Right with all this talk of a draft in the News Ltd press, it is frustrating the shit out of me and isn't even relevant to the problem of players signing mid season for contracts beginning the following season.
here, f**kin, here!!
do some of these buffons such as Cameron Smith realise the consequences of a draft for established players? They will be hostage to the clubs and dealt around like chips on a casino gaming table.
Here is the solution, a regulated and enforced free agency period.
1) No and i mean absolutely NO signings between end of FA and the final whistle in the GF. First grade squads of 25-30 players to be declared before kickoff, with only player transfers after as explained in 3)
2) Restricted free agency (RFA)- November 1st, running for 4 weeks. For players coming off contract. Current club has right to first offer, this sets the minimum amount that other clubs must match to enter negotiations for the player. To stop clubs stacking a huge offer to deter initial offers from other clubs, it is then the minimum they must pay for the player even if no clubs make a matching offer
3) Unrestricted free agency/player transfers- from close of RFA to Round 3 or 4. Players out of contract, free for all! And contracted players up for grabs, but salary cap penalties apply to the club signing a contracted player. Probably controversial and very likely a restraint of trade but IMO protects the smaller clubs from poaching of their best on contract players, especially with the likely boost in the cap coming the clubs way.
A significant advantage of this is that all player movement is in the off season, meaning the game gets greater coverage in a normally quiet december period.
Discuss and shred
There is no requirement for restricted free agents in the NRL at the moment. Players come into the NRL as Unrestricted Free Agents anyway. An unsigned junior is free to sign with any club he likes. But with RFA, you're putting restrictions on a senior player once his contract is up and not giving him the opportunity to play elsewhere unless his club doesnt want him. A RFA system in the NRL would work back-to-front if you get my drift. A player who has logged up several seasons in the league should be able to choose where he wants to play, not be restricted.
RFA is a good mechanism in leagues such as the NFL where new players to the league are distributed via the draft. It allows incumbent teams the opportunity to get more use out of their original draft picks. RFA's are players who are out of contract and received an offer from a another club, but have played 3 or less years in the league. In such leagues which utilise the draft, teams are generally built via the draft so the purpose and relevance of this recruiting mechanism needs to be maintained. Essentially, it gives a team 4 seasons of use out of their draft pick before the player can ultimately decide on their own volition that they want to play elsewhere. Otherwise, teams could waste draft picks on players who just up and leave after a season or two.
I'm also opposed to the concept of a free-for-all including contracted players. A contract is legally binding. A rival club would not be able to just override a players existing contract at another club without legal consequences or giving something up to that club. So, dealings in contracted players are better facilitated with trades. Both clubs will be required to give something up and an agreement on value arrived at. Without the a draft in existence in the NRL, the only real currency is players and this would make it difficult for trade transactions to be completed, in my opinion. The NFL trade players with players and draft picks which makes it easier to come to an agreement on value.
A free agency period at the end of the season for all out of contract players at this time is a must though. I propose it begin the Monday fortnight after the Grand Final and run right through to the beginning of December. I highly doubt it needs that long because an uncontracted player is an unpaid player, and players not signed late into the FA period risk squeezing themselves out as clubs finalise salary caps, etc. Players are able to be re-signed by their incumbent club at anytime, but if a player is unsigned in mid-October when free agency (the new football year) begins, then he is free to negotiate with any club.
This needs to be regulated, policed and enforced strictly. Any evidence of players approached or negotiating with rival clubs (unless the incumbent club has given the player the permission to) prior to the end of a season must be investigated. Such systems work in leagues such as the NFL and in FIFA. To maintain the integrity of the player transfers, it needs to be policed properly in the NRL too.
Furthermore, I'd suggest Cam Smith not look to the AFL's system of player recruitment and transfers. It is highly restrictive and the only way it works in their league is with a decent Players Association and very good work and minimum pay conditions under their CBA. I don't think such a thing exists in the NRL yet, so placing similar restrictions on players who are poorly represented and receive poor entitlements as a collective will challenge it in a heartbeat.
