AFL Rich 100: Readers have their say which players are on a sweet deal and who should be paid more
More than 110,000 readers voted on the AFL Rich 100 and their verdict has shaken up the money list. Find out which players should be earning more and less.
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Carlton wasn’t going to take a risk of another club pouncing on Jack Martin in the pre-season draft.
After a four-goal return in Round 1 Blues recruiters would have been giving each other high-fives.
But it did cost a big chunk of the club’s salary cap. With space available in 2020, the Blues offered Martin a hugely front-ended deal that resulted in a pay packet between $1.1 million and $1.5 million this season.
That will come down substantially as he completes a five-year deal that averages out at about $600,000 a year.
His massive 2020 salary — that will be closer to $800,000 after a big COVID pay cut — has surprised Herald Sun readers.
Voting on the AFL Rich 100, most thought Martin was lucky to come in at No.5 on the list of footy’s highest-earners.
On the re-ranked readers list, he drops all the way to No.92. Most readers also thought Mitch McGovern was a “lucky boy” to rank at No.51, but they say Sam Docherty is under the odds at No.79 and his co-captain Patrick Cripps should be one of the highest-paid players in the game.
SEE THE FULL LIST BELOW AND HAVE YOUR SAY ON EVERY PLAYER
Meanwhile, Collingwood has three of the biggest bargains inside the AFL rich list, according to fans.
And it’s Magpies ruckman Brodie Grundy who should be the No.1 earner in the league.
Grundy is believed to be on less than $600,000 this year before his huge new contract kicks off in 2021, rated as a steal by 76 per cent of more than 110,000 respondents in the Herald Sun AFL Rich 100 poll.
The results also reveal Grundy’s teammates Scott Pendlebury and Darcy Moore also deserve to be earning more, while Carlton captain Patrick Cripps and Brisbane’s Brownlow Medal favourite Lachie Neale are among those playing for well below their market value.
Other fortunate players include Gold Coast tall Peter Wright (who is yet to play a senior game this year), St Kilda recruit Dan Hannebery and Port Adelaide’s Tom Rockliff.
HOW IT WORKS:
If you voted “Lucky Boy” you reckon he is doing very well for himself - perhaps better than you imagined.
If you voted “Spot On” you reckon his salary is right where it should be
If you voted “Bargain” you reckon he is earning under his value and needs a raise
Scroll down to compare the official list with the readers’ top 100, and it’s not too late to have your say.
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Originally published as AFL Rich 100: Readers have their say which players are on a sweet deal and who should be paid more