Swan Districts want Compensation for Crowley

It will be interesting to see what happens here, but I suspect the Swans will be out both a player and the coin that they put into it, no doubt it will simply fall on deaf ears, even there own AFL clubs appear to be being denied top up players!

RYAN Crowley’s WAFL club Swan Districts is demanding compensation for the loss of its marquee player to Essendon’s state league raid.

Crowley signed with the Swans as a playing assistant coach when he was delisted by Fremantle after 188 AFL games at the end of 2015

However, the 31-year-old has been pinched by the Bombers just three months into his tenure as playing midfield coach and on the eve of his first season back from a year-long doping ban.

Swan Districts coach Greg Harding said Crowley, the 2012 Doig medallist, would leave a gaping hole at his team just eight weeks out from the start of the WAFL season.

“Ryan Crowley is impossible to replace,” Swan Districts coach Greg Harding told foxsports.com.au

“Whether it’s financial or a player or a combination of both, we do believe there should be compensation.

“I appreciate these are highly unusual circumstances. But we’ve lost a key player and one of our coaches through absolutely no fault of our own. It’s really significant.”

Harding’s pleas come two days after Williamstown premiership coach Andy Collins suggested Essendon should be forced to trade a player out of its VFL squad as a means of compensation.

However, the cries of state league clubs are likely to fall on deaf ears as the AFL informed WAFL, VFL and SANFL clubs that compensation in the form of players won’t be forthcoming.

State league clubs will only be reimbursed for sign on fees, relocation costs and transfers to outgoing players such as Crowley for the 2016 season.

“The AFL has advised the West Australian Football Commission that if a top-up player is recruited by Essendon from a WAFL club, either Essendon or the player must reimburse that WAFL club for any costs already paid to the player,” WAFC General Manager Football Affairs Jon Haines said.

“Reimbursement would be negotiated on a case-by-case basis between Essendon, the WAFL club, the player and his management.

“The WAFC has been working closely with the AFL and the WAFL clubs throughout this unique situation and will continue to collaborate with clubs impacted by the recruiting concessions offered to Essendon.”

Harding, who has spent five seasons at the helm following 78 games for Fremantle and West Coast in the late 1990s and early 2000s, expects Crowley to rejoin Swan Districts when his time at Essendon concludes.

“We’re stoked for Ryan,” he said.

“He’s had a huge impact in the short time he’s been with us and we’ve already had discussions with him where he’s indicated he’s keen to come back — either as a player or assistant coach — whenever he’s done at the Bombers.”

Swan Districts also lost Ryan Davis (Gold Coast), Nathan Broad (Richmond), Jesse Glass-McCasker, Brad Lynch (Western Bulldogs) and home grown Yestin Eades (Essendon) in the recent national and rookie drafts

Williamstown’s Collins bemoaned the potential loss of forward Sam Dunell, defender Matt Dea or ruckman Ayce Cordy, going from the VFL’s reigning premier to the Bombers.

“We’d struggle to find quality players at this time of the year to replace any of these guys,” Collins said.

‘We’d love for Essendon to offer up like-for-like players as compensation from their VFL list.”

http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/essendon-topup-swan-districts-calls-for-compensation-after-loss-of-ryan-crowley/news-story/76c0c02ba4c865f5218cbf82d931426c

The news does not get any better, it looks like Subiaco recruit Sam Grimley may be also on his way to Essendon,

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/afl/a/30728358/grim-news-for-subiaco-recruiting/

why should clubs at any level be disadvantaged by a franchise that clearly did the WRONG THING.....i know its money tv rights & so forth but what happened to ''if you do the crime you do the time'' ? in a fair world Essendon should be banned for at least this season but obviously the VF whoops the AFL is a business first & foremost & a guardian of football is almost an after thought

hope you blokes get what you want

the two WAFL clubs (or any other) should be demanding that these players be released back free when Essendon finish their season so perhaps they can join their respective clubs going into their finals

thankfully no Glenelg player is in their sights as far as we know