AFL commentator James Brayshaw has proposed a bold rethink of how clubs deal with players who ask to leave while still under contract, suggesting they should forfeit any financial guarantees if they walk away.
Speaking on Triple M, Brayshaw argued that too many drawn-out disputes could be avoided if responsibility shifted back to players once they demand a move.
‘That’s the end of our involvement financially’
“If you sign a seven-year deal, let’s say, for a million dollars a year and then three years into that deal, your manager and you say to the club, ‘I want out, I want to go somewhere else,’” Brayshaw said.
“At that point, the club doesn’t have to guarantee you another cent. You go to the club you want to go to and do a deal with them.
“If the club ships you off, they’ve got to keep paying whatever it is to get you to a million, because it’s their decision to get rid of you, but if you make the call, ‘I don’t want to be here anymore, I want to leave,’ then [the club] turns around and says, ‘That’s fine, but that’s the end of our involvement financially.’
“For me, that is the simplest fix for all of this. That’s the fairest way to go forward with all of this.”
Brayshaw’s comments come as debate rages across the competition about the power balance between players, managers and clubs when it comes to long-term contracts.