Players unable to sign new deals until the AFL has a greater understanding of its finances

There are some massive names who are currently in the last year of their contracts. What does this suspension and impending economic disaster mean for their deals? Jay Clark reveals all.

All new player contracts will be frozen until the AFL has a greater understanding of the size of the economic disaster facing the game.

The Herald Sun has obtained the email from total player payment manager Ken Wood notifying clubs that all deals are on hold for the time being.

It leaves some of the biggest names in the game in limbo, including Collingwood pair Jordan De Goey and Darcy Moore, GWS Giant Jeremy Cameron and Adelaide’s Brad Crouch, who are all out of contract at season’s end.

While managers can still negotiate terms with the clubs during the break, they can’t be formally lodged with the AFL until the freeze has ended.

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Jordan De Goey is one of the biggest free agents in the game. Picture: AAP Images

The league seems certain to reduce list sizes and the salary cap to reduce costs in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

In the note to clubs, Wood said league officials would need time to crunch the numbers during this “difficult period”.

“As a result of the uncertainty surrounding the season ahead and the resultant financial implications on clubs and the AFL, at this point we are implementing a freeze on contract extensions and variations until further notice,” the memo said.

“A number of working groups including club and the AFL participants are working through the implications of the various financial scenarios and when concluded we will review the freeze.”

Prominent player agent Liam Pickering said there was significant uncertainty surrounding the salary cap for next season.

“It’s a serious challenge because we don’t know. We can negotiate contracts at the moment for extensions but the AFL won’t tick them off,” Pickering said.

“With the contract, it’s got to be signed off by the club, the player and the AFL, and the AFL have said they won’t sign any of them off.

“They won’t stop us negotiating and trying to do deals. They just won’t accept the deals because we don’t know what the cap is going to be next year, we don’t know what the future is past the next two months.”

Pickering said the suspension of under-18 competitions also made it impossible for agents to sign up draft prospects.

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“It would have to be at the moment because you can’t come into contact with anybody for a start. You could make phone calls,” Pickering told SEN.

“This year’s draft crew would be going into their season and they’re not going to get the opportunity to play in the NAB League for the next couple of months but also the carnivals and all that sort of stuff are all put in the jeopardy.

“The national carnival is where all the recruiters go and where the majority of them either make a name for themselves or fall back a little bit.

“There’ll be a lot of footy that will be unseen this year. We hope to still get a fair bit of footy in but we just don’t know.”

Originally published as Players unable to sign new deals until the AFL has a greater understanding of its finances