You asked, we deliver. Here is a rundown of the AFL’s free agency compensation system.
Compensation
When clubs lose a free agent to a decent contract offer from another club they are compensated by the AFL with a draft pick. This doesn’t always happen – for instance if a club brings in a free agent of similar value in the same year it loses a free agent, the net effect balances out – so no compensation is awarded. If, like St Kilda or GWS, a club loses a free agent (eg, Josh Battle or Harry Perryman) and do not bring one in, it will be compensated with a draft pick. In the cases of Battle and Perryman, both the Saints and Giants received a pick after their first-round draft picks.
How can the compensation pick be so high for some players?
The short answer is the size of the contract they are getting …