West Coast must find big money for Jeremy McGovern with new deals for Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy looming
HUGE offers will come for West Coast free agent Jeremy McGovern and the Eagles have work to do in balancing its salary cap with the knowledge Andrew Gaff is also out of contract and Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy require new deals next year.
West Coast
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THE huge shadow of contract talks for Nic Naitanui and Josh Kennedy next year looms large as West Coast tries to find salary cap room for Jeremy McGovern.
McGovern will meet his management over the split round to discuss his future but seems likely to put off talks until year’s end.
If he does take that action a host of clubs including Fremantle will come hard at him with massive deals likely to be north of $1 million a year.
For cross-town rival Fremantle he shapes as the first realistic star tall target they could secure after a long list of misses including Jack Riewoldt and Travis Cloke.
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Sydney asked about McGovern early in the year with a view to gauging his interest, with McGovern in career-best form.
The Eagles had initially offered McGovern a four-year deal worth $800,000 a year but that does not seem to come close to keeping him at the Eagles.
Unless they can lift their offer a rival might blow the Eagles out of the water despite his hope of remaining at the club.
While Richmond found room for Dustin Martin as one of four megastars at the club, West Coast have six or seven players in that kind of form.
Naitanui’s five-year contract expires next year, with no hotter player in the competition for marketing appeal.
He would easily command $1.5 million on the open market as a free agent given his unique blend of on-field impact and popularity among the Eagles fans.
Veteran list builder Chris Pelchen believes Naitanui is the perfect model for a franchise system which would see one player from each club paid outside the salary cap.
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But even without that system he says Naitanui is worth up to $2 million a year to West Coast — half for his football ability and the rest for his remarkable marketing reach.
“I think Nic comes under the category of franchise player if you are looking at sport across the world. Traditionally elite athletes earn twice as much from marketing as they do for performance across the world.
“He is a home grown product in Perth and he is worth as much as any other player in the competition.
“His on-field performance is worth $800,000 to $1 million but because of the marketing component you need to double it.”
Josh Kennedy’s contract also expires next year and while he will be 31 in 2019 his goalkicking power shows no signs of slowing down.
Luke Shuey and Elliott Yeo last year signed lucrative deals in excess of $800,000 locking them in until 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Jack Darling, the hottest forward in the competition, last year signed a three-year deal locking him until 2020.
McGovern’s partner Madi Williams gave birth to a son on Tuesday, meaning he will fly west to take on Hawthorn on Sunday.
The issue of compensating free agents who stay at their clubs remains problematic given the vast sums offered to them.
Dustin Martin’s manager Ralph Carr said after he signed at the club last year clubs should be offered discounts for securing loyal free agents.
Carr said AFL clubs were being left exposed to rivals trying to rip established talent away with monster offers.
“You need to have free agency, but they have got to alter it,” he said.
“I have been an advocate of that for a number of years, a loyalty clause where if you have been at a club since its inception there should be some advantage to the club to pay extra money without being disadvantaged in the cap.”
WEST COAST’S MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
OFF CONTRACT NEXT YEAR
Nic Naitanui — $1 million a year contract expires at the end of 2019
Josh Kennedy — Would be on huge money as a dual Coleman Medallist, signed until the end of 2019
OFF CONTRACT THIS YEAR
Jeremy McGovern — West Coast has offered $3.2 million over four, rival clubs will offer in excess of $1 million
Andrew Gaff — Contracted until the end of this year, will be offered huge deals as a Victorian free agent
LOCKED AWAY
Luke Shuey — Last year signed monster deal worth well over $3 million locking him in to 2022
Elliott Yeo — Has just signed a five-year extension of around $800,000 locking him in to 2023
Jack Darling — Signed until 2020, in rich vein of form and is the hottest forward in footy
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