BRISBANE Lions list manager Rob Kerr has revived the idea of trading future draft picks to assist player movement.
Kerr said the move would give all clubs more options when arranging trades during the AFL's player exchange period.
Although no formal proposal has been put to the League in relation to trading future picks, AFL.com.au understands it is open to such an idea if evidence suggested it would facilitate player movement.
It is believed such a move has significant support at club level although the AFL Players' Association has not yet considered the concept seriously.
Under the idea clubs would be able to trade picks in future drafts in exchange for a player or to secure other picks.
"Deals could be done a lot a quicker if such a system was introduced," Kerr said.
Clubs consider picks in the first or second round of the NAB AFL Draft to be the commodities of real value when it comes to trading, however because the current system only allows picks from the upcoming draft to be traded, activity is constrained.
Gold Coast's respected list manager Scott Clayton agreed it was an idea that warranted serious discussion.
"There has always been a view that trading future draft picks would be a natural evolution [of the draft and exchange process] and be good to look at as long as we put some restrictions in place to stop anyone from 'selling the farm'," Clayton told AFL.com.au.
Limits could be placed on how many years in advance draft picks could be traded or clubs might, for example, be restricted from trading future first round draft picks in consecutive years.
The Lions traded five players at the end of 2013 and after extended negotiations received selections No.22, No.25, No.28, No.33, No.34 and No.41 in exchange.
The club also had pick No.7 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft.
Kerr said deals such as the one involving trading Elliot Yeo to West Coast – he went in exchange for pick No.28 – could happen more quickly in the future if the option of trading future picks was available when clubs negotiated.
"We might have said 'your second round pick next year is more valuable to us then your second round pick this year' and we are then taking a punt because they might rise up the ladder," Kerr told AFL.com.au.
"We might say we'll take pick 28 but we want next year's third round pick [too] because it suits our list build."
The AFL has already had a taste of the effect of future picks, with Gold Coast receiving a pick that could be used in future when it traded Josh Caddy to Geelong at the end of 2012.
The Caddy pick will be activated at the end of this season with its eventual position in the draft order being dependent on where Geelong finishes on the ladder in 2014.
The ability to trade for future picks may also enable clubs to take more picks into drafts with strong pools of local talent available.
This would suit clubs in non-traditional football states who run Academies that develop local talent – a key platform for developing football in those states – because a club that had a bumper year of Academy graduates could both select its home-grown talent and participate in the trade period to acquire a pick for the following season.
The rules relating to draft and exchange have become part of ongoing equalisation discussions, with the veterans allowance under threat and the cost of living allowance afforded to the Sydney Swans being modified.
The effect of free agency is still being evaluated and the competition is coming to the end of a period where drafts are compromised because of the introduction of two expansion teams.
Free agency eligibility is part of discussions between the AFL and the AFLPA as they conduct a mid-term review of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
AFL.com.au understands those discussions are progressing well with some hope they may be concluded towards the end of April.
