Reigning Azzi medalist Matt Seiter believes country football would be better if player payments disappeared altogether.
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The Brocklesby-Burrumbuttock ruckman says most players don't need their football money and is confident the financial impact of coronavirus will change the mindset of the sport.
Seiter, who won the 2016 Morris medal during his time at Wodonga, expects the Bulldogs to emerge more competitive once big-spending rivals have been forced to cut back.
"All of this might just bring football back to its core elements," Seiter said.
"It's a bit of a reality check of what country footy is and hopefully that's one upside of all this isolation and not playing the season so far.
"For the O and M, in terms of recruiting players from Melbourne and Sydney, the money side of it is going to go, which is great.
"It's going to come back to clubs and it probably helps my old club, Wodonga, because they've just got young locals.
"They're going to get a really good kick from this, I feel, where other clubs who have relied on big imports coming in, with money to spend, it will hurt them a bit and bring them back to the pack."
IN OTHER NEWS:
The AFL has slashed salary caps across the country by 50 per cent this season and will review next year's cap in coming months.
Seiter has no qualms with the decision.
"I would say, for 75 per cent of the players I play with, you piss your footy money up against the wall," he said.
"That's just a bonus.
"Some people rely on it and they're probably the ones who are getting paid big money.
"But I know the money I've got paid from 18 until now - it's gone up and down and round - and it's just frivolous money.
"I'm punting with it, drinking with it or going on trips with it.
"I never counted that money to put on my home loan.
"Some people do but for the footy community to come back and not get paid, it's OK."
Seiter hopes the Hume league has a chance to play a 12-round season plus finals matches.
"I would love to play everyone once, play finals and it's full-on for 15 weeks," he said.
"I'm not missing the training, getting home at 9pm on Tuesday and Thursday but I'm missing actually playing football and seeing my mates."
