Record number of AFL stars earned more than $1 million last year
FOOTBALL’S rich are getting richer as a record number of AFL players earned more than $1 million last season as clubs fear the league’s $1.84 billion pay deal could create a divide. Who are the million-dollar men?
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CLUBS fear footy’s new $1.84 billion player pay deal has triggered a two-speed economy.
AFL figures released on Thursday night reveal a record nine AFL stars were paid more than $1 million last season.
Another eleven players earned more than $900,000.
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One club boss predicted more than 20 players would join the $1m club within three seasons.
“It’s the stars who are winning you games these days — it used to be your bottom six,” the club boss said.
“The good players get you over the line and the more you can get the better.”
Premiership clubs like Geelong and Hawthorn have traditionally enforced a more even spread of salary cap payments.
No player at the Cats or Hawks have ever been paid $1 million in a single season.
Two of the nine took home more than $1.2m and three earned more than $1.1m.
Others believed to be around the $1m mark are Collingwood skipper Scott Pendlebury and West Coast pair Josh Kennedy and Nic Naitanui.
Players like Essendon’s Michael Hurley may have nudged seven-figures last year because of front-ended contract arrangements.
The AFL Players’ Association rejected the notion of a growing wage imbalance, saying data showed all players had benefited from the collective bargaining agreement.
“The CBA delivered a win for players in every wage bracket,” AFLPA executive Brett Murphy said.
The AFL and the game’s 800-plus players agreed to a bumper six-year pay deal last June that sees this year’s salary cap rise from $10.37m per club to $12.45m.
Richmond superstar Dustin Martin signed a monster $8 million, seven-year deal to stay at Punt Rd on the eve of last year’s finals.
Gold Coast Suns forward Tom Lynch becomes a restricted free agent at the end of this season and could command more than $1.5 million on the open market.
Free agents Rory Sloane (Adelaide) and Jeremy McGovern (West Coast) could also be on the move.
North Melbourne this week declared it had room to add two $1 million players next year.
The AFL figures show the average wage for a listed player hit $352,470 last season, not including rookies, up 14 per cent after the new pay deal kicked in.
Total player wages across the competition’s 18 clubs was $231.3 million.
More than half of the game’s 817 players earned between $200,000 and $500,000.
A leading player agent last night said he expected player movement to surge again at the end of this season.
Richmond’s drought-breaking premiership featured five highly-paid players — Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Dion Prestia and Martin — as well as a band of dedicated role players.
“The gap will keep increasing because $1 million is the new benchmark and that is what the top players are now asking,” another club boss said.
“Free agency is driving the top end up.”
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