Craig O’Donoghue: Why Ben King injury is a timely reminder about dangers of offering long contracts

Gold Coast young gun Ben King’s world changed dramatically on Thursday when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament at training. You can bet list managers around the AFL had their world change too. Watching a future star who is out of contract at the end of the season undergo a knee reconstruction has to immediately change the landscape in which they are viewed, regardless of immense talent and potential. One day and one contest produce different levels of future risk. While the Suns were always confident of signing him, clubs were preparing to throw huge, long-term offers at the key forward. Some clubs will keep those offers on the table. Others will wonder about the risk considering both Ben and his twin brother Max have had knee reconstructions. But it’s another sign of the dangers of long term deals in an unpredictable world. Jack Darling signed five-year contract in July 2019. Less than six months later, the world changed when the first case of COVID-19 was discovered. Darling’s world changed again just two years into that deal. Unable to play unless vaccinated, Darling isn’t allowed to train or play for West Coast and the club has no way of replacing either his star power or massive wage until the end of the season. Adam Treloar signed a six-year deal to join Collingwood in 2015. While at the Magpies, his life changed when he met netballer Kim Ravaillion. Then they had a baby. Then she signed to play in Queensland and suddenly Collingwood experienced buyer’s regret. That ugly spat led to Treloar joining the Western Bulldogs and multiple Collingwood officials losing their jobs – including coach Nathan Buckley – as the team fell down the ladder. Other highly paid players were traded too. Clubs used to refuse long-term contracts. But Hawthorn’s Lance Franklin changed that by signing a nine-year deal worth $10 million to join Sydney in 2013. The AFL responded by scrapping the cost of living allowance rule and then barred the Swans from trading. The club didn’t see that coming. Players love long-term contracts. Who wouldn’t love heaps of money over a long period which guarantees the ability to pay off a house? But clubs are getting burnt. How is Stephen Coniglio’s lucrative seven-year deal at Greater Western Sydney looking after two seasons? Lachie Neale signed a five-year contract at Brisbane and got cold feet after three seasons when he became a father. Life can be tough when you don’t have family support. It’s not only life circumstances that change. Nat Fyfe signed his six-year deal in 2017 when the club was re-building. But just two seasons into that contract, the CEO, coach and footy manager were all gone. Neale, Bradley Hill and Ed Langdon left too. The entire club looks different and the latest plan is to win a flag by 2025. If a week is a long time in footy as the saying goes, then five, six or nine years is a lifetime. Changes are constant. In the past four seasons, we’ve seen eight clubs change their coaches. Other clubs have either changed CEO or football operations manager. The key decision makers are far from guaranteed to still be around when contracts get hairy. Rule changes and game trends also change the value of a type of player over time. We’ve already seen this week how US teams and players handle contracts they no longer want. Aussie Olympian Joe Ingles destroyed his knee and Utah traded him. Ben Simmons was finally traded by Philadelphia in a deal which included James Harden moving teams for the second time in 13 months. NBA clubs don’t need player permission to trade them. Players have the security of money and tenure, but know they can be moved. That provides power for both parties. But AFL is a different world. Every long-term deal sounds great when it’s signed and clubs trumpet the joy of keeping their superstar for life. When Christian Petracca and Dustin Martin sign for the next seven years and then immediately win Norm Smith Medals, the deals look amazing. But what about Jared Polec being delisted two years into a big five-year contract? There will always be a buyer prepared to offer an outlandish deal which a player can’t refuse. That won’t change unless clubs start putting each other under pressure to say no.