Leading AFL player manager Paul Connors has delivered a backhander to Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs over their handling of Jack Watts and Jake Stringer respectively during the trade window.
Both players are contracted but have been told to find new homes at this year's trade period.
Connors agrees that it is any AFL club's prerogative but finds it a bit rich that they also demand a king's ransom in a trade for a player, who they are showing the door.
"It's probably a bit frustrating from our point of view," Connors told SEN radio.
"All of a sudden clubs are wanting to publicly put our players, and any player, on the market and then go, 'Hang on we actually want pick 10 for this player, or pick 20'.
"There's a caveat on it.
"They're happy to throw them out there, but then there's all these caveats in and around this."
The Bulldogs put Stringer on the trade table soon after a torrid campaign dogged by poor form, injury, and off-field issues came to an end.
The Dogs have demanded pick 11 from Essendon in return for Stringer and have threatened to hold him to his contract next year if they don't get a suitable trade.
"There's one where people are speaking publicly about it being time to move on and they're now hedging their bets because they're not getting offered exactly what they thought," Connors said.
"It's frustrating from our point of view how that's been played.
"He's contracted but it's really hard to go back to an organisation where he's probably not welcome.
"It's a backflip isn't it?"
Connors toured Geelong's facilities with Watts on Tuesday, but said his client still had plenty of time to decide if he would opt for a trade to the Cattery or his other major suitor, Port Adelaide.
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