It's only ever happened once and it was reasonably distasteful. I was offered what I saw as a job offer I couldn't refuse, one that would allow me to go into business for myself and be closer to my girlfriend who had moved away. I wanted to take the job so, for the one and only time in my life, I had to tender a resignation. Only thing was, I wasn't sure how you did it.
So I tried to do the right thing. I called the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, asked what the proper protocol was and how much notice I was expected to give, and quietly prepared my letter for an amicable parting of the ways.
More fool me, or so I was to discover.
You see, the Pharmacy Guild is effectively a union for pharmacy owners to protect the interest of pharmacy owners. My $100 per year associate membership as an employee gave me access to advice on how to give proper notice. My employer's $2000 a year membership gave him access to a myriad of Guild staff only too happy to call him and tell him that Mark White intends to give notice of his resignation in the next couple of days.
The phone call I received from said employer that evening suggesting he'd have to cancel his family's skiing holiday to Canada as a result of the resignation I'd yet to give (which was absolute BULLSHIT in any case) left a very sour taste in my mouth. Fortunately this was during a time when pharmacists were in such ridiculously short supply there was no way he'd sack me; he needed those final two weeks and although I'd never take my job as a health professional as anything but serious, I may have let his staff know to watch for a dagger to be slipped into their back at any moment. It needn't have been handled this way, it could have been done amicably and maturely (and yes, I admit by the both of us although we have patched up our differences and get along much better now), but it wasn't.
Which is a lovely segue (gee I love that word) to the Phil Davis situation. I'll let @AdamCurley_Fox tell it to you as it is;
"Not sure why all the hysteria about Davis, anyone who thinks Suns didn't lock away blokes mid-season kidding themselves, deal with it #afl"
Too true, far too true. Philthy? You and me are guilty of one terrible, horrible thing. We were honest, up front and truthful with our employers. Much better we'd have remained silent, devious and waited the appropriate time to announce a contract we signed halfway through the season like the Gold Coast crew. Besides, it seems to have gotten you in the same position it got me; thanks for nothing.
It also got you something akin to a "I guess we'll have to cancel our end of season trip because we were waiting for your raffle money". Well, it did actually. It got you this from Adelaide FC's head of football operations' Stephen Harper courtesy of CEO Steven Trigg (who helped establish the rules under which the Suns and GWS operate by the way...);
"We were one of the clubs that agreed to the AFL concessions. Did we think we'd be the hardest hit of all the AFL clubs? Probably not, but as it turns out we are,"
"Our club is bloody disappointed Phil has made this decision. We understand it, but we don't like it".
And then, in reward for his honesty and for fulfilling the obligations of his professional contract he signed with Adelaide when he was drafted, young Philthy was told to empty his locker, find his own physio to rehab his busted shoulder, and I would imagine to "piss off and never come back".
Boo hoo hoo Adelaide, you're breaking my heart. That Phil Ablett really made you the hardest hit of all AFL clubs, didn't they Stevie boy?
Where to from here? Somewhere I like to play a little game of compare, and contrast.
`Bryce (Gibbs) has been a great servant of (our club) for many years and we wish him and his family the very best for the future,’’
Do you hear that ladies and gents? It's the sound of every Carlton member frantically googling "Bryce Gibbs" to ensure he has not signed with Greater Western Sydney.
And he hasn't. Exhale Blue Baggers. That is a statement released by the NRL club Wests Tigers when one of their favourite sons, a premiership player in their sensational and improbable run to the flag in 2005, signed a contract with the North Queensland Cowboys for the 2012 season and beyond. Despite the fact he will still be playing for the Tigers this year as they prepare for the finals. No ill will, no teammates turning their back on him or firing snide tweets at him, just a situation handled with great maturity and respect which largely is the norm for NRL clubs well used to these signings.
Adelaide Football Club has been held up for two decades as a model AFL club. Suddenly, they are being shown up as petty, immature and plain nasty in their handling of a similar signing to that which occurs in the NRL on a weekly basis from season to season. The NRL. The league that spawns Todd Carney. I tell you what, when the NRL can take the moral high ground over you, perhaps you need a little rethink about how you are handling your football club. The Crows would do well to listen and learn.
That said, there are issues within the system that allow the Suns and GWS to sign players that I am not comfortable with. And as per usual, there is a media personality who can articulate my thoughts far better than I. I give you the brilliant Emma Quayle (@emmsq);
"The Phil Davis GWS news is disgusting. Sickening that clubs weren't protected against losing players coming out of their first contract."
And that is where the collective rage of the footy world is, or should be, directed. Adelaide had just invested 3 years in Davis; is a first round pick in a tainted draft fair compensation? And my goodness, let us please not go anywhere near the Tom Scully situation at Melbourne. Whatever you think of the Demon's tanking tactics they do not deserve to lose that player before he has given them fair service. It is galling and from that point of view you can understand the club's and fans' anger.
There is a solution of course. The AFL could have chosen to look at other leagues with salary caps and how they handle their "first contract" players if you will. I'm a huge fan of NHL ice hockey and in that league such newly drafted players sign "entry level contracts", the completion of which occurs after 3 seasons of 10 games or more, and after that time they are considered "Restricted Free Agents". Restricted in that until halfway through the off-season, only their clubs may negotiate a new contract with them and even after that time limit has passed, other clubs may only tender an "offer sheet" of a contract to the player which the club who holds the Restricted player's rights may still choose to match. They hold the final decision as to whether they wish to keep the player or not. Adelaide should have been afforded this choice.
You would think the obvious flaw in this system is the opportunity for a club to throw a ridiculously overpriced contract at a restricted free agent. Not so, because the NHL has the foresight to deal with this problem as well. The NHL has drafted a policy whereby the higher the salary is offered to the free agent, the more draft picks must be given up by that club in compensation. Offer sheets are rare in the NHL world. Quality young players will give their club several good seasons.
If we were to use this analogy for the purposes of our AFL situation, should the Greater Western Sydney Franchise choose to offer Tom Scully a contract to the value of a million dollars per season, they would be forced by the league to give up three first round draft picks; their highest first round picks in drafts 2011, 2012, and 2013. There is no guarantee GWS will be successful in their first three seasons, all of these draft picks could be top 3 picks. Ask yourself two things; would the GWS still go after Scully so hard if this was the case? And should they do so, would Melbourne supporters be truly upset when they would be getting so much in return? I think we all know the answers to those questions.
Of course, anybody who follows the NHL knows there is a kicker; the spectre of Unrestricted Free Agency. The notion that after 7 years of continuous service with your club, or reaching the age of 26, you may sign with ANY other club in the league if you are out of contract with NO compensation to your previous club.
This is what makes Adelaide's reaction even more childish and disrespectful. The AFLPA and Matt Finnis want this kind of free agency. Do you think they won't get what they want? I doubt it. They may not get the percentage of league revenues as wages like they want in the current labour war, but they'll get a massive increase in pay. They may not get free agency exactly matching that of the NHL, but they will get a form of it. It is coming.
And when that happens, your Joel Selwoods, your Cyril Riolis, your Dustin Martins, and your Scott Pendleburys may see out their period of restricted free agency before signing for the highest bidder. Or, if their club has started to struggle and stagnate outside of the final 8, sign for the club that gives them a high chance of a premiership.
Fast forward five years. With their rebuilding of youth in full swing, could that club be Adelaide? Could they benefit from the system that is "bloody disappointing"? You bet they could.
I'm sorry to say it but the fabric of AFL football as we know it is going to change. The kind of loyalty we built our league upon is slowly being torn down, soon to be unrecognisable to us fans. One club players will become less the norm, more the rarity. It will take some getting used to by fans. Obviously it will, because the clubs can't get their head around it either. Adelaide don't seem to have the first idea as to why they have no right to be filthy with Phil.
But hold your head up Philthy, you've done nothing wrong. Nothing that others won't be doing now and beyond. Tip of the iceberg stuff. And no matter what happens, be proud that you are "Philthy" Phil Davis, honest as the day is long.
Of course, being filthy rich will likely soften the blow too. Greater We$tern $ydney? You bet. Stay classy everyone!
Whitey
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