It was 40 years ago (today) . . .

It was twenty years ago today, Sgt Pepper taught the band to play. . .

 

Listening to and reading about the dramatic changes to AFL lists through this [insert sponsor] AFL Trading Period brings to mind the tumultuous times of the 10-Year Rule of 1972–3.

 

In the 60s and 70s, player movements were tightly controlled. A player needed registration by the governing bodies to be eligible to play, and they required a form known as a “Clearance” before endorsing the registration of players moving between clubs, between competitions and even between States.

 

Kevin Sheedy famously crossed from Prahran in the Victorian Football Association to Richmond in the Victorian Football League — without a clearance. It meant that Sheedy was banned from playing in the VFA again. At the time, that was a BIG deal and BIG news.

 

In mid 1972, the VFL decided that players with ten years’ continuous service with a VFL club would be entitled to join the club of their choice — without a clearance.

 

Perennial cellar-dwellers, North Melbourne, had already secured the services of Ron Barassi as coach for 1973. When the 10-Year Rule was announced, North President Allen Aylett and Secretary Ron Joseph went on a legendary recruiting drive.

 

They secured mid-fielder/half-back Barry Davis from Essendon, 100-goal full forward Doug Wade from Geelong and rugged utility John Rantall from South Melbourne. Along with the great Barry Cable from WA and Malcolm Blight from SA, home-grown youngsters Keith Greig, Wayne Schimmelbusch and David Dench also arrived at North.

 

Other established players who transferred under the 10-Year Rule were Carl Ditterich (from St Kilda to Melbourne), Adrian Gallagher (from Carlton to Footscray) and George Bisset (from Footscray to Collingwood).

 

By May 1973, the clubs had lobbied the VFL to drop the 10-Year Rule.

 

It was enough of a window for North to go on to win their first Premiership in 1975 and their second, after the drawn Grand Final against the Barcodes, in 1977.

 

It’s really the only other time in VFL/AFL history where so many well-known players have changed clubs almost at once.

 

It seems unlikely, though, that current cellar dwellers will benefit the way North did in the 70s. Those were heady times.

 

Interestingly, almost all of the 10-Year Rule players eventually returned to their original clubs as coaches, match committee members and the like. It was a time of not much money in the game for the players and North offered what was then considered truckloads. It bought the players’ services, but not their hearts.

 

AussieRulesBlog wonders what we’ll say of the first year of free agency forty years from now.