A "mooted" future Australian Football League draft "would see clubs trade listed players as well as live picks, moving ultimately" toward a U.S. sport model, according to Sam McClure of THE AGE. Though "still years away," the league's plan is to "streamline the three forms of player movement -- free agency, trade and draft -- into one." It would be "likely to transform draft night into a drama-filled spectacle absorbing the entire football industry." The AFL's player movement working group will meet next Thursday, and "its first priority will be the implementation of live trading of picks during this year's draft." The mechanics "appear complex," but there is "widespread approval" at league HQ, the players' association and all 18 clubs for live picks trading to be introduced in the draft in November. That "would be seen as phase one." Phase two would be to allow a club to trade any listed player during the draft, similar to the NBA. Phase two is "far from being implemented and is sure to cause issues with the players' association," which "almost certainly would seek a reduction in years before a player becomes a free agent." Players would also want -- as in the NBA -- the right to include "no-trade" clauses in their contracts. One difficulty will be "alteration of the players' collective bargaining agreement, which was only agreed to midway through last year" (THE AGE, 2/14).
