Looks like the COL flap isn't going away

[ShockOfHair]

Colless comes out swinging.

And full points for wearing his Swans premiership guernsey.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

FFS could the AFL have bent over and got reamed by Carlton any more than that?

"Reamed"? Such a pejorative term, I suspect it was a mutually consensual act.

[Chilcott]

These feral clubs are complaining that we are using the additional allowance in our cap to lure marquee players. Obviously, there complaints are not based on fact, but only perceptions.

I have a thought on how this could be easily resolved.

Why don't the AFL provide us with the same salary cap as all other clubs. The Swans would then need to recruit/trade/delist based on that cap. Once the list is finalised, the AFL would then make the COL payments direct to players (based on their wage) or give them the option to salary sacrifice into super.

That way the other clubs couldn't complain that we used the larger salary cap to entice players.

[ShockOfHair]

The COL already works along those lines. It's a loading paid on top of each salary. But it's paid by the Swans, not the AFL, which I think makes sense. Saves the AFL having to set up its own player HR department. You would think that the COL payments are audited each year (but the way the AFL is going these days, I wonder).

[GongSwan]

Well of course a Carlton president would struggle to understand how a club can have a premiership-winning team and be under the cap.

Carlton have been trying to drstroy us and take ove rthe SCG since the 80's, so no surprises here

[ShockOfHair]

The gloves are off

Sydney at war with the Blues

Colless on Greg Swann:

''I think Greg's comments were prejudicial to the interests of the AFL and I think he should be sanctioned,'' he said. ''The reputation of the game has been sullied ? and I think Greg needs to look in the mirror. No one, including Greg, has bothered to contact us to understand this issue.

''I would say to Greg, 'Get your own club debt free and hopefully play in finals'. Quite frankly, his comments were pathetic.

[Reggi]

Hmmm Carlton lecturing on salary cap. Next we will have advice from S&don on our fitness regime.

Caro loves this rubbish it is pretty boring and Richard is smarter to not respond. The need for salary cap increase is obvious - and the fact we could not hold onto players without it

[jono2707]

Some of the comments online following this story are just ludicrous - some supporters are obviously not intelligent enough to understand the simple logic of the COL allowance....

[Nico]

The serial salalry cap cheaters and tankers have a cheek questioning how we can afford Tippett and not offload players. Well dur Mr Swan have a look at our list management and recruiting and it might be clear to you dipstick. These blokes scrutinise other clubs recruiting and surely this drongo would know that we had a big slice of around $400,000 that became available when Bradshaw's carryover salary dropped out of the system. And surely Essendon are not going to hop into us given their history of salary cap rorting and now questionable supplement use. Hypocracy at its brilliant best.

Hawthorn sqealing also; gee I hope Buddy gives them the lemonade at the end of the year.

By the way I have been staying at Caringbah in Sydney with a friend for the past 5 days and have done my own salary cap comparison on prices. The Cronulla fruit and veg shop has bags of oranges for $4.99 and bananas at $6.99kg (gold nuggets inside these). Melbourne prices; $3.00 and $3.99. So there it is, a difinitive answer to this vexed question.

[ScottH]

Sorry Dick

[ShockOfHair]

Disappointing. I was enjoying that.

[ShockOfHair]

ROK:

And as the Swans defend their extra salary cap dispensation, O'Keefe said critics had no idea of the sacrifices made by the Sydney players to keep a successful list together.

"Living here everything is expensive - food, coffee, parking and accommodation is ridiculous. Sydney is the third-most expensive city in the world. When you look at guys who come up here, in any other state they would have already bought a house but up here they are still renting. If you want to live in the eastern suburbs in Sydney, you are starting at a million dollars.

"You look at every good side over time, there is a bit of give and take and sacrifice (with contracts), and they are the things you are willing to do to keep that team together.''

[DamY]

Looks like the COL flap isn't going away

ROK:

It's true, I live in a very small 2br terrace in Surry Hills, no parking, no aircon, no built ins, very tiny outdoor area taken up by a clothesline and it's just over $600 a week. The estimated value of this house is around $1m and it's a shoebox! My room just fits a queen size bed, a clothes rack and a chest of drawers. Surely there are similarly priced properties in Melbourne, but anecdotally I've had some friends move down to Melbourne and you definitely get more value for money down there. The COLA is obviously to help attract and retain interstate players who'll need it for the additional relocation and setup costs. Gaah

[ScottH]

The main grievance that has come out this morning with the COL is it should be used for kids on $70K, not the ones on $700K.
Sydney is more expensive than Melbourne, which is fair enough, but then other cities are cheaper so it should be more "equitable" across the locations.

[R-1]

I suspect the solution will end up being player-specific loadings. Start it at 30% for rookies, then 15% or 20% for players below the median contract, then taper it to zero at some point above that. Give Perth maybe half what we get.

Alternatively, just have the AFL contribute to Sydney players' rent and mortgages directly.