AFL 2022: Mark Robinson on Alastair Clarkson’s worth, Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey

Speculation about Collingwood wanting to offload Brodie Grundy’s mega contract just won’t go way. But Mark Robinson isn’t buying it. He explains why a deal makes no sense.

Alastair Clarkson stepped off the plane from Europe this week to the raging headline he would ask for up to $1.6 million a season to coach the Kangaroos.

Let’s hope he was bemused by that.

Brodie Grundy woke this week to news Collingwood was open to the idea of trading him out.

We know Grundy was bemused by that.

And we woke to the speculation that Jordan De Goey is probably out of Collingwood next year and that St Kilda is the likely destination.

Well, that was amusing more than bemusing. The Saints told us this week they can’t trust each other as a playing group and now, we’re told, they want to bring in a bloke who can find trouble at a convent. OK then.

The Clarkson revelations simply can’t be true because Clarkson is not worth $1.6 million.

It was revealed on Friday night Clarkson had described the reported figure as “bull****”.

In any case, he simply can’t ask for that much money.

That’s too selfish from one person — even if it’s the generational coach that is Clarkson — in an environment which allows only $6.9 million to be spent on the whole football program in 2023.

No, if Clarkson is asking for that much money then he is not the person to coach the Kangaroos.

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Alastair Clarkson is not worth $1.6 million, says Mark Robinson. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

AFL great Leigh Matthew said in 2015 that coaches salaries should be capped at about $500,000 in the wake of Carlton’s then payment to sacked coach Mick Malthouse.

Seven years on, Matthews has lifted his figure to $700,000, although he argues that if Clarkson was to join the Kangaroos, a figure of $1 million was understandable.

“One million dollars is top of the heap these days, absolutely,’’ Matthews told News Corp

“As a general rule, 10 per cent of the soft cap ($700,000) seems to stick in my mind.’’

He says the football manager’s position (the head of football) was the position which “was underpaid’’.

“That position is as critical as the senior coach and from my experience the footy manager should get at least half of what the senior coach is getting.’’

And that’s $700,000?

“The first-time coach gets you more like the $400,000-$500,000 and your premiership coach might get, because of his record, up to $1 million. But when I read this $1.6 million, you think, there’s no club which could possibly devote more than a million dollars (to their coach).

“I’ve said on 3AW desperate people do desperate things and North Melbourne are a desperate footy club and they do need to buy credibility, and Clarko’s got the credibility. So if you have to spend a million dollars then that’s OK, you have to spend 15 per cent of your soft cap.

“You might do that in extreme circumstances and Clarko might be one of these extreme circumstances.’’

It’s believed Clarkson’s manager James Henderson will speak to North Melbourne president Sonja Hood in Tasmania on Saturday, as both parties explore possibilities.

The Giants, who are also looking for a new coach, won’t entertain a $1.6 million salary for Clarkson, either.

Nor are the Giants panicking over North’s apparent exuberance for the former Hawks coach.

What we do know is that the AFL will not be contributing to Clarkson’s wage, nor will the AFL allow any money paid to Clarkson to be paid outside the soft cap.

The Giants want to undergo a process, although it’s accepted Clarkson won’t be put through the same hoops as current assistant coaches, including Adem Yze and Don Pyke, who are considered candidates for the job.

Brodie Grundy’s position is intriguing. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

Grundy’s position is intriguing.

The Pies believe Darcy Cameron has adequately filled Grundy’s role while Grundy has been injured, and that’s OK, but it must be noted, Cameron, 27, has played 45 games.

Do the Pies think he’s a late-blooming Dean Cox?

And what would happen if they did trade out Grundy, and Cameron was injured next year, and Mason Cox’s career stumbled again? Who would ruck then?

Even though he knows the Pies are entertaining the idea of trading him out, Grundy — who is said to be bemused and angry at what’s been floated — doesn’t want to leave. Not at this stage anyhow.

How would it work anyway? Grundy eventually agrees, they ship him out and pay, say, $400,000 of his million-dollar-a year contract for the next four years, and bring in Daniel McStay on $600,000?

It doesn’t make sense from a playing view because Grundy has shown he is a dominant ruckman — and could be a dominant premiership ruckman. And how is it good business that the Pies pay $300,000 for Adam Treloar to play at the Bulldogs and Grundy $400,000 to play at, say, the Giants.

The Pies must have their reasons for entertaining the idea of moving on Grundy, but they are not exactly clear from this vantage point.

The fact is Grundy will play VFL next weekend and then return to the seniors for the late-season and finals. A huge finish from him would end all trade talks.

Will Jordan De Goey be at the Magpies this year? Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Jordan De Goey for Tim Taranto makes a lot more sense, although Pies coach Craig McRae is a huge fan of his troublesome playmaker.

And the Saints and De Goey? Gee whiz. Former skipper Nick Riewoldt was only lukewarm to that idea on Thursday night, arguing the current list lacked the leaders to lay down the law culturally to De Goey.

If it’s true the Saints are into him, what are the Saints thinking?

Their recruiting in recent years on payers on biggish to big contracts — Dan Hannebery, Brad Hill, Brad Crouch and Zak Jones, for example — haven’t set the team alight and, let’s be honest, De Goey might be misunderstood but he is also a risky recruit at a time when the Saints can’t afford more risky recruiting.

Originally published as AFL 2022: Mark Robinson on Alastair Clarkson’s worth, Brodie Grundy and Jordan De Goey