In an age of skyrocketing AFL salaries, one thing can be more valuable than money
For a long time, being a one-club AFL player was worn as a badge of honour.
Players who stuck with one club through thick and thin, who resisted the lure of other offers when their club was plummeting down the ladder, were seen as men of integrity.
It remains a difficult choice for many players who are keen to secure their long-term future beyond the end of their football career.
These days, it's easier for players to move clubs than it has been at any point during the draft and salary cap era, and many are taking full advantage.
So it may have come as a surprise to see Rory Sloane, who was born in Victoria, recently commit to the Adelaide Crows for another five years.
It will most likely see the 28-year-old play the rest of his career in South Australia, despite intense speculation he would return to play in Melbourne.
Loyalty wins out
Sloane said it was important to him to be a one-club player.
"That certainly does mean a lot," he said.
"When my kids are older they can look back on the Adelaide footy club and know dad played there."
Back in 2015, before he signed his previous contract, Sloane was on record as saying the AFL should have a loyalty scheme to encourage footballers to be one-club players.
There is some romance left in football.
But there is now so much media scrutiny on playing contracts it has reached the point where a talented player such as Adam Cerra at Fremantle is already fending off questions about returning to Melbourne — before he's even halfway through his current deal.
Post-footy careers boosted
Many current players will say the go-home factor is overplayed.
It's more about the environment the club provides, and in a perfect world, playing an entire career for the one team is the aim.
Stars like Leigh Matthews, and more recently Nick Riewoldt, Jonathan Brown and Matthew Pavlich are respected and revered because of the loyalty they showed throughout their career — and it has also helped set them up after playing.
Eagles premiership player Michael Braun played all of his 228 AFL games with West Coast after being recruited from Echuca in Victoria, despite offers to return to the state where he grew up
"I think it was about 2000 after the 1999 season when Mick Malthouse left. I was a Collingwood supporter growing up and my dad was a 20-year member," Braun said.
"The temptation [to return to Victoria] was there, but Trevor Nisbett (Eagles CEO) grabbed me at the wake after the season and said 'you are not going anywhere' and the rest is history."
Braun played in the club's 2006 flag-winning team and has set up his life in Perth, working in business and media after retiring in 2008.
"They [the Eagles] are very well connected in WA and across Australia, so they are willing to sometimes, if you are doing it tough … give you a job or find someone to give you a job, or if you need anything or you need some guidance," he said.
"Football was very good for me and West Coast was very good to me."
West Coast midfielder Andrew Gaff is at the same crossroad in his career now that Braun was almost 20 years ago — a Victorian with offers to go back to Melbourne. Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch is in the same boat.
The difference though is free agency, meaning Gaff and Lynch can leave to a club of their choosing without a trade.
But as footballers increasingly manage their careers like a business, it sometimes pays to look a bit further around the corner, and building a brand on loyalty can be a good place to start.
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ABC .net
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