By Sam McClure
Essendon captain Zach Merrett has called on the AFL to “inflate the best players’ salaries” to fast-track the growth of the game.
And Merrett believes the way to achieve that is to reduce list sizes, to turn the AFL into a high performing, results-based competition rather than what he described as a development league.
Zach Merrett believes the best players in the game should be paid properly.Credit: The Age
Merrett’s comments follow the decision by young Giants star Finn Callaghan to re-sign with Greater Western Sydney, after reports of a 10-year offer from St Kilda worth $17 million.
The Bombers skipper admitted the offer to Callaghan brought back memories of last year, when Merrett was verbally offered a monster contract to join the Saints. Merrett later revealed he had pitched the offer to his wife, Alexandra, to see if it was something they were willing to consider.
“I think it’s a great sign of where the game is at, to be honest,” Merrett said.
“I think it’s [an] awesome take for where the game is going. We always want to evolve the game. Past generations have got it to this point, hopefully we can take it to that point.
“And then no doubt Finn and Harley [Reid], Nick Daicos and Harry Sheezel will take it again to another level, which they deserve. And then hopefully the next generation coming through will keep evolving and growing the game to be a better product and then hopefully more money because the pool is bigger.”
Although he’s contracted until the end of the 2026 season, West Coast prodigy Reid will be one of the most discussed names in the game this year, particularly if the Eagles continue to linger towards the bottom of the ladder.
Social media went into overdrive recently when images circulated of Reid setting next to Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell at Tom Barrass’ wedding. Mitchell has since done his best to pour cold water on speculation the Hawks may be attempting a mid-contract raid.
A record 25 players earned $1 million or more in the 2024 season, six more than the previous year and a 12-fold increase over the preceding decade, according to the AFL’s annual report.
Harley Reid will spark fierce competition when he comes out of contract.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Of those, 10 players earned more than $1.2 million last year, and the average salary for a listed player was $459,173.
Players like Reid and Daicos are already being talked about for their potential to demand $2 million per season in the next contract they sign.
“I think the best players in the game should be remunerated as best as they should,” Merrett said.
“My take would be to reduce the size of the list and then inflate the best players’ salaries and reward those guys for being the best players and then improve the product.
“I think we could adjust just a little bit to go from a development competition to a high performance, result-based, NFL-style system.
Jack Steele is proud of his club for consistently trying to poach A grade talent from rival teams.Credit: Justin McManus
“If you reduce it by five or six players, it’s fewer players to dedicate your resourcing to, and you don’t have to control them as much because you’re getting a higher percentage of higher quality players. Plus you might free up a million dollars a year to spread across the other 35 players.”
Callaghan’s recommitment to the Giants means the Saints have missed out on both him and Merrett in less than six months, while the club is also preparing massive offers for Carlton’s Tom De Koning, North Melbourne’s Luke Davies-Uniacke and Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw.
St Kilda’s captain Jack Steele has nothing but praise for his club’s aggressive recruiting strategy.
“I like that we are going after these players,” Steele told this masthead.
“I think Finn Callaghan is a great young prospect. He’s going to be a very good player and someone that I would’ve loved to have at the club. But this isn’t really my area of expertise, I’m going to leave that one to “Gubby” [head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan] and SOS [list boss Stephen Silvagni].”
“Definitely [I want us to get better] and we’ve gone to the draft and gotten rid of a lot of older players and we really do want to attract a few players that area ready-made and ready to go and hit their straps,” Steele added.
Asked if he was disappointed that, to this point, the Saints had failed to land a big fish in the trade market, he said: “Not at all. All we can do is play an exciting, fun brand of footy and showcase what we’re about to attract those sorts of players. That’s all I can do as a captain is really drive that.”
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