bidding rights over the player can play a trump card to acquire the player. They do this by matching a bid. Matching bids comes at a cost, though. Each draft selection has points allocated to it and, by matching a bid, a club loses points equivalent to that selection, meaning they are shuffled back in the draft order in coming rounds.

Clubs won’t always deem it worthwhile to match a bid if they feel the academy or father-son player isn’t worth the number of points they need to pay.

What are the rules for delisted players?

Players whose contracts have not been renewed by an AFL club this year can join any AFL club that offers up a contract.

And how about free agency for life?

Any player who has previously been a free agent automatically becomes a free agent at the end of every ensuing contract. Veteran North Melbourne ruckman Todd Goldstein fitted into this category as soon as he came out of contract last year, and was why he joined Essendon as a free agent.

Who’s a restricted free agent?

An out-of-contract player who has played nine or fewer years with their current club and is in the top quarter for salaries at that club is a restricted free agent. That means that their existing club is entitled to match any free agency offer made for the player. Ben McKay was an example last year.

In August, the AFL announced that free agency compensation picks will now consider contract length as a determining factor. Contracts less than two years will not be given any weight, while a five-year-plus deal will attract the heaviest weighting. The AFL declared it will be more transparent with its free agency compensation formula using the year lengths of deals.

And what about an unrestricted free agent?

A player who has played eight or nine years with their club, is out of contract and not in the top quarter for salaries at their club – or an out-of-contract player who has played 10 or more years with their club, regardless of salary – is an unrestricted free agent and may walk to another club with no recourse available to their current club.

St Kilda defender Josh Battle was a high-profile unrestricted free agent this year, meaning the Saints could not match the Hawks’ long-term, lucrative offer to force a trade when Battle chose Hawthorn as his new club. The Saints hope the compensation they get for the 25-year-old is a first-round selection.

“If the AFL can do the right thing and we can come home with pick, I think it is eight or nine in (20)24 and build, it’s (a) really exciting period for the club,” Lyon said.

Giants defender Harry Perryman, as an unrestricted free agent, has nominated Collingwood as his club of choice on a reported six-year contract.

What about rookie lists?

Under fresh changes, clubs can now retain rookies for up to a maximum of five years, up from three years. It’s hoped this allows clubs more time to develop tall young talent and players late to the sport. However, a player cannot have played more than 10 games at the end of his fourth or fifth season to remain as a rookie.

What’s the tweak in rules for father-son nominations?

Under new rules, there is more flexibility in the drafting of father-son prospects as rookie-listed or primary-listed players. Players have had to nominate before the national draft if they will be a father-son draftee, as some still do, including Levi Ashcroft this year, but the new law now allows this decision to also be made live during the draft.

There will be further adjustments from next year, in particular to the draft value index. The 20 per cent points discount applied to matched bids will be reduced to 10 per cent. However, the AFL has said it will continue to review this to determine whether it should apply to all or some of the academy and father-son players. The updated index will have points linked to only the first 54 picks, as opposed to the first 73 under the current system.

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Speaking of jargon, what’s the supplemental selection period?

A new window was opened late in 2018 whereby clubs could add undrafted or delisted players to their rookie list – even after the rookie draft – until shortly before the season, provided the club had a list spot open or a long-term injury. Sydney Stack (Richmond) and Shane Mumford (GWS) were both picked up in the SSP during the off-season previously.

What does pre-agency mean?

A relatively new phenomenon whereby players who are one year away from becoming free agents are traded by their clubs to maximise their value rather than be at the mercy of the AFL’s free agency compensation scheme. Brisbane Lions premiership star Cam Rayner and Carlton ruckman Tom De Koning are current pre-agents.

How do you perform a salary dump?

This is a mechanism whereby a club trades a player to another club largely to clear space under the salary cap. The player’s new club therefore generally gives up very little to get the player. This occurred in 2022 when Geelong absorbed the salary of utility Jack Bowes, who came to the Cats from Gold Coast with pick No.7 to make the idea of taking on Bowes more attractive to Geelong. The Cats gave up a future third-round pick in exchange.

Have you heard of pick purchasing?

This is not yet an option, but clubs are keen for it to be introduced. It would involve trading part of your salary cap for a high pick which would help clubs at the top of the ladder keep their stars and clubs near the bottom to use some of their salary cap to add more young talent, rather than on existing players performing below their contract. For example, Carlton might give Richmond $500,000 extra cap space to get their first-round pick. The Tigers could then use the extra space to retain an emerging gun. The AFL have considered it but are yet to introduce it.

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Can contracted players be traded without their consent?

No. The AFL wanted the AFL Players Association to agree to allowing clubs to trade contracted players without their consent during last year’s collective bargaining agreement negotiations, but the players refused to accept that condition. Clubs have lobbied hard for this condition, which happens in some overseas sports, but AFL players don’t think it is reasonable given their income relative to those international sports. Of course, players such as Brodie Grundy, as happened at Collingwood, are sometimes forced to accept that their club would prefer them out, but they are entitled to dig their heels in and remain regardless of how uncomfortable they may be made to feel.

Free agency begins October 4 and closes on October 11. The trade period runs from October 7-16.

This article was first published in 2020 and has been updated.

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