Trade ban.

[PeterGoulden17]

Am i the only one thinking this?
Hawthorn, going for a 4th straight flag, year after year lure big name players to the club. It's been going on for years. Now apparently they are eyeing off Tom Mitchell and Dion Prestia from the Suns and are quite capable of getting both.
Now we lure Tippett and Franklin in consequtive years and we cope a trade ban and the cola gets scraped.

In my opinion this is beyond a joke, we get punished for not breaking any rules. But where's the restrictions on Hawthorn for 'breaking the rules'.

[Meg]

In what way are Hawthorn "breaking the rules"?

[annew]

In what way are Hawthorn "breaking the rules"?

In what way did swans break the rules?

[Meg]

In what way did swans break the rules?

I didn't say they did (and neither did the AFL actually - they just declined to give a rational explanation for the ban - not surprising as there was no rational explanation).

I was querying the statement above that Hawthorn are breaking the rules.

[Ludwig]

Some may say it's coincidental, while others may not. But why is there a photo of a Hawthorn Player (Cyril) on the cover of the official AFL Rule Book for 2016? And why is the cover adorned in the Hawthorn colours? If this is what the outside looks like, you can only imagine what must be on the inside. Hawthorn don't break the rules, they write the rules.

[Plugger46]

I hate Hawthorn as much as anyone but I can't see what they're doing wrong. They've had players leave and they've picked a few players up. Just using the same twisted crap opposition supporters come up with when attacking us.

You're also listening to the same peanut who said Mason Wood was Sydney bound. Damo never gets them right. He is a dud in every sense of the word. He said Tippo was destroying our culture after one game in R&W. Never accountable.

[Meg]

Ludwig, I know you are trolling but ....... perhaps it's not unreasonable to put the photo of a player from the current premiership team on the front of an AFL booklet?
Ps. I thought you might be more interested in the latest reports of Tom Derickx' non-footy exploits?

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

[Ludwig]

Ludwig, I know you are trolling but ....... perhaps it's not unreasonable to put the photo of a player from the current premiership team on the front of an AFL booklet?

You are right that it's not unreasonable to have a photo of a player from the 2015 premiership team on the cover of an AFL booklet, but what I object to is having a player from the 2016 premiership team on the front cover. It gives the impression that the rules of the game will be interpreted by the umpires in a manner which will lead to a predetermined outcome.

Now, since the brought up the matter of Tom Derickx, who is professional model as we all know, it would make a lot of sense if Tom were on the cover or the AFL rule book. This would give the impression that there are a lot of folks associated with the game who don't have the foggiest idea what the rules of the game are, and for the most part the rules are made up on the run, which would be quite to the truth.

I have written to the AFL reminding them that this will be the first in many years that some punishment has not been meted out on the Swans, so they better get their act together because the season is coming to end soon. I suggested that they ban the Swans from trading or delisting Tom Derickx. I also suggested that having missed out on the rule book cover, Tom should appear with the Easter Bunny on AFL material promoting the Good Friday fixture next year.

[Maltopia]

I hate Hawthorn as much as anyone but I can't see what they're doing wrong. They've had players leave and they've picked a few players up. Just using the same twisted crap opposition supporters come up with when attacking us.

Hawthorn have done nothing wrong. It is the unequal treatment by the AFL that riles us.

I can accept equalisation measures for the overall good of the league, but not when they are applied to a non-Victorian club doing well, but not to a Victorian club that is doing just as well or even better (look at who we lost in Mummy, Malceski, White, Everitt, Membrey vs who they lost, yet we get an inexplicable ban).

[Danzar]

Ludwig, I know you are trolling but ....... perhaps it's not unreasonable to put the photo of a player from the current premiership team on the front of an AFL booklet?
Ps. I thought you might be more interested in the latest reports of Tom Derickx' non-footy exploits?

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

Inclined to agree with you on this....previous editions feature the Premiers on the cover. BUT, it is interesting that past covers show a moment from the previous year's Grand Final and features both teams.

On topic, I still seethe at that ban. Unprecedented. My chief concern at the time was the damage it would do to our club in years to come, given the potential impact on maintaining depth. I wonder whether this is partly behind Horse's deliberate strategy to develop as many rookies as we can as fast as we can.

[Industrial Fan]

In principle it may not be a bad idea if the top4 can't trade in players at a certain contract value or participate in free agency etc.

Free agency has killed the draft especially with the destination club doesn't pay anything in draft terms.

We paid nothing for buddy!

[Melbournehammer]

I get a bit peeved at the constant conspiracy theories swans fans have.

The trade ban was made to even the competition. we had an unfair advantage. perhaps it was a necessary unfair advantage as demonstrated by the basket case that brisbane has become. But it was an advantage that only the swans had. The shannon grant anthony rocca situation clearly showed that retention of very good talent was a problem for the northern clubs, but weve had a sequence of good talented players come to us since those days.

since the trade ban was implemented We lost maybe one or two players in consequence but weve picked up two top five players (two players where there was a constant cry of they are so overrated by swans fans before the respective drafts) for bugger all from the academy.

I dont give a rats about the hawks and their trading. They have done exceptionally well and good luck to them. They traded arguably better than us because the key defenders they traded for were the exact players necessary to complement their talented forward line - a forward line of smalls from rookie drafts and late ish picks. they have gone through a coach suffering serious illness, a key forward with serious health issues, the death of a son of their assistant coach and the turnover of their assistant coaches. its time many of you pulled your heads in about the hawks. i hate their fans and their entitlement culture but i also think longmire has it right - its our job to control what we can control and focus on that. be pleased every day that we stole kennedy from them - a player who in my opinion we owe virtually all of our success to over the past 6 seasons. some of you should look at the players that hawthorn has lost over the past five years and stop moaning.

[Maltopia]

I get a bit peeved at the constant conspiracy theories swans fans have.

I don't think it is a conscious conspiracy. The only thing I hold against the Hawks is their thuggery (Mitchell and Hodge trying to hurt players) and Hodge being caught drink driving and having no real consequence for it. Otherwise, they are a very admirable and exceptionally skilled outfit.

The issue many of us have is the trade ban was over the top and also intended or not, painted us out as cheaters. They could have disallowed COLA allowance for incoming players, or even adjusted our salary cap to take into effect we had COLA for existing players and some other clubs didn't. E.g., if it was felt we were "paying" our existing list an extra $500K in COLA, then factor part of that $500K into a loading figure onto any incoming player's salary. E.g., a new player coming in on $400K is counted as $440K for salary cap purposes to "repay" some of that 500K.

Instead we got a penalty (a ban) which should be applied to cheats. A trade ban was totally unnecessary as the salary cap already exists as an equalisation measure.

Based on your logic, GWS after a couple of more years of success from them being able to maximise the benefits from their AFL granted startup concessions should have a trade ban too as an equalisation measure and that will be ok too?

The ban was over the top, unprecedented, and should only have been applied to a team that was cheating the system, not operating within the AFL's own rules.

[Danzar]

I get a bit peeved at the constant conspiracy theories swans fans have.

Trade ban - conspiracy theory because it was clearly an arbitrary call influenced by other Club's gripes about our trade deals and COLA.
Hawks - not a conspiracy, they're just better looked after than most. They won their Premierships on talent, never questioned that.

[longmile]

They won their Premierships on talent, never questioned that.

I agree. The threepeat has been amazing. But this year the umpiring theyve received has got them over the line in at least 3 games. It has been incredibly frustrating and questionable, they don't need any more help.