AFL Rich 100: How Richmond’s salary cap work has sustained a dynasty

With Tom Lynch’s back-ended deal set to kick in, Richmond will have $2.4 million per year invested in he and Dustin Martin. How will they pay the rest?

It is the superstars and bargain-basement model that has sustained Richmond’s premiership dynasty.

As the Tigers have surged to three premierships in four seasons, many fans have wondered how Richmond could afford its rich array of talent.

From Dustin Martin to Tom Lynch to Trent Cotchin to Jack Riewoldt to Dion Prestia, the list of highly-paid stars goes on.

But while Carlton has rashly splurged $1.6 million of cash on the likes of Mitch McGovern and Zac Williams, the Tigers have paid their players using a model of military precision.

Many clubs which draft high-end top-10 picks end up handing over $450,000 per season by the third year of their careers because that is the market price.

But Richmond’s model is very different.

The stars get paid handsomely and deserve every dollar.

Dustin Martin is the highest paid Richmond player

The role-players, former rookies and late draft picks are often on bottom-dollar deals.

Many of those players in their early years are offered deals around $150,000-plus match payments, which can still see them earning $250,000 per season.

But it has allowed the Tigers to absorb Martin’s deal of more than $1.2 million per season while still retaining talent.

Nick Vlastuin and Dylan Grimes are well rewarded but not on insane money given their regular All-Australian claims, while the Tigers’ lack of early draft picks has actually helped their payment structure.

WHO GETS WHAT?

While Carlton paid up for top-10 picks Sam Petrevski-Seton, Lochie O’Brien and Paddy Dow in their third and fourth years, Richmond has not paid a king’s ransom for their second and third-round draftees.

The likes of Liam Baker (rookie), Kane Lambert (rookie), Nathan Broad (pick 67), Jake Aarts (rookie), Marlion Pickett (mid-season pick) and Jayden Short (rookie) have gradually earned pay rises but early on played for dirt-cheap deals compared to their output.

Premiership stars Dustin Martin and Tom Lynch will eat up a huge chunk of the Tigers’ cap space. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

The club has also back-ended Tom Lynch’s contract, which has seen him earning between $500,000-$600,000 in the first three years of a seven-season deal.

With Lynch due about $6.5 million over his seven years, pure mathematics means the Tigers will need to pay him around $1.2 million per season in the final four years of his deal.

It means the Tigers will have up to $2.4 million invested in just two of 40-plus players with a salary cap of around $13 million.

It has been a move designed to allow Richmond time to phase out the premiership stars or at least cut their wage before Lynch’s massive yearly salaries kick in.

While the Tigers have remained in the premiership window players have thrived at Punt Road playing as “Richmond men”.

But amid speculation about Richmond’s interest in Fremantle’s Adam Cerra, the Tigers also need to pay up to secure Shai Bolton despite rampant interest from rival clubs.

In contrast to Richmond’s build, the Blues have had to overpay talent to keep it at the club or retain it.

WHO IS OVERPAID?

Which of Richmond’s players are overpaid? Certainly not Dustin Martin, who has won three premierships and three Norm Smith Medals, starting weeks after he signed that seven-year deal.

But not only has Carlton outlaid big cash on its recruits, it has paid around $700,000 for Charlie Curnow and then watched on while he underwent repeat setbacks with his patella.

And even the likes of Jack Martin ($600,000 a year on average, much of it front-ended) and Adam Saad ($650,000) have flashed in and out of games rather than provided consistent service so far.

Tom Lynch will return to the rich list at the back end of his deal

The Blues will hope their stars follow Patrick Cripps’ selfless model of sacrifice.

Ditto St Kilda, which overpaid Brad Hill and Dan Hannebery and have invested plenty in high draft picks like Jack Billings without being rewarded with regular matchwinning performances.

At Richmond, sacrifice and loyalty have been easy given football has been so much darned fun.

Now the challenge with so much of the cap taken by two players in coming years is finding out if the players stick fat while the premiership window begins to slam shut.

Originally published as AFL Rich 100: How Richmond’s salary cap work has sustained a dynasty