OVENS and Murray clubs are desperate “for some relief” and want the soon-to-be-introduced salary cap to be at the lower end of the scale.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
AFL North East Border general manager John O’Donohue said while there was still work to be done before a figure was finalised, a cap of between $160,000-$180,000 was likely.
A salary cap will be introduced to the Ovens and Murray in 2017 following the implementation of the player points system this season.
O’Donohue, who has met with the 10 Ovens and Murray clubs for feedback on the salary cap, hopes details of the guidelines can be released by June 30.
“Everybody is looking for some relief, that would be fair to say. That’s been a fairly consistent message,” he said.
“The majority of clubs want it lower than what they’re paying now.
“It’s just a matter of trying to work that into a figure that’s restrictive but allows some level of autonomy with it as well.
“We’re getting close, locally, to what we think it should be.”
O’Donohue will travel to Melbourne for a meeting on the salary cap policy on Thursday. Central to the guidelines will be what is included in the cap when football is part of a player’s employment contract.
“Certainly those scenarios where players are getting paid in their job to play football will try to be covered off,” he said.
“The players will be required to nominate what they’re getting paid to play footy, whether that’s indirectly or directly.
“We’ve worked through what sort of things would be included, what would be excluded, and we’ve taken feedback on that.”
O’Donohue said once a salary cap had been settled upon for the O and M, AFL NEB could turn its attention to the Ovens and King, Tallangatta and Upper Murray leagues.
A figure of $80,000 had been used as a discussion point for a salary cap in the district competitions.
O’Donohue said AFL NEB had been closely monitoring the player points system, with most clubs well below the cap each week.
He said across the O and M (42), Tallangatta (44), Ovens and King (46) and Upper Murray (46) leagues, clubs were on average 10 points below the cap each week.
The O and M’s points limit is set to drop to 38 from next season with the introduction of the salary cap.
“It will be interesting to see how clubs recruit in the next month,” O’Donohue said of the June 30 clearance deadline.
“That will help us assess whether 38 is appropriate for the O and M and 42 for the others or whether we need to reduce it even further.”
Xavier Mardling
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
Xavier started at The Border Mail in Albury-Wodonga in 2001, covering sport and general news before moving to the subs' desk. He was editor of his hometown masthead from 2016 to 2020 before swapping the Murray for Merewether. He returned to The Border Mail as editor in 2023.
