Salary cap: Ovens and Murray and Goulburn Valley to remain with $125,000 player payment limits

Country clubs will still have an edge on city-based teams when salary caps are announced, but the gap will narrow. Find out by how much.

Major country league clubs are expected to still have more money to spend on players compared to metropolitan teams when salary caps for 2023 are revealed before the end of the month.

The Ovens and Murray and Goulburn Valley clubs have some of the highest salary caps in the state with $125,000 able to be spent with Gippsland close behind on $120,000.

Metro leagues have been lobbying for an increase on the $100,000 many of their clubs can spend on players.

AFL Victoria’s John O’Donohue.

AFL Victoria’s John O’Donohue said he was aware of the push from metro clubs to have more money to spend on players.

“There is general consensus there might be a slight increase in metro leagues and the country pretty much stays the same,” he said.

“We’re looking at a strategy of ‘where do we want things to be in a couple of years’ time’ rather than looking at this every year.”

The present $25,000 differential between country and metro equates to one top-line recruit with AFL or VFL experience.

The best metro clubs can expect for next year is a 10 per cent jump.

“We’re very comfortable with where the current salary cap is,” O and M general manager Craig Millar said.

“We’re also very comfortable with where the broader salary caps that have been applied to other competitions across metropolitan and country Victoria are also.”

Player points totals for next year will be handed down at a later date, but the most any club can have is 46 without applying to AFL Victoria for more.

Corowa-Rutherglen and North Albury play with 46 points in the O and M presently.