New AFL Players Association (AFLPA) CEO, James Gallagher, has said that they will not work with the AFL to bring in restrictions for players signing long-term contracts.
The trade period has seen players such as Christian Petracca (2029) and Charlie Curnow (2029) request trades from their clubs with years to run on their contracts, with AFL CEO Andrew Dillon questioning the long-term contracts earlier this year.
Gallagher, who started his new role as the AFLPA CEO last week, has explained why the association won't work with the AFL to bring in contract restrictions for players.
“The short answer is no. We have a restrictive environment... Long-term deals work well both ways. You don’t have concerns from Collingwood about Nick Daicos, who is on a long one, or North having Harry Sheezel," Gallagher said on SEN.
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“There are benefits to them... Occasionally they don’t work out, but that’s not enough to bring in restrictions. Clubs need to have the ability to set up their lists in the right way. For some clubs, that’s long-term deals, and others haven’t gone there.
“Any restrictions we would be loath to dive into.”
Gallagher was asked if he could envision clubs trading players who were still contracted in the future.
“In the current environment, it’s unlikely. We want an environment where it’s flexible for players... Dictating where they go and play is a real challenge. There’s a fair bit of balance both ways in this. We will see how today plays out, but I suspect some players will go where they want and others won’t," Gallagher said.
Gallagher also spoke about what players will need to do if they don't end up where they want to be at the end of the trade period tonight.
"If you can't get to where you want to and you're under contract, there's an obligation to front up," he said.
“To buy in and move forward. This happens every year, players do this, they want out, and they struggle. Then they front up for pre-season.”