WHAT sticks out at first glance at the free agents list released by the AFL on Friday is how many premiership stars will be on the open market at the end of the season in some shape or form.

Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Brad Sewell are the Hawthorn headliners. Paul Chapman, Steve Johnson, David Wojcinski and Matthew Scarlett at Geelong. Collingwood's Travis Cloke, Heath Shaw and Harry O'Brien, and West Coast's Darren Glass, Daniel Kerr and Andrew Embley also appear on the list.

All would appear to have plenty of football left in them. Wouldn't clubs who would like to think their premiership window is nearly ajar, such as Fremantle, Richmond, Melbourne, North Melbourne and Adelaide love to bring players of that ilk into their dressing rooms?

Not to harp on poor Jack Watts for example, but imagine what it would do for his development, to have Hodge, the 2008 Norm Smith Medalist and A Grade hard-nut standing alongside him in the forward pocket for Melbourne, barking out orders and telling him where and when to lead. Not to mention the sort of mentoring he could provide off the field.

And it's not just premiership stars whose path to changing clubs will now become easier. Champions such as Brett Deledio, Brendon Goddard and Leigh Montagna are also there for the taking come the end of the season.

But before we get too excited at the thought of a free agency feeding frenzy, let's look at what actually has happened in the past and what the football industry believes is likely to take place in October.

Players coming out of contract at the end of the season have had huge contracts dangled in front of them for years. Take away the exceptional circumstances of the expansion clubs, which lured the likes of Gary Ablett away from Geelong and Tom Scully from Melbourne, the only really big name to change clubs in recent years in a free agency-like situation was Chris Judd from West Coast to Carlton in 2008. And the go-home factor loomed large in that particular instance.

The big names almost always stay where they are. They knock back big money to do so, but as long as they are paid appropriately, can see some sort of opportunity for short or medium-term success and are happy with the coaching and physical environment at their clubs, they are almost always happy to stay.

Player managers and clubs have been spruiking this message all year as speculation started to amount ahead of Friday's release of the free agency list. They don't foresee a major surge in player traffic at the end of the season, particularly when it comes to the big names.

Where there might be some movement is among the players who have served eight years at their clubs, but who by virtue of not being among the top 25 per cent highest paid players at their club, immediately become unrestricted free agents.

Players such as Tom Murphy (Hawthorn), Jordan Russell (Carlton), Ryan Crowley (Fremantle) and Shannon Byrnes (Geelong) can be fairly described as "role players" but are the types who could well be tempted to change clubs with the offer of more security in terms of both dollars and length of contract.

And let's be upfront about it. Great blokes they might be, but none would likely be considered critical to the premiership aspirations of their clubs.

It is players like those who were in the forefront of the AFL's thinking when free agency was created. There needed to be another mechanism for players to change teams, to keep good footballers in the game for longer and to allow fringe players more freedom of movement and control over their playing destiny.

Free agency will make for an entertaining and busy October in AFL-land. But let's not kid ourselves; when Luke Hodge steps on to the MCG for the first time in 2013, he will still be sporting the brown and the gold.

You can follow AFL Media senior writer Ashley Browne on Twitter @afl_hashbrowne

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.