Ty Vickery salary to be included in Hawthorn’s 2018 cap, despite retirement

HAWTHORN must accommodate the final year of Tyrone Vickery’s contract, reportedly worth $500,000, in its 2018 salary cap, despite the much-maligned forward’s retirement.

Ty Vickery won’t be at Hawthorn in 2018, but the Hawks will still be forced to include his salary in its cap. Picture: AAP

HAWTHORN will be forced to accommodate the final year of Tyrone Vickery’s contract, reportedly worth $500,000, despite the much-maligned forward’s retirement.

New Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves confirmed AFL free agency rules would force the Hawks to incorporate the deal in the club’s 2018 salary cap, even though Vickery will not be with the team.

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“When Ty came to Hawthorn as a free agent, that’s a two-year commitment and ... there’s other compensation picks — so, with that, you have to honour that two years,” Reeves said on SEN Breakfast.

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Ty Vickery won’t be at Hawthorn in 2018, but the Hawks will still be forced to include his salary in its cap. Picture: AAP

“So the discussion between Hawthorn and Ty was ‘OK, we have to carry this forward, Ty as a player onto our list for this year (2018), what does that look like?’.”

“He won’t be at the club. His money then is counted in this year’s TPP (total player payments).”

Reeves, who last month crossed to the Hawks from Geelong to replace the ill-fated Tracey Gaudry, said he wasn’t surprised when Vickery made the decision to give the game away, even though the family friend had not reached out for advice.

“I’ve known Ty privately as a friend of my family for a number of years,” he said.

“It doesn’t surprise me because I know what Ty has been going through as a person.

“I know that he wasn’t enjoying playing in the VFL.

“I haven’t been involved in those discussions at Hawthorn over the last few weeks, that’s been handled by the football department, but it doesn’t surprise me because I understand where Ty was.

Vickery with tennis star wife Arina Rodionova, who he is travelling the world with. Picture: Getty Images

“Ty and I have communicated since and I think he is moving ahead really well. He’s travelling the world with Arina (Aussie tennis star Rodionova) his wife and the football club will move forward.”

Reeves said his first job as new CEO was to ‘calm the waters’ following the change in leadership.

“When you start as a leader ... you need to have those conversations with people of their state of mind ... and some people just needed just a bit of nurturing and a bit of settling down to say ‘yep, we’re on a good path, this is going to be a really smooth season’,” he said.

“I think, last year, for a whole lot of reasons, had some interruptions and disruption, we need to provide some stability for the club.”

Reeves said he’d had “robust discussions” with returning president Jeff Kennett about the direction of the club and said coach Alastair Clarkson was one of the first people he met with after his appointment.

New chief executive Justin Reeves has hit the ground running at Hawthorn. Picture: Alison Wynd