Now reaching the midway point of that deal, his club could lose Ryder for nothing should he attempt to successfully demonstrate Essendon let him down. The AFL Commission earlier this year passed the new rule, which was pushed by the players' union as a result of the Essendon drugs scandal, after the AFL Players' Association's mid-term review of its collective bargaining agreement. Ryder has reportedly held fears of the health risks potentially inflicted on him and his family as a result of the club's so-called "pharmaceutically experimental environment". His partner, who last year gave birth to a boy, has a Queensland background. Fairfax Media understands Ryder's management has been in talks with both Brisbane and Greater Western Sydney with the in-form ruckman showing a preference to move to a non-traditional football town. The Bombers are aware of the potential Ryder bombshell.

Chairman Paul Little knows that Ryder's manager, Paul Connors, has been talking to at least two clubs. Connors, who did not return calls on Wednesday, is understood to have checked the status of the rule change with the AFLPA. The AFL's general counsel, Andrew Dillon, has also been consulted. It is understood that while Ryder is not the only Essendon player to have checked the status of his contract, his requests have been more firm than others. Suggestions that West Coast had also been in talks with Ryder were denied by the Eagles. Brisbane has not yet made Ryder a firm offer, but the club's new chief, Greg Swann, declared recently that the Lions had a massive amount of salary cap room which has been estimated at about $1.6 million. It has not been established whether Essendon would legally challenge any attempt by a player to walk out of the club under a breach-of-duty clause. The general view of the AFLPA is that players who were part of the drugs regime and received show-cause notices from ASADA would have no trouble establishing that new clause.

Not only did Essendon's own internal review prove damning, but the players involved will now be subject to annual and ongoing health checks overseen by the AFL, its medical officers and the AFLPA. A free agent would normally have to serve at least eight seasons on an AFL list, but under this new scenario, players would be free to leave and avoid the lottery of the draft or trade period, without any compensation for the Bombers. It is a clause which had been pushed by the players' union for some years but gained momentum with the drug scandal. The AFLPA believes Essendon was in breach of its duty of care to its players in 2012 and last year fielded inquiries from player managers regarding the rights of Bombers players. The AFLPA's former chief executive, Matt Finnis, said at the time: "From our perspective, the principle is quite straightforward. Although the point has clearly been raised in the context of the Essendon situation, the principle is far broader and general in its application. That is, any player who validly terminates his contract as a result of a serious breach by his club cannot in good conscience be required to remain on the list of the club following the termination. Loading

"If such a player could only seek re-employment in the industry via the draft or through a trade organised by the club which breached its duties to him in the first place, that would be a ridiculous situation. "I don't think anyone would say that is fair on the player at all."