“He’s left for less money”: Why Saints could be let down by Battle compensation pick

St Kilda could be set to receive a band two compensation pick for losing Josh Battle to Hawthorn via free agency.

The Saints have been hoping for band one compensation, which would come after their first pick in this year’s draft (pick No. 8), but Nine’s Tom Morris thinks it’s a real possibility that they’ll instead receive an end-of-first round selection which will be pushed out beyond pick No. 21 once Academy and father-son bids come in.

Morris says that there’s every chance the compensation is band two due to the money that Battle has signed for at Hawthorn, which isn’t on average above $900,000 a year - a number many think is necessary to trigger band one compensation.

“We don't know yet, the AFL will get to work on this in the next week or so,” Morris told SEN Breakfast.

“But there's every chance this is not the pick that the Saints want it to be, which is a band one compensation and a top 10 pick.

“The money doesn't start with a nine ($900,000+), the money is in the $800,000s (per year).

“So it's not a fait accompli that it's band one compensation.”

Morris also revealed that Battle left Moorabbin for less money with the Hawks after the Saints came in with a last-ditch offer of more than $900,000 a year.

“He's actually left for less money,” Morris said.

“The Saints were offering in the end, more money than what Hawthorn have given him as a free agent.

“So it's right on the edge and Saints fans will be watching very closely how this unfolds.

“The compensation is based on the average salary (across the deal).”

The free agency compensation formula isn’t just based on average salary, but also the age of the free agent.

Once the formula is applied, an expert committee will review its outcome. That committee can also recommend an alternative compensation to the AFL GM of Football Operations if they don’t think it reflects fair value for losing a free agent.