Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley comforted that star duo are happy at Magpies, players set to receive 70 per cent of 2020 wage
Out-of-contract stars Jordan De Goey and Darcy Moore have declared they are content at the Pies, which has comforted coach Nathan Buckley. It comes ahead of crucial talks on what the next two years of the salary cap look like.
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Nathan Buckley is comforted by declarations from Jordan De Goey and Darcy Moore they want to remain at Collingwood as players prepare to accept 70 per cent of their 2020 salaries.
Collingwood is one of many clubs that will have to wait on the AFL lifting a ban on new contracts until it can haggle on new deals for marquee players De Goey and Moore.
Player agents believe the AFLPA will eventually broker a change to the 2021-22 collective bargaining agreement that factors in any potential rebound to the AFL’s finances.
If players were forced to take pay cuts to their 2021-22 wages — the final two years of the current CBA — they could recoup some of those losses if the AFL’s revenue bounced back quicker than expected.
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The player union is adamant it will only re-negotiate a cut to future player wages when it can assess the financial damage of the entire 2020 year but accepts a reduction will come.
The AFLPA has come to an agreement that players will this year receive 50 per cent of their salaries for the rest of the 2020 season as footy prepares to re-start on June 11.
It means they will take an overall pay cut of just less than a third of their salaries - five full months of pay, then seven months of half pay - or 70.83 per cent of the total 2020 salary.
Players had agreed to take a 70 per cent pay cut past the end of May had footy remained in hibernation but instead will receive 70 cents in the dollar, an excellent outcome given many officials remain stood down.
Both De Goey and Moore will be happy to maximise their contract worth by waiting until late in the year regardless of a contract moratorium.
But both have made clear in interviews this year they want to remain at Collingwood in an ideal world.
“Yeah, I think it’s a good reflection on where the club is at and where the club is at is a reflection of where the playing group is at,” Buckley told the Herald Sun.
“It’s made up of all the individuals in it. There are strong bonds and relationships formed there, where the players view the staff and footy program and the support they get as people first and then as professionals - the footballer we see every weekend.
“It’s good reinforcement and validation. But the environment the commercial relationships are going to be reached going forward? I couldn’t even start to imagine where it’s going to settle or what that challenge will be.
“Plenty will play out until now and when the AFL decides on some key parts of the competition. Having a really strong connection with the environment you are in is a pretty good start to retaining your talent.”
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Originally published as Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley comforted that star duo are happy at Magpies, players set to receive 70 per cent of 2020 wage