The Ridley trade denial of '25 hindering Port's Butters coup

The AFL has announced that it will not permit the rumoured trade between Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs involving Todd Marshall and multiple first round picks.

However, as SEN's Tom Morris has revealed, the introduction of the ruling behind the AFL’s decision wasn’t intended for deals such as this one – and it’s caused a stir amongst club officials.

Last season, a deal was almost struck between Brisbane and Essendon over defender Jordan Ridley.

It was an incredibly cheap trade that would have seen Essendon receive no more than a third or fourth round pick in exchange for their former All-Australian.

However, the deal was linked to an agreement over wantaway free agent Sam Draper, and the compensation that the Bombers would receive if the Lions upped their contract offer for the ruckman.

Morris explained the exact details behind the deal, the memo sent out by the AFL last year and how it applies – or doesn’t apply – to this year’s complications over Zak Butters.

“These conversations between Port Adelaide and the AFL and more recently, the Western Bulldogs, have been happening for some time,” Morris told SEN’s Crunch Time.

“Port Adelaide have been trying to work out how they can bring in three first round draft picks to the club.

“One would be a compensation pick, the other two at least would be via a trade, with Todd Marshall’s name thrown up a while ago even though he is contracted until 2029 on a lucrative deal.

“What’s happened here is that the Brisbane Lions last year, and Essendon, discussed the possibility of sending Jordan Ridley to Brisbane via a trade.

“Ridley was set to be traded for a third or fourth rounder, so long as Brisbane upped its offer for Sam Draper so that Essendon received Band 1 compensation.

“That was knocked on the head – the AFL said you can’t do that because you can’t conflate the two things.

“You can’t conflate free agency compensation and also the trade. A memo was sent to the clubs the day before the Grand Final last year, which detailed that.

“Ridley stayed at Essendon, and Sam Draper ended up going to the Brisbane Lions, but Essendon got Band 2 compensation as a return for him.

“The purpose of introducing it was so that clubs couldn’t manipulate contracts so that the other club got Band 1 compensation… but Zak Butters is not that.

“Zak Butters was always getting Band 1 compensation – he is on nearly $2 million a year at the Bulldogs over nine years.

“That’s not the issue, and that’s what Port Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs are arguing – that the purpose of introducing this memo or this regulation that the AFL did last year doesn’t apply to Zak Butters, because they were always going to get Band 1 compensation.

“The AFL would say that it’s about the integrity of the draft; they can’t just hand over Pick 5 and everyone else gets pushed back because they want to conflate the two things – the trade period and the draft.

“Then, Greg Swann (AFL footy boss) goes on AFL360, and he confirms that it will be Band 1 compensation for Zak Butters – which we knew, but it is unusual that the AFL would say this publicly.

“I can’t imagine how frosty the phone call must have been between Jason Cripps – the Port Adelaide list boss - and Justin Reid at the AFL when Port Adelaide were informed on Wednesday that they weren’t allowed to do what they have been working with the AFL on for several weeks.

“Whatever backflip occurred at league headquarters at that time meant that it just wasn’t going to play out the way that Port and also the Western Bulldogs thought.

“They are now working on other ways to get this done – they are working out other trades and other draft picks that could go back and forth.

“To be fair to Port and the Dogs, they have gone to ground, and most clubs that I’ve spoken to think that this sort of thing should be allowed to happen so long as it doesn’t manipulate what the compensation could be.”

All eyes remain firmly on the Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide as a deal for Zak Butters looms as the largest in AFL history.

Trade Period commences on October 5.