The AFL has the potential to leverage its free agency compensation mechanism to provide West Coast with what could be pick two in the upcoming national draft, should Oscar Allen choose to leave at the end of the season.
Footy Classified host Sam McClure indicates that this scenario is quite feasible, drawing on previous instances where the league has deployed its “secret herbs and spices” strategy to assist struggling clubs.
Despite this possibility, Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd contends that the Eagles’ captain no longer justifies the approximately $1 million per season salary that would be necessary to activate band one compensation.
Allen leads the winless Eagles off the field Getty
The AFL has a history of awarding top draft picks to clubs in disarray via this free agency compensation system; North Melbourne, for instance, was allocated pick three in 2023 when Ben McKay departed.
Similarly, Melbourne secured pick three in 2014 when key defender James Frawley moved to Hawthorn.
With the Eagles yet to win any matches after nine games, they have not formally requested a priority pick from the AFL, but may not need to do so if Allen chooses to leave and another club pays enough to activate a top draft pick under the league’s obscure methodology.
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Brisbane is reportedly keen on the 26-year-old, with Nine’s chief AFL reporter Tom Morris stating he would likely join the Lions if the season came to an end today.
Nonetheless, Lloyd feels that Brisbane should be cautious about paying a premium for Allen, especially given his performance issues in 2025 and the ongoing health issues that have sidelined him since early 2024.
“Earlier in the year, I would have been quite positive about him, ready to sign the cheque, but at this moment, I would hesitate,” Lloyd mentioned on Nine’s Footy Classified.
“It’ll be fascinating to see the quality of footy he can produce, as he’s not worth $1 million currently. His value is probably around $650,000.”
Veteran journalist Damian Barrett has been a long-time critic of the AFL’s compensation framework and believes that the league will persist with it without adequate oversight.
“It’s not right. I’ve never fully grasped the compensation system, even after multiple briefings and the documents provided to me; it seems to change annually,” Barrett stated.
“Take Joe Daniher, for instance. When he left Essendon for Brisbane, he signed a three-year contract. Just a year after that, the Lions extended it by two years.
“The compensation pick was allotted based on the initial deal, which was clearly structured to make Daniher appealing enough to be a top-10 pick for Essendon.
“They prefer we don’t discuss it, but that’s just a recent reminder of the current situation. They claim to have tightened the loophole.”
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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