Player managers fear the AFL’s reliable role players will be cut so clubs can get under a smaller salary cap
Superstars on big contracts and new draft picks are likely safe from coming AFL list cuts, which leaves footy’s ‘middle class’ up in the air — and vulnerable to poaching. Should your club target these players?
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Player managers fear a middle-class squeeze that will see the league’s reliable role players sacrificed so clubs can stay under a smaller 2021 salary cap.
AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking on Wednesday confirmed little work had been done on the salary cap or list cuts as key industry figures fear key decisions are months away.
List managers and player agents are still none the wiser on when they will be able to contract players again as players begin to express their anxiousness about 2021 contracts.
With the AFLPA only prepared to haggle over a change to the collective bargaining agreement when it sees the extent of the AFL’s financial damage, it could be October before a clear picture emerges on the 2021 salary cap.
Player managers believe the AFLPA needs to be more open about what the picture could look like given many players who have already taken pay cuts are worried about next year.
Players including Richmond’s Nathan Broad, Collingwood’s Brody Mihocek and Essendon’s Adam Saad had all made progress on contract talks but now have to wait to see what form those contracts take.
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Asked about clarity over list sizes and the 2021 salary cap, Hocking said: “We will work through that at the appropriate time, it’s not for now. Now is getting the game back up and going and delivering those 144 games to the fans. We are excited about Round 2, it’s the main focus for the industry currently.”
Players managers say star players will still command huge dollars and first-round picks who are currently paid $450,000 in their third season will still be able to command big deals.
The fear is the middle class of players who have already been squeezed because of the advent of free agency will again be forced to accept less.
Instead of moving on stars on $800,000 a year clubs will attempt to jettison a handful of players on $300,000-$400,000 to get within the new salary cap.
Collingwood’s young star Jaidyn Stephenson said he was finding money tight but would be prepared to take a 2021 pay cut if necessary.
“We are already taking a 50 per cent pay cut this year. It does make it a little bit harder,” Stephenson said.
“I’ve just bought a house, so with a mortgage, it certainly is hard.
“I’m having to skimp a little bit more than if there were no cuts.
“But if it increases the chances of the longevity of the game, I’m sure it will only take a couple of years and we’ll be back up to where we were, and we’ll make that money back two-fold.”
As one player manager said on Wednesday: “There is real unrest. There is no clarity and players who have already taken pay cuts are worried about having to sell their houses and whether they can pay school fees and car loans.”
The AFL’s latest figures show despite the average player wage approaching $400,000, there were 159 players who earned between $100,000-$200,000, 136 who secured between $200,000-$300,000 and 145 who earned between $300,000-$400,000.
EIGHT MID-TIER PLAYERS WHO CLUBS WILL BE DESPERATE TO SIGN … BUT CAN’T.
JOSH BATTLE (ST KILDA)
The 193cm swingman is critical to the Saints’ future but wasn’t in the Round 1 side. They would hope to hand him another two-year deal to stop rivals sniffing around him.
ADAM SAAD (ESSENDON)
The Dons had already made progress on securing Saad on a long-term deal after excellent recent form but now have to hold off, which means he will be desperate to avoid injury or a downturn in form that would affect his contract value.
BRODY MIHOCEK (COLLINGWOOD)
Darcy Moore and Jordan De Goey are the two kingpins but Mihocek would also hope for a strong pay rise after 29 and 36 goals in his first two AFL seasons at the age of only 27. An eventual settlement with Dayne Beams will help but money was already tight before potential salary cap cuts. His management was in talks with the Pies pre-contract freeze.
BRANDAN PARFITT (GEELONG)
Likely to emerge as one of the club’s prime movers in the absence of Tim Kelly, he wants to stay and the club wants to sign him. That deal was always likely to wait until he had some footy under his belt.
BAYLEY FRITSCH (MELBOURNE)
Jack Viney is the free agent the Demons will want to lock away but Fritsch has turned into a sneaky-good utility who can play anywhere and kicked 17 and 20 goals in his first two years. Can he go big and turn a 30-plus goal year into some serious leverage?
JED ANDERSON (NORTH MELBOURNE)
Ben Brown is keen to stay a one-club player at the Roos but after two excellent years inside bull Jed Anderson is another the club will want to lock away after protracted negotiations last time around. At 26 he is in the next wave when Jack Ziebell and Ben Cunnington move on from their inside midfield duties.
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MARLION PICKETT (RICHMOND)
Keen to sign a deal now that so much uncertainty has appeared in the player market. The Tigers will have some cash free with Alex Rance’s retirement but how much if he turns in a year as good as his Grand Final? WA boy Nathan Broad is in the same boat and was close to a multi-year deal before the shutdown.
TOBY NANKERVIS (RICHMOND)
The dual premiership ruckman fought off the challenge of Callum Coleman-Jones to play alongside Ivan Soldo in Round 1 and while Nankervis is only 25, Coleman-Jones is coming with a bullet. Nankervis won’t be in a hurry to sign a new deal until the pecking order is obvious.