Sorry to breakup the fantasy talk, but knickers-in-twist... <div> <div>/start rant <div> <div>Watching AFL 360 today and Robbo said he didn't like Daisy saying things like 'footy is a business' & that he has to look out for himself. Seriously, WTF?! The whole point of free agency (correct me if I'm wrong, please) is for players to get paid WHAT THEY ARE WORTH. You might what to be a one club player (as Daisy stated), but if Freo/Port/GWS/anyone with salary cap room offer you good dollars, then you'd be crazy not to take the cash and run. If it costs you a premiership, that's your call. I don't think you can seriously say team loyalty is a reason to take a lower wage. Most guys struggle to play 10 years, let alone do it on good coin - they have to maximize their earning opportunities while they can. This isn't a NFL/MLB/NBA where a guy is going to sign a contract worth multi millions a year at age 30+. Players should be able to take advantage of these options without journos (and I usually have a lot of time for Robbo on 360, don't read HS coz pay wall...) bagging them for taking what they have earned. If Jobe was to leave Essendon next year for 7 figures, I'll be upset but he has earned those dollars. /end rant What does everyone else think?
I am in favour of free agency. I would love every player to only ever play for one club, it would make the $400 bucks I spent getting a $200 Goddard jumper look like a better call, but while ever the clubs can treat the players as trade tokens than the players should have some way to balance it. They do have short careers, being a one club player will often mean more when they finish, and players like Goddard and those who follow his example may one day regret the call emotionally, they will never be as revered as the guys who could have left and didn't, their reputations always slightly less, but they have every right to earn what they can while they can. I think Robbo may have been more talking about the fact that Daisy has basically put the club and supporters on notice, before a ball has bounced, that he may well leave, that would piss me off if I was a Collingwood supporter, not that Collingwood supporter's emotional well-being is high on my radar He would be better placed to keep his mouth shut and just get on with football for now, mouth platitudes to the media and let all the machinations take place behind closed doors.