Cam McCarthy linked to South Fremantle

Rumour is about that Cam McCarthy may be headed back to South Fremantle after arriving back from struggling with homesickness at GWS. Will be interesting to see what GWS choose to do, trading him to Freo in the trading period may not have been such a bad idea in retrospect!

From Yahoo,

"Greater Western Sydney are planning to fight a likely bid for Cam McCarthy’s contract with the club to be severed.

Crisis talks over the 20-year-old’s future are due to continue today in Sydney between McCarthy’s manager Colin Young, GWS, the AFL and the AFL Players’ Association.

McCarthy is not directly involved in the talks, having flown home to Perth on Monday night just three days after being granted indefinite leave.

The homesick forward asked to be traded to Fremantle at the end of last season after having signed a two-year contract extension with the Giants in April 2014.

It is expected that McCarthy will ask to be de-listed by GWS for his mental wellbeing.

ButThe West Australian understands the AFL’s newest club has no plans to agree to any such move, with GWS officials intent on either convincing the WA forward to return or retaining McCarthy on their list until October’s trade period.

McCarthy would potentially become a de-listed free agent for 2017 if grounds were found to cut short his playing contract, allowing Fremantle to sign him without giving up either picks or a player.

McCarthy’s original WAFL club South Fremantle are keen to welcome him back if he is released this year.

An AFL spokesman confirmed the eligibility of any player to be registered in a lower league soon after being de-listed on compassionate grounds would be judged on a case-by-case basis.

Giants chief executive David Matthews said last week the club had agreed to give McCarthy time away from the club after the key forward failed to meet the pre-season commitments expected of an AFL player.

“The key thing at the moment is to determine whether he has the appetite and whether he thinks a full-time professional career in the AFL suits him,” Matthews said.

Meanwhile, former WA Football Commission finance director Michael Hnatojko has been appointed to South Fremantle’s board."

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/afl/a/30717635/giants-dig-in-on-mccarthy/

Without trying to judge the kid as I don't know his state of mind and how he is travelling, I am not really comfortable with using homesickness as an excuse to get a move to the club of choice. If allowed the template will be
- ask for a transfer
- desired club offers nothing reasonable in return
- transfer refused
- player gets "homesick" on full pay or de-listed
- moves for free one year later to club of choice.

The reasons may be genuine but it also smacks of gaming the system.

i can see both sides of the story but what about if you joined the armed forces, would they let you out for home sickness ? i do not know the answer to that but i'd presume not