“Distasteful” free agency should be abolished by the AFL according to Geelong coach Chris Scott.
In the mix for upcoming Melbourne free agent James Frawley, Scott’s first-hand experience with the highs and lows of attempting to shield free agents from rival clubs has turned him against the off-season transaction period.
“I don’t think there are many people, maybe apart from some of the players, that like free agency,” Scott said. “The easiest solution is to abolish free agency.
“The AFL is working really hard with the clubs and all stakeholders to equalise the competition and give everyone a fair chance … [and] free agency flies squarely in the face of that.”
Geelong experienced perennial All Australian Gary Ablett walk out the front door to a greater offer from Gold Coast, but Scott says the impact extends further than just losses to the playing group.
“We’ve lived through it with [Harry] Taylor, we’ve lived through it with [administrators and football staff] Brian Cook and Neil Balme and Steven Hocking and Stephen Wells. We aren’t in favour of it but we understand that’s the reality so we’re trying to take a mature approach.”
The Cats have a well-documented interest in Frawley, an in-his-prime defender likely looking for a fresh start away from Melbourne’s rebuilding project. Despite benefitting from summer acquisitions including Josh Caddy and Jared Rivers in recent seasons, Scott failed to propose an alternative for the highly entertaining transaction period, an off-season highlight.
“From my point of view, unfortunately we’ve been dragged into a specific situation here, but we don’t want to inflame it any more than it has (been), and purely that’s out of respect for the individuals involved.”
Last off-season saw the inconsistently brilliant Buddy Franklin walk away from long-time team Hawthorn and the chance at a premiership defence in favour of a nine-season, huge-dollar contract with finals rival Sydney; a deal that likely brought Scott to tears at the time.
“My simplistic view of it, without free agency we’d have more loyalty,” Scott said. “Most players, most really good players given a choice would play at one club their entire career.”
Photo: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images
