You could be forgiven for thinking AFL players now just chase money in the era of free agency, but most still recognise club loyalty is an essential component for team success, writes Nick Holland.

We have all seen the super fund advertising campaign where a deep voice asks the viewer to "compare the pair: same age, same income". One person proceeds on an upward journey after investing wisely while the other descends on his negative gradient after making the wrong choice.

Compare the pair, Nick Riewoldt v Brian Lake. Roughly same age, same income. Riewoldt invested in club loyalty and faces a footy career devoid of premiership glory and twilight years without colour. Lake, on the other hand, moved to Hawthorn and has been rewarded with two premierships, a Norm Smith medal, and a rejuvenated love for the game.

Riewoldt's loyalty to the Saints in tough times is an admirable characteristic. You could be forgiven for thinking he is the exception, and that club loyalty may become a thing of the past due to the increased trading of players and the attractive opportunities offered by free agency.

Football is an emotional game and coaches play on these emotions. They will often seek an emotional commitment from their players to remain true to the club and colours. There is an argument that this emotional plea is losing its impact now that AFL is so professional and free agency allows for the movement of players just like any other business.

Further supporting this argument is the fact that we are also seeing coaches jumping ship to pursue greener pastures at rival clubs. In his final year as Geelong coach, Mark Thompson sought Gary Ablett's commitment to the club. Post season, Thompson also left Geelong to join a rival club. Just like any other business, the key to success in the modern AFL era appears to be professionalism rather than relying on the emotion of club loyalty.

The flaw in this argument is that football is not like any other business and you can't treat footballers like standard employees of an organisation. Businesses are about making profits whereas football clubs are about winning premierships. Money and professionalism help but are not enough to achieve the premiership goal.

The intangible emotive element of club and team loyalty is still a necessary component for any successful side.

No matter how professional a team is, it simply cannot take the risk of having a player run out onto the field who does not share that emotional bond of loyalty to his club. The team needs to be united and a player who is already thinking about next year and his new club is a liability.

Buddy Franklin and Hawthorn in 2013 were the exception to this rule but Geelong losing Ablett at the end of the 2010 season and then going on to win the 2011 premiership minus their champion player is an example of how a query on a player's loyalty can affect the season of the whole team.

Most players recognise that this loyalty factor plays an essential part in team success. As a result it will take more than just money to get a player to leave their club. Looking at the 2014 free agents, it is apparent that this trend of reluctance to leave a club for purely financial reasons is continuing. Most of the players wanting to leave their club have special reasons for seeking a change.

Dayne Beams has elected to leave Collingwood, not for money but rather to be closer to his sick father and to play football with his brother at the Brisbane Lions. Pat Ryder is frustrated with Essendon's handling of the ASADA investigation and wants a fresh start with a premiership contender at Port Adelaide

James Frawley has signed with Hawthorn. Once again this change was not due to money but rather because he had been devoid of success at Melbourne and wanted to take the opportunity to experience finals football. Jarrad Waite was in a similar situation and has left Carlton to pursue premiership glory at North Melbourne.

Despite the fear that free agency would spell the end of the one-club player it seems that players still recognise that club loyalty is an essential component for a team sport success. In the first two years of free agency less than 20 per cent of eligible free agents actually moved clubs.

In fact, for every Buddy Franklin situation there are countless examples of star players who have turned down offers from rival clubs to remain one-club players. Travis Cloke, Jarryd Roughead, Matthew Pavlich and Bryce Gibbs are all good examples of loyal one-club players.

It is clear that the majority of players recognise the importance of loyalty in achieving success and are largely choosing to remain loyal to their club despite the opportunities presented to them.

The best example that club loyalty is not yet dead in the AFL is to consider Jonathan Brown and Nick Riewoldt. Similar age, similar income. Both remained one-club players in the era of free agency despite the offer of greener pastures.

When Riewoldt calls it quits he, like Brown, will leave as a legend of the game and his club. Football is an emotional game and the emotive element of club loyalty should never be underestimated.

Nick Holland is a former AFL Player and is currently a lawyer. View his full profile here.