THE AFL has continued its strong push for a mid-season trade period, with some clubs leaving Wednesday's annual briefing believing that a 2019 introduction is almost inevitable.
The League met with club presidents and CEOs at Etihad Stadium where football operations manager Steve Hocking presented a number of different alternatives for a mid-season player movement period.
It's understood the League deems a trade period to be the most viable mid-season option, while its determination to shake up player movement left some clubs in little doubt that there will be change from next season.
Two club CEOs told AFL.com.au they now felt a 2019 mid-season trade period was a done deal.
AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan said last week the existing player movement system of a two-week trade period in October and November's national, pre-season and rookie drafts had to be "opened up further".
"Two weeks after the trade period you get Sam Docherty do his knee and he's an All Australian last year and one of Carlton's most important players and you've got (retired Saint) Leigh Montagna sitting on the sidelines who might be able to do a job for a year," McLachlan said.
"Carlton might be two years off from competing for a flag but if it was Brodie Smith and he [injured his ACL] after the draft and Adelaide is right in that flag window you should have some more flexibility, and I think the same thing applies when you come into the middle of the year.
"Two years ago, Port Adelaide lost all their ruckmen. So you've built for four or five or six years to be in the flag spot and to have no flexibility if you've got a specific amount of injuries doesn't make much sense to me."
The AFL also briefed clubs on the planned committee to oversee all major football decisions, which would replace the laws of the game committee and player movement working group. The committee would be chaired by Hocking and consist of handpicked candidates from a cross-section of the industry.
Clubs were also briefed on the fixturing of next year's AFLX and JLT Community Series competitions, and respect and responsibility guidelines.
