Adelaide board member Mark Ricciuto says suggestions the club underpays players is ‘laughable’
THE contract criticism that miffs Adelaide board member and Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto.
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ADELAIDE power broker Mark Ricciuto has dismissed speculation the club is offering “unders” to off-contract link-man Tom Lynch.
Key trio Rory Sloane, All-Australian defender Rory Laird and forward Lynch must be re-signed by Adelaide given the acrimonious off-season departures of pacy half forward Charlie Cameron to Brisbane and key defender Jake Lever to Melbourne.
Lynch, 27, is considered integral to Adelaide’s game style and structure as a mobile conduit between midfield and its all-star forward line featuring Eddie Betts, skipper Taylor Walker, Mitch McGovern and Josh Jenkins.
Ricciuto said continued criticism of Adelaide for “low-balling” in contract negotiations was misguided.
“All I would say is that it is laughable what gets put around in the media about different contracts and different players at different times of the year,” Ricciuto told Triple M.
“It is laughable when you actually know what is going on.”
Ricciuto declined to confirm whether final negotiations had commenced with Lynch who provides the quick ball movement essential to Don Pyke’s blueprint and received an All Australian nomination last season.
Adelaide got a steal in 2012 when St Kilda offloaded Lynch, the No.13 pick in the 2008 draft but will be the subject of significant interest from Melbourne clubs if the contract process drags on.
Lynch averaged a personal best 21 disposals, seven marks and three inside 50ms last year while kicking 30 or more (31) goals for the fourth time in his career.
Free agent Sloane is the most sought-after signature of 2018 and Ricciuto hopes the dual club champion doesn’t put off contract talks until season’s end like Richmond’s Dustin Martin last year.
“Hopefully it doesn’t otherwise it is going to be a very long season,” Crows board member Ricciuto said.
Adelaide coach Don Pyke says it is incumbent on player managers to demand reasonable remuneration for their clients.
“The challenge for managers is to represent fairly where their client sits and what his potential value is,” Pyke said.
Adelaide chief executive Andrew Fagan also questioned the validity of numbers spruiked in contract negotiations.
“You need to be a bit careful of the numbers that are quoted as sometimes they are really wrong,” Fagan said.
Ricciuto foreshadowed an announcement on Adelaide’s leadership ensemble and Walker’s retention as captain “in a week or so”.
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