AFTER Hawthorn received pick 66 as compensation for losing free agent Clinton Young to Collingwood in 2012, the Hawks' then football manager Mark Evans said the club felt like it has been "pick-pocketed".
"I don't know if anyone could look you in the eye and say this is a just system," Evans said in his former football life at the Hawks.
Evans's responsibilities are now at a much higher level as the AFL's operations manager, but the same free agency compensation system exists and may have a significant impact on this year's draft.
The ripple effect of the Brisbane Lions' surprise win over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday saw attention shift immediately to the free agency compensation system.
The Lions' win gave Carlton the No.1 draft pick, and the Blues may now be better off to let ruckman Matthew Kreuzer pursue a lucrative rival offer if it means they get a first-round compensation pick.
That would leave the Blues with the first two picks in the draft, with first call on talented draft pair Jacob Weitering and Josh Schache.
There is still plenty to play out, but if that eventuated it should be the last time the system allows such an early compensation selection for losing a player.
The time for change has come.
The draft's purity needs to be an enshrined principle of the competition, particularly at the top end of the pool.
The AFL has gone some way down that track with a new points-based bidding system that is complex but will see clubs paying market value for father-son and northern state academy players.
However the addition of compensation picks – decided by a formula that is kept under wraps by the League based on the player's new contract and age – means clubs not involved in the switch of a player from one club to another are having their draft position compromised.
By making a tweak to the process, the AFL could alleviate some of the confusion around compensation.
Presently, picks assigned during rounds are given to clubs based on their ladder positions.
For instance, if the Blues were to get a first-round pick for Kreuzer it would come after their first draft pick, which is No.1.
If Patrick Dangerfield leaves Adelaide as a free agent, the Crows would also get a first-round compensation pick after their first selection, probably a pick in the early teens.
The inequity of that has been seen before – Melbourne acquiring pick three for James Frawley and Hawthorn receiving pick 19 for Lance Franklin.
This should change.
If compensation picks continue to be a part of the landscape (in a recent AFL.com.au survey more than 80 per cent of coaches said clubs should be compensated for losing free agents), they should not be linked to ladder positions, especially in the first round.
Picks should either come at the end of rounds – an option possible in the current framework – or, if that is not sufficient, in the middle of rounds. The AFL could also add a protected zone on the first 10 or so picks that stops any compensation in that area, or have an independent panel determine a player's worth.
It is clear the impact of adding a compensation selection to the first 6-8 picks is too much for clubs with surrounding picks.
This year that cost could see the Lions lose access to one of Weitering or Schache, even if they have their own possible claims on an early compensation pick for departing ruckman Matthew Leuenberger.
If that came through, Gold Coast's third pick could be bumped to pick five, and Essendon's pick No.4 shift to No.6. At the top of the draft such a move is crucial.
There are still good draft prospects available in that range, including Aaron Francis, Darcy Parish, Charlie Curnow and Sam Weideman, but a move back of one or two places would be hard to stomach for clubs in that range.
