GWS Giants want more help for Sydney clubs to combat cost of living pressures

GWS Giants have outlined the changes they believe need to be made to the AFL salary cap to properly recognise the disadvantages of playing in Sydney.

GWS Giants are pushing for a player retention allowance and a soft cap exemption to properly recognise the imbalances of being an AFL outpost in western Sydney.

Sydney is both Australia’s most expensive city and also the producer of far less AFL talent than Melbourne, Geelong, Adelaide and Perth.

The two key factors combine to put the two Sydney clubs — the Swans and Giants — at a significant disadvantage compared to their Victorian rivals. And now the AFL Players’ Association has joined the fight.

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The AFLPA has called for a game-wide summit on the issue, and said changes must happen if the AFL wants to be true to the mandate of chief executive Gillon McLachlan for an equalised competition with competitive balance.

GWS general manager of football Wayne Campbell believes the AFL can introduce financial allowances which would address the cost of living in Sydney, while also compensating for the difficulties they face with retaining stars who crave to return home to their home states.

“If you want to be equal in terms of the salary cap and third-party payments, but you have the least amount of players who come from that area (NSW), in the most expensive city — that by its very definition is unequal,” Campbell told The Daily Telegraph.

“The four northern clubs (including Brisbane and Gold Coast) should get a retention allowance. I think in Sydney, we should get a soft cap exemption or allowance because of the expense of the city.”

Jeremy Cameron in action for the Giants on Saturday. Picture: Getty Images

The soft cap in AFL refers to the limit put on football department spending.

However, for the Giants and Swans, trying to entice coaches and training staff from interstate is a huge issue.

It’s an inescapable fact they have to pay overs to attract staff to leave their homes for life in a more expensive city — and without the bells and whistles of being a player.

Nothing can change the reality that players will always be tempted to return to their home states to play.

But the Giants and Swans never benefit from that natural trend, because so few AFL players are born in and raised in NSW. A third of the Giants’ list are home grown, but that doesn’t make life any easier in such an expensive city.

“Even the boys from western Sydney, they live far enough away they still need to relocate to the club. Penrith is a long way away. We’ve got one player that could actually live at his parents place out of the 46 on our list. As in 45 have relocated,” he said.

“We’re not in Perth or Adelaide that are strong competitions, either. Fremantle and West Coast can recruit West Australians so they are staying at home. We can’t do that back the other way.

“Patrick Dangerfield wants to go home to Geelong, Chris Judd wants to go home to Melbourne, Dylan Shiel wants to go home to Melbourne. It can’t be anything but unequal.”