OVENS and Murray clubs have united in a plea for the salary cap to be no more than $160,000.
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At least half of the Ovens and Murray’s 10 club presidents want the salary cap, introduced to stop spiraling player payments, to be less than $160,000.
There is also a growing push for salary cap guidelines, which O’Donohue hopes to have finalised by June 30, to include all of a coach’s salary as well as payments to reserve grade players.
Wangaratta Rovers president Andrew Smith said he feared for the future of clubs in the competition if the salary cap was greater than $160,000.
“It could be lower, but it certainly wouldn’t want to be any higher,” he said.
“There’s obviously clubs out there running a lot higher than $180,000 so if it brings them back a bit, that makes a difference.
“The lower the number the better because, the reality is, there will be clubs drop off the list otherwise.
“We can either get fair dinkum or there will be clubs that won’t operate in the Ovens and Murray.
“You’ve got to get people going to the football.
“If you can’t get people through the front gate, it won’t matter what the salary cap is, it won’t be low enough.”
WHAT THE CLUB PRESIDENTS SAID
Graham Hosier - Corowa-Rutherglen
“We’d love it to be lower so we could spend money on other things but it’s a player’s market.
“We just need to bring it back to give the clubs a bit more control.
Andrew Smith - Wangaratta Rovers
“There’s obviously clubs out there running a lot higher than $180,000 so if it brings them back a bit that makes a difference.
“The lower the number the better because, the reality is, there will be clubs drop off the list otherwise.
“We can either get fair dinkum or there will be clubs that won’t operate in the Ovens and Murray.
Nic Conway - Wodonga Raiders
“I would love it to be $150,000 or $160,000, if they are serious about it having an impact.
“It’s not all about dollars, it’s about the volunteer stress related to the need to raise dollars.
“We’re travelling well on the field, we’re coached well, and off the field we’re profitable but it’s enormously stressful and I believe a figure of $150,000 or $160,000 would alleviate a lot of that stress that the volunteers are feeling.
Stuart Hodgson - Albury
“It is what it is.
“We’ve just got to work to whatever the rules are.
“It’s the same as the player points system, we will work to whatever is put in front of us.
Peter Barwick - Lavington
“The lower the better. Anything more than $160,000 would mean we aren’t sustainable.
“It’s a matter of the clubs being viable.
“We’ve got a good junior program in place so it’s a matter of that carrying us through.
Mark Cronin - North Albury
“North Albury would say that absolutely $160,000 is plenty and we’d be happy for that to include the coaches and seconds.
Andrew Mott - Yarrawonga
“The salary cap is there to give the power back to the clubs and take it away from the players - $160,000 is plenty for us.
“The market is probably over-inflated at the moment so we have to try something.
Col McClounan - Wangaratta
“I’m in the $150,000 to $160,000 camp.
“There needs to be a shift in the thinking of some of those higher paid blokes and that’s going to be the challenge.
“I think the points system, over time, will mean clubs are focusing largely on their local base.
Michael Quirk - Myrtleford
“We’re pretty comfortable with $160,000 but $180,000 wouldn’t surprise me.
“If you can raise $200,000, well the cap can still be $160,000 and then you can put the money into other avenues of your club.
“It gives everyone a target to work to and it starts to get the playing field a bit more level.
Steve Murphy - Wodonga
“It’s hard enough for our club to sustain what we’re at at the moment.
“Even if the cap is $160,000, we won’t go up to spend that much anyway because we spend less than that now.