The AFL has cleared the path for Nick Dal Santo to be treated as a free agent should he and St Kilda not act on trigger clauses in his contract to renew his term at the Saints for another year.

The AFL's Ken Wood has considered the Dal Santo situation and concluded that if the player and club are prepared not to re-sign they were comfortable for him to be treated as a free agent.

It is uncertain what compensation St Kilda would receive for Nick Dal Santo. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo

Other clubs have questioned whether the Saints midfielder should be able to be a free agent as an uncontracted player if he was also in the situation of having satisfied trigger clauses in his contract to require the Saints to renew his contract. The clubs have said the ruling will open a path for more clubs to seek to sign more players to shorter-term contracts with trigger clauses attached for additional years so that they can have the flexibility to utilise free agency in a similar manner in future.

Some clubs have privately raised their misgivings about the arrangement, saying that electing to void a contract - or for both sides to voluntarily walk away from a commitment to renew a contract on specified terms so as to invoke free agency - could be considered a form of draft tampering.