EFL: Warrandyte coach Anthony McGregor backs young guns, salary cap cuts
Warrandyte coach Anthony McGregor has backed the proposed salary cap cuts in community footy, with his club holding an ace-card up its sleeve for 2021.
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Warrandyte coach Anthony McGregor has backed his young up-and-coming stars to help the club take the next step in 2021 amid looming salary cap cuts.
The club’s senior outfit contested finals last year for the first time since 2015 but was bundled out in an extra-time semi-final against the Waverley Blues, while the under-19s played off in the grand final.
While a figure remains unconfirmed by AFL Victoria, Division 3 EFL clubs have been told total player payments will be capped at $60,000.
The Bloods’ mentor said 2021 would bring about opportunities for the club’s younger brigade – particularly those who played as bottom-age under-19s in 2019.
“We’ve got a great core group of blokes that would’ve played in the under-19s this year that would’ve given them the pathway to play seniors,” McGregor said.
“We’ve got a group of (up to) 12 core under-19s players that are probably ready for senior footy to be honest … 90 per cent of that side were first-year players.”
McGregor said the emergence of young talent would create competition for spots among a senior group which remains driven by last year’s finals exit.
“We would’ve been able to give them (under-19s) a taste of senior footy (this year),” he said.
“At the end of the day, they’re going to be pretty well ready to play senior footy, and it puts the pressure on the blokes who are playing senior footy now … they’re going to have to work that little bit harder to keep the young fellas out
“I’m a massive advocate – you’ve got 19-year-olds playing AFL footy so they can play senior Division 3 footy, that’s for sure.”
Landing big-name recruits is set to become invariably more difficult under the new salary cap structures, which Warrandyte has been no stranger to in recent times. Last year it fielded former Melbourne captain Jack Grimes, alongside brothers Tom and Nathan.
McGregor said the club could “accommodate what they were looking for” by the three brothers playing together. Jack and Nathan have since retired, and Tom has returned to Hurstbridge.
The Bloods’ mentor, however, backed the statewide player payment overhaul.
“It’s probably a good thing. Clubs are struggling and it’s not easy to get that marquee player,” McGregor said.
“We’re in an amazing position, we’ve got 97 per cent homegrown players and we’re a club that hasn’t paid a lot of money in the past.
“We don’t go out chasing and offering, we rely on our youth coming through which we had done and I think we’ve done that very well.”