Swans told: No trading
The directive to the Sydney Swans was put in place to ensure the club did not acquire players through those avenues until the controversial Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) was phased out at the end of 2016.
The AFLPA said it disagreed with the decision because of the adverse impact it would have on players either wanting to join or leave the Sydney Swans.
Under the new rule, the Swans can only receive draft picks in return for players they trade out and cannot bring in players through a trade or free agency, unless a player is a delisted free agent.
The AFLPA described the decision as "fundamentally wrong and unfair".
Speaking to radio station SEN on Friday morning, CEO Paul Marsh was immensely disappointed his organisation had been left in the dark and said he couldn't understand the logic of the decision.
"You look at a guy who might be just outside the starting 22 and it actually makes it more difficult for that player to move from Sydney for more opportunity," Marsh said.
"I don't think they've addressed the key issue, which is COLA.
"They are phasing [COLA] out over the next two years … so I just don't understand why we couldn't wait for the two years to transition through and then this issue would go away.
"It's very disappointing, this is genuinely an issue that affects players and it's an issue the AFLPA should have been consulted on – I'll be seeking a please explain from the AFL on this."
The AFLPA said in a statement the decision was a reaction to concerns around COLA and "an introduction of this new restriction is simply unfair to the club and players".
It intends to discuss the matter with the AFL and said it breached the fundamental tenet of free agency, which was that players could choose the club they wanted to join if they qualified as a free agent.
"This is fundamentally wrong and unfair on those players who have earned the right to choose where they play,” the AFLPA said.
