"It’s a non-event now" : Cornes calls for change to prevent free agency classes from being 'underwhelming'

Kane Cornes has proposed a change in player re-signings in the AFL after labelling the upcoming free agency class as the most underwhelming it has ever been in its formats history in the league.

Cornes, who has been ropable with long term deals handed out in the past to multiple players, thinks the aftereffects of long term deals being handed out to star players across the league, is causing free agency classes to look slim.

Which he believes, provides an opportunity now to change things to avoid this from continuously happening.

“I think it’s becoming a bit of a fizzer, because of the amount of clubs that are just willing to hand out the deals that we see and make sure there’s an offer they can’t refuse so they don’t get to free agency,” Cornes said on SEN Breakfast.

“This year’s free agency class is about as underwhelming as you are going to see.

“Here is some of the names that you need to get excited about.

“Hugh McCluggage I’ll give you, tick. He is the hottest free agent right now, he is a star. He’s going to get paid a million bucks and Brisbane would be devastated if they lost him.

“Other than that, it is incredibly underwhelming.

“Jack Martin, we’re talking Andrew McGrath from the Bombers, Tyson Stengle, Blake Hardwick.

“(Cam) Zurhaar, I can understand there will be some interest in Cam Zurhaar as there will be for Todd Marshall as key forwards are hard to come by.

“But then it’s Dustin Martin, Dion Prestia, Tim Membrey, Oliver Florent, Liam Duggan, Elliot Yeo.

“Tim English is the other big one as well so there’s probably three or four big ones.”

And through the inspiration of other sports leagues around the world, Cornes has offered a solution as to how this problem can be solved and make the game better for the long run.

“We need to make mandatory contracts no more than five years, so that we get more action when it comes to free agents,” Cornes said.

“The whole point of it is to increase player movement. That’s why free agency came in. But it’s a non-event now.

“In the NBA, the max contract is five years. They love the movement; they love the player movement.

“So make the rookie contracts four, which is what they do in the NBA, and make the maximum contact you can sign five years.

“It protects the club’s from these stupid long term deals that they continually get burnt by, it’s better for the game because players are more likely to move in free agency.

“It gives us stuff to talk about, it gives teams that are down at the bottom of the ladder the opportunity to get better because they can target free agents.

“The explosion in these stupid deals isn’t good for the game and you can see that by the most underwhelming free agency class that I think we’ve seen since free agency has come into the game.”