We should not be scared of free agency | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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We should not be scared of free agency

shad

shad

Tiger Champion
Apr 6, 2010
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Castlemaine
The upcomming changes to the rules in regards to free agency should be welcomed by the RFC. On the one hand we may be understandably nervous about the prospect of losing some of our top players as the chase the possibility of both induvidual and team sucess. But I believe that at the present time any rule which helps facilitate the free flow of quality players between teams should benefit us. We are certainly not suceeding under the present system. I understand that there has been alot of frustration about our drafting of mature players from other clubs in recent times, but if we can do it well without giving up picks then it could really fast-track our improvement.
 
Aside from money, what could we possibly offer a top line player that would make them want to come to RFC? They want to play in finals and despite our infamous 3-0-75 vision, we are miles away from finals; probably at least 5 years.

Football wise we will struggle to offer anything better than what other clubs offer. We might attract players who are only in it for the money. Whilst money is obviously important to everyone, are mercenaries best for the club?
 
Ridley said:
Whilst money is obviously important to everyone, are mercenaries best for the club?
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I'd have Chris Judd at Richmond any day of the week.
The landscape is about to change. We've got to be at the forefront of that change.
 
Tigers of Old said:
I'd have Chris Judd at Richmond any day of the week.
The landscape is about to change. We've got to be at the forefront of that change.
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Agree. But we might be going to war shooting blanks.
 
Tigers of Old said:
I'd have Chris Judd at Richmond any day of the week.
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Clearly. But the problem is Judd then takes up 1/5 th of your salary cap. To win a premiership you need about dozen quality players. It is hard to poach say 4 or 5 if you've already poached Judd and be able to fit them all in. Instead of Judd on 1.2m you really need Corey, Bartel and Selwood on 400k each. To do get them to accept that sort of money you have to already be in the window.

As Ridley alludes we have nothing over and above what other clubs can offer to attract players. Therefore we would be likely having to outbid the likes of Collinghwood, Adelaide et al to the tunes of 100,000s of thousands because we can't offer flash facilities, Visy sponsorships or opportunity to regularly play finals.

Anyone who says free-agency will be a net benefit to Richmond hasn't thought this through, in my view.
 
evo said:
Clearly. But the problem is Judd then takes up 1/5 th of your salary cap. To win a premiership you need about dozen quality players. It is hard to poach say 4 or 5 if you've already poached Judd and be able to fit them all in. Instead of Judd on 1.2m you really need Corey, Bartel and Selwood on 400k each. To do get them to accept that sort of money you have to already be in the window.

As Ridley alludes we have nothing over and above what other clubs can offer to attract players. Therefore we would be likely having to outbid the likes of Collinghwood, Adelaide et al to the tunes of 100,000s of thousands because we can't offer flash facilities, Visy sponsorships or opportunity to regularly play finals.

Anyone who says free-agency will be a net benefit to Richmond hasn't thought this through, in my view.
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Well articulated evo. We should be OK facilities wise (if our new facilities ever get finished) but the sponsorships and finals opportunities are where we will struggle.
 
It will initially be a net negative or net cost, I suspect

Targeting the disgruntled will be the way to go .. the "gruntled" probably won't want to know us
 
evo said:
As Ridley alludes we have nothing over and above what other clubs can offer to attract players. Therefore we would be likely having to outbid the likes of Collinghwood, Adelaide et al to the tunes of 100,000s of thousands because we can't offer flash facilities, Visy sponsorships or opportunity to regularly play finals.

Anyone who says free-agency will be a net benefit to Richmond hasn't thought this through, in my view.
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What he said.
 
Herr_Tiger said:
It will initially be a net negative or net cost, I suspect

Targeting the disgruntled will be the way to go .. the "gruntled" probably won't want to know us
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Exactly
 
evo said:
Clearly. But the problem is Judd then takes up 1/5 th of your salary cap. To win a premiership you need about dozen quality players. It is hard to poach say 4 or 5 if you've already poached Judd and be able to fit them all in. Instead of Judd on 1.2m you really need Corey, Bartel and Selwood on 400k each. To do get them to accept that sort of money you have to already be in the window.

As Ridley alludes we have nothing over and above what other clubs can offer to attract players. Therefore we would be likely having to outbid the likes of Collinghwood, Adelaide et al to the tunes of 100,000s of thousands because we can't offer flash facilities, Visy sponsorships or opportunity to regularly play finals.

Anyone who says free-agency will be a net benefit to Richmond hasn't thought this through, in my view.
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Not sure Evo. I think if the Punt Rd and Cragieburn grounds become top notch then we are OK facilities wise. The Visy type deals will become more available once we start winning, not at a finals levels but a gradual improvement. Something like 3, 6, 10 wins over the next three years. If we are to go down the path we are going (which IMO is the right one) and blood youngsters and take our lumps right now we could be in a really good spot in 2012 when free agency comes into play. Does free agency start at the end of next year for 2012 season or the end of 2012 for the 2013 season?

The one thing we can offer potential free argent target is playing time and front end loaded contracts. Two big carrots. We just need to go after the right types. If Blair Hartley is any good at his job he will be able to find the guys on lists who have shown something but cannot crack game time. Free agency should be your secondary option to getting better, the draft has to be the main avenue. But you should be able to add smaller pieces to the puzzle. It will be more useful to teams pushing for a flag who need just one or two pieces to crack it.

The key is the draft for us, if we do that right, the rest will fall into place. Nothing new to you. That is were I would push any spare cash floating about.
 
SCOOP said:
Not sure Evo. I think if the Punt Rd and Cragieburn grounds become top notch then we are OK facilities wise. The Visy type deals will become more available once we start winning, not at a finals levels but a gradual improvement. Something like 3, 6, 10 wins over the next three years. If we are to go down the path we are going (which IMO is the right one) and blood youngsters and take our lumps right now we could be in a really good spot in 2012 when free agency comes into play. Does free agency start at the end of next year for 2012 season or the end of 2012 for the 2013 season?

The one thing we can offer potential free argent target is playing time and front end loaded contracts. Two big carrots. We just need to go after the right types. If Blair Hartley is any good at his job he will be able to find the guys on lists who have shown something but cannot crack game time. Free agency should be your secondary option to getting better, the draft has to be the main avenue. But you should be able to add smaller pieces to the puzzle. It will be more useful to teams pushing for a flag who need just one or two pieces to crack it.

The key is the draft for us, if we do that right, the rest will fall into place. Nothing new to you. That is were I would push any spare cash floating about.
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Some reasonable points there Scoop but you're probably missing one key point about those "fringe" players. Free agency is only applicable to those that have played 8 seasons with one club. Most clubs (maybe not RFC :p) would have weeded out those types well before 8 years comes up.

In any case, it seems many are thinking that FA will allow RFC to attract the guns of the competition. I can't see that happening.
 
Look at free agency like this.

Anyone drafted to their club before 2004 will be eligible to move to a club of their choice in 2012. Players drafted in subsequent years will be free to do so as they complete their 8 years with a club.

Looking at our list, the likes of Moore, Newman, Jackson, Foley, Deledio, Tambling, McGuane, Thursfield, Polo and a few others who are likely to be gone by then are our only exposure. Several of the names mentioned might be as well, who knows.

Here’s the interesting part of how it will work. Clubs will have to nominate their “Top 10” each year. Should a rival approach one of their “top 10” they will have the right to match the offer and retain their player. Should a rival club approach someone outside of their “top 10” it will be “sayonara and thanks for the memories” if that player agrees to move.

Looking at our list above, it will not be hard for us to retain our free agents. We will probably have only five or six of these guys left, if that, and if we want to retain them they will be in our top 10. Remember, we will have a young list.

The following year, Graham and White are our only potential new free agents. Again, this should present no problems.

Now lets say, for the sake of the argument, by 2012-13 we have bullet-proofed our list, are cashed-up and decide to let the ferrets and blood-hounds loose on a bit of a free-agent stalkarama.

Our poor recruiting in the period 2001-2006 actually works in our favour. Any club that recruited well during this period may have 12-20 free agents. They will have a problem, due to salary cap and other constraints. Just because a player is "Top 10" doesn't mean they will be able to match all offers, there is still the matter of a salary cap.

There is a real opportunity for a smart operator to identify potential targets and ramp up the pressure on a couple of sitting ducks.

Just as a matter of interest, look at Hawthorn’s list of potential free agents. Hodge, Ladson, Brown, Franklin, Roughead, Bateman, Gilham, Mitchell, Lewis, Murphy, Osborne, Guerra, Young, Taylor and Sewell. In the second year they will be joined by Dowler, Ellis, Tuck, Muston, Bailey and Birchill. What if a club like Richmond made a play for five of their free agents at the same time? How could they deal with that?

That is a serious opportunity to pillage. And that is just one club.

Again, for the sake of the argument, let’s say Richmond finish last in 2010 and 2011. They will have two PSD picks which they could use to target 22-24 year olds from other clubs, in anticipation of free agency. Then they get the opportunity to add 3 -4 free agents in 2012. Meanwhile, they go to the drafts in 2010 and 2011 as planned, helping to keep space in their cap.

Any player who qualifies for free agency and is not considered a top 10 player by his club will be entertaining offers from anyone willing to make them. The beauty is that GC and GWS will have to reduce their lists and salary caps in 2012-13, pretty much taking them out of the equation as well.

I hope Gale and Hartley really go for this. It could be a once-in-lifetime chance to finally get this club back on track.
 
A couple of points. The first is that we are well placed to exploit the potential of free agency given that Benny Gale was very influential in setting this in motion when president of the PA. He will understand its nuances well.

The second is that maybe we should ask for salary cap concessions from the AFL as a way of mitigating the hurt that the draft limitations over the next few years will impose on us. That way when Lids, Cotch, Martin and Vickery are in their prime we may be able to top up with quality rather than draft from the bottom. It would give us that advantage over the competition that the top draft picks were meant to afford us. We could go after players like Leuenberger, Hurn, Otten or Boak and have the dollars to afford them.
 
Ridley said:
Some reasonable points there Scoop but you're probably missing one key point about those "fringe" players. Free agency is only applicable to those that have played 8 seasons with one club. Most clubs (maybe not RFC :p) would have weeded out those types well before 8 years comes up.

In any case, it seems many are thinking that FA will allow RFC to attract the guns of the competition. I can't see that happening.
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Oh yeah, I agree with that. When I say fringe I mean guys like Matthew Stokes, Shannon Byrnes, Micheal Rischitelli, Heath Grundy, Troy Chaplin ect.

Blokes who play but don't get key roles. Plug a few in and you get better. I doubt we would chase A graders, not in a spot to go for the Judds. Need to produce our own champions and put core list players around them.
 
For sure we should be scared of losing players to free agency,
Its like an open door for any player to walk out without the club being able to do anything,
I think we will lose more then we gain..
some of our players will want to walk, but not many will want to come...

rumours still about delidio not happy, My opinion is he will go to the club of choice
 
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