Essendon coach Brad Scott reveals that mid-season trade period is “inevitable”

Essendon coach Brad Scott has conceded that he believes a mid-season trade period being introduced in the AFL is "inevitable", following reports that the league could allow players to be traded against their will.

Speaking on AFL 360 following Essendon's ANZAC Day defeat, Scott admitted that people needed to remain open-minded to the potential of players swapping teams mid-season, but conceded that "protections" were needed.

“It doesn't sound right – trade players against their will,” Scott said on AFL 360.

“You can put certain protections around that.

“You might say clubs can trade him but they've got to pay him 10 or 15 per cent more than he's currently on.

“I think we've got to be open minded rather than being I'm either all for it or all against it. The devil's in the detail here.

“My personal view is it's inevitable.

“Ned Guy, he's in charge of that at the AFL and he'll talk to all the clubs. Once there's an appetite from the industry, I think it'll move pretty quickly.”

The AFL and AFLPA are currently negotiating terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, with the league reportedly keen to introduce a new mid-season trade period to increase player movement, interest and competitiveness.

Speaking alongside Scott, Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin admitted that he believed mid-season player movement would generate more interest in the game and like his Bomber counterpart, thought it would be introduced to the AFL sooner than later.

“I think you can see what generates an interest in the game in the trade free agency system as it sits now and I think the more we can do it within our game, the better it's going to become,” Goodwin said.

“You look at competitions around the world and you see what's happening whether it be clubs can trade players against their will, or just Mid Season trades, Mid Season opportunities, it generates interest within the game.

“I can see it starting to transfer to our game, whether that's in the next few years or that's five, six or seven years away, who knows.

"You feel it's not too far away.

“You'd be naïve to think it's not coming in at some stage.”