Former St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt has slammed the power struggle between clubs and players during the trade period.
Essendon captain Zach Merrett, who is signed on until the end of the 2027 season, is joined by North Melbourne skipper Jy Simpkin, who is signed until the end of the 2029 season, in reportedly looking at a trade during the offseason.
Riewoldt said that clubs have no power anymore when players request a trade, and he wanted the rules changed to bring a more equal balance.
“The player has all of the security, the player has all of the power. Because guess what, if you sign the seven-year extension and you don't like where you are in three years, we'll just kick up a stink, and we'll get you traded, and players always end up going where they want to go,” Riewoldt said on Triple M’s Mick in the Morning.
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“The balance of power has swung so far in the favour of players that the clubs now are just being walked all over. So what needs to happen now is AFL clubs should be able to trade players to other clubs without their consent.
"Then it's a fair market. So if you want to put your hand out for a 7-year deal, that's great. But guess what, if three years into it you're not living up to your end of the bargain, we can trade you. We can trade you to another club so that you can't have it only one way. It is not fair on the clubs.”
There are also reports that players such as Charlie Curnow (2029) and Christian Petracca (2029) may request trades during the offseason despite having long-term contracts.
Riewoldt had a simple message about anyone questioning the change to give clubs more power in the trading of players.
“Guess what, welcome to world sport.”