Chris Judd’s controversial third-party deal with Visy has died a quiet death

THE most contentious third-party deal in AFL history has died a quiet death with Visy winding up Chris Judd’s highly-paid contract.

Carlton training at Visy park, 7th January Melbourne Australia. Chris Judd preparing for his last pre season at Carlton. Picture : George Salpigtidis

THE most contentious third-party deal in AFL history has died a quiet death with Visy winding up Chris Judd’s highly-paid contract.

Judd was paid more than $200,000 a year to push Visy’s environmental message but the AFL eventually ruled all of that money must be within the salary cap.

Critics of the deal believed it was only in place to help get Judd to Carlton, but the 2012 salary cap crackdown effectively made it pointless for the Blues.

They went from paying none of the money in the cap to half of it to all of it — rendering it pointless from a list management point of view.

Carlton this week announced their Princes Park facility would be renamed Ikon Park, with the recycling and packaging company reducing their financial commitment to the club.

Chris Judd’s deal with Visy was highly controversial at the time.

It still has a financial arrangement with Carlton but has tapered it back to allow the naming rights to be sold off.

The Blues said the deal had finished before the 2014 season, meaning Judd eventually reaped more than $1 million from the ambassadorship.

Environmental programs are still run out of Visy Park, with Visy co-chairman Jeanne Pratt still on the Carlton board.

Meanwhile, the Blues say minor hamstring strain to ruckman Robert Warnock will not keep him out of the first NAB Challenge game against West Coast.

He tweaked his hamstring last Thursday at training in what the club is calling a “half-grade” hamstring strain.

But they said while he will skip Friday’s Ikon Park intraclub game he will play in the NAB Challenge.

Carlton has ruled out Matthew Kreuzer for at least six weeks with a foot fracture but concedes he might take longer to recover.

The Blues also have ex-Collingwood ruckman Cameron Wood on their list but say Warnock has completed a strong pre-season.

Carlton takes on the Eagles at Mandurah next week, with captain Marc Murphy confident the Blues are ready for NAB Challenge football.

“We’ve had a lot of numbers out on the track and the game plan’s coming along well, so we feel like we’re in a great position at the moment,” Murphy said.

“The boys have had enough of going against each other in intra-club games now, we’re looking forward to taking on some opposition.

“At the moment I’ll be playing next week, so looking forward to taking the boys over there. There’ll be 25 or 26 of us that go over.”

Originally published as Chris Judd’s controversial third-party deal with Visy has died a quiet death