AFL slaps trade ban on Swans

[The Big Cat]

The COLA beatup is really getting ridiculous. The offending matter of the Buddy Franklin signing was scrutinized and approved by the AFL. If it was a rort, then the AFL could have and should have disapproved the transaction. Simple as that. So the headline should read :



There are these kinds of 'hard to believe' transactions almost every year:

Hawks go back to back, yet sign big name FA - SYSTEM RORT
Mal Michael retires from Brisbane Oct. 2006, unretires and signs with Essendon Nov. 2006 -SYSTEM RORT
Luke Ball quits St Kilda and names Collingwood as club of choice, then miraculously slips to pick 30, Collingwood's first live pick - SYSTEM RORT
Mitch Clark too ill to play for Melbourne, but well enough to play for Geelong in miracle recovery - SYSTEM RORT
GWS use AFL to bankroll Mumford contract and give peanuts to Swans as compensation - SYSTEM RORT
GSW fail to deal to with Swans for Jed Lamb, rather using #1 position in PSD to him for free - SYSTEM RORT

There are always a number of transactions that don't look quite kosher under scrutiny, or at least taking advantage of a particular favourable situation. These are just a few of the one's that come to mind. But they were deemed to be legal under AFL rules and passed without penalty.

That is except 1 !!!

You can add the AFL allowing Essendon to put Ramanaskas on the Rookie list (as he had a long term illness) and then playing him in the first game of the season.

[Ludwig]

You can add the AFL allowing Essendon to put Ramanaskas on the Rookie list (as he had a long term illness) and then playing him in the first game of the season.

The more you look at the kind of things the AFL turned a blind eye to makes it all the more sickening the kind of vindictive punishment being directed at us for simply following the rules.

[CureTheSane]

Starting to feel less like the AFL is shafting the Swans and more like the Swans have treated their supporters like saps.
It all makes sense.
Swans knew all along that this was on the cards and as quotes "hoped that it wouldn't eventuate"
The did what they had to do to keep COLA and hoped for a miracle.
When the miracle didn't come they came out and acted all surprised.
they didn't fight back, because the AFL would just laugh knowing that the Swans knew it was on the cards.

Handled poorly by the AFL, handled much worse by the Swans who simply aren't showing their fans any respect...

[S.S. Bleeder]

Don't agree with this as you are punishing the club, but it is your choice. We are all disenchanted at the moment.

I agree. That's a stupid argument from JPK12. Clearly he was never a REAL supporter; more of a downhill skier who supports the club when things are going well. Why would you want to penalize your team for a decision made by the VFL? If he wants to do anything he should be cancelling Foxtel and AFL subscriptions, writing letters, ringing Trade Radio/SEN, putting a dead rabbit in Eddie's pot on the stove, putting a steamer in a lit paper bag on Eddies front porch, etc, etc.

[Meg]

AFL slaps trade ban on Swans

Wrong thread.

[S.S. Bleeder]

You can add the AFL allowing Essendon to put Ramanaskas on the Rookie list (as he had a long term illness) and then playing him in the first game of the season.

What about David King kicking/kneeing Craig O'brien in the head in the 1996 GF? No free kick and O'Brien didn't come back onto the ground. That cost us the premiership as far as I'm concerned.
Arrrgh, don't get me started on the many injustices done to my Swans.

- - - Updated - - -

Boyd, one season 10? games gets a seven-year deal said to work out to net Boyd one million dollars a season? I sure hope the AFL attach the same conditions to that as they did to the Swans with the Buddy contract. That is, the Bulldogs wear the full amount in their salary cap whatever happens to Boyd (breaks down, turns out to be a dud etc.)

He's the new Bulldog Billionaire. Just like Eddie's guys are the Bogan Billionaires.

[annew]

Wonder if the Boyd deal will be investigated as Buddy's long term contract was. Swans have been royally shafted for doing nothing wrong, I am so mad about it still.

[liz]

Wonder if the Boyd deal will be investigated as Buddy's long term contract was. Swans have been royally shafted for doing nothing wrong, I am so mad about it still.

There is an important difference between the Buddy and Boyd situations (other than the fact one is a very good player who is undoubtedly worth $1m a year - or more - while the other might become a good player one day). That is that the Dogs traded for Boyd (and reached agreement with the releasing club), while the Swans recruited Buddy as a restricted free agent whereby the Hawks had the choice to match the contract. FA contracts are always likely to be subject to more scrutiny if there is a suspicion they are structured to make them unmatchable. Not that I am suggesting Buddy's was.

[Cant turn right]

Logically it makes no sense for me to punish the Swans but I feel like cancelling all our families memberships. And talking the 10 or so people that I go to the footy with by talking them into swans memberships through the nominated your mate thing to cancel theirs too. I am also a volunteer Auskick coach in Sydney. This has made me feel so aggrieved that I don't want anything more to do with afl. Maybe I'll feel differently but I don't think so. My kids are young enough for me to influence them to get them involved with something else

[Reggi]

I view AFL as WWE now. Not sure I will renew not sure I will follow again.

Just corrupt

[jono2707]

I'm sure the overwhelming majority of Swans fans aren't even aware of this development, or at least wouldn't understand (or care about) the implications. The few of us here that are righteously indignant about the whole trade ban aren't much more than a drop in the ocean really....

[JPK12]

Clearly he was never a REAL supporter; more of a downhill skier who supports the club when things are going well.

Excuse me? Thats rather rude assuming what you have.

- - - Updated - - -

Starting to feel less like the AFL is shafting the Swans and more like the Swans have treated their supporters like saps.
It all makes sense.
Swans knew all along that this was on the cards and as quotes "hoped that it wouldn't eventuate"
The did what they had to do to keep COLA and hoped for a miracle.
When the miracle didn't come they came out and acted all surprised.
they didn't fight back, because the AFL would just laugh knowing that the Swans knew it was on the cards.

Handled poorly by the AFL, handled much worse by the Swans who simply aren't showing their fans any respect...

This is exactly how i feel. A week on and still nothing except a few standard replies.

[Nico]

I'm sure the overwhelming majority of Swans fans aren't even aware of this development, or at least wouldn't understand (or care about) the implications. The few of us here that are righteously indignant about the whole trade ban aren't much more than a drop in the ocean really....

Interesting comment. Bit like a Prime Minister saying that he/she speaks for every Australian. You undersell Swans supporters. Most Swans supporters would know. I doubt a single Melbourne supporter, member or not, doesn't know about the ban. We are all righteously indignant. So it is only a few on RWO who are miffed. Garbage. Fair dinkum, to say you won't renew is like Richmond supporters burning their member ship card after they get done in the first round. NRF. Not renewing hurts the club and becomes a double whammy.

Just a hiccup, a pre season hiccup. We will be there when the whips are cracking.

[liz]

Everyone is entitled to their own take on this, but from my perspective:

- I still follow a club with an incredibly strong list, and one that has just recruited one of the most highly rated 18 year olds in the land
- I still follow a club that I expect to challenge for the premiership next year, and (obviously) in the process win far more games than it loses
- I still follow the club that boasts a player - in Franklin - who can do what no other current day player can do and who brought joy to my face countless times last season. I, for one, am looking forward to more of the same in 2015
- I still follow a club that had the courage to take a risk (the Franklin contract) that was beyond comprehension of most clubs. It may yet backfire but no-one can accuse them of sitting on their laurels or taking the safe route in an effort to entertain us
- I still follow a club whose administration is the envy of most other clubs in the competition
- I still follow a club that conducts itself with integrity and grace in the AFL public arena
- I still follow a club that I am proud to boast about to whoever will listen. The second thing that most people find out about me after we meet (after my name) is that I am a fanatical Swans supporter and long may that continue

So, our club may or may not have been screwed by the AFL. Just because we can't see what they are doing about it behind the scenes doesn't mean they are not doing anything about it. I don't believe the ruling will have had any significant detrimental effect on the list for 2015 and the club has the best part of a year to do something about it for the 2015 trading period. We appear to have most of the thinking media behind us, and the AFLPA. I suspect more than a handful of the other clubs are secretly aghast as well - not only on the merits of fairness but also because it limits their ability to trade with the Swans.

It's the AFL that has transgressed, not the Swans. If nothing changes, I will find a way to take my angst out on the AFL. Though I am not dumb enough to think that they'll listen. But I have no intention of giving up on all the pleasure and pride that the Swans deliver to me. That would be cutting off my nose to spite my face.

[Untamed Snark]

Well said Liz.