Former AFL coach Rodney Eade believes the balance of power during the trade period has shifted back in favour of the clubs in recent years.
While players requesting trades is more common with each passing season, we have seen examples of clubs denying those requests in the last two trade periods.
Sydney and Tom Papley, Essendon with Joe Daniher and Orazio Fantasia in 2019 and the Western Bulldogs and Josh Dunkley, teams are now holding their ground.
“I think players did have too much power because clubs buckled and thought ‘Ah well, do we get the maximum we can get now? He’s got 12 months to go’," Eade told SEN's Bob and Andy.
"But I think that wheel has turned a bit in the last 12 months with Josh Dunkley and Orazio Fantasia and obviously Joe Daniher, we’ve seen teams dig their heels in.
“I think they (players) can have the power, but it depends on if you let them. If clubs are strong enough and build an environment that convinces them to stay … everything is repairable.
“Players want to play and play in the best environment they can and play in a successful team and play their best footy.
“If they sook and it’s not repairable, then they’re the ones that suffer.
"It’s just maybe that when footy finishes you just haven’t got a relationship with that player and I think that happens, it’s just about whether the relationship is okay while they’re inside the four walls.”
A survey of AFL coaches conducted by AFL Media revealed on Friday that 13 of 15 senior coaches were in favour of allowing teams to trade players against their will.
This would bring the league’s trade period closer to what we see in the NBA and NFL, with players moving on at the behest of the team that controls their contract.
Currently, AFL teams can only trade a player if they request to move.
