Treloar's situation seems to be significantly different. And to use the argument that the AFLPA stays silent when players want to move is completely disingenuous. Funnily enough the AFLPA represents the players' interests, not the club's or the AFLs.
I am no lawyer, but for a start, the Pies are reported to have told him that they don't see how he can play at the level required while his wife and daughter live in Queensland. I'd have thought that that might have been a breach of discrimination laws.
Secondly, the club is his employer. Their handling of the situation might be easily construed as bullying, another hot IR topic.
Thirdly, he has a legally binding contract at Collingwood which they are bound to honour. I am not suggesting that Collingwood would fail in their legal obligation, but they are clearly pressuring him to move on and alleviate that legal obligation. The player has made it clear though that he wants to stay. So surely an organisation that supposedly represents the player's interests would at least come out and publicly support him in his intention to stay. It might not happen all the time, but this is a high profile case being played out in the media. If I was a player I'd like to know the Association is backing its man, and if I was the AFLPA, I'd want to have everyone think I was doing the same.
Finally, the AFLPA launched an investigation into allegations of impropriety about Treloar's agent getting medical advice from the Magpies surrounding Treloar's secret hip surgery before he subsequently moved to the Pies. They found that his agent had no case to answer, which was publicly in Collingwood's favour. Now their client is coping it from the same club, and they are staying silent. It doesn't sit right with me.
