Covid 19 and footy - season (suspended) now resumed

[Ruck'n'Roll]

KTigers points out the leagues most expensive executive (a do nothing waste of space) takes a 20% pay cut. Meanwhile MelC points out that most players take a 50% pay cut.
We've already seen some of the least well paid coaching a support staff canned, and with smaller lists forecasted the same fate will await the games least well paid players.
And the players union seem utterly complicit with this, limiting themselves to looking after the stars pay packet, and let the least well paid go hang.

it seems that the health of the game is not even a consideration.

[Meg]

Wow!

‘An estimated 400 AFL club families and staff will fly to Queensland on Thursday in a co-ordinated relocation of football support networks to a transition hub.’

‘All told, there will be close to 1500 AFL people - counting their families - in Queensland once Carlton and Hawthorn finish their stints in Perth and move to Queensland, which accounts for the AFL's huge spending of about $3 million a week to keep the competition afloat.’

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/the-afl-s-mass-exodus-up-to-170-kids-to-head-to-queensland-20200728-p55gcs.html?btis

[KTigers]

KTigers points out the leagues most expensive executive (a do nothing waste of space) takes a 20% pay cut. Meanwhile MelC points out that most players take a 50% pay cut.
We've already seen some of the least well paid coaching a support staff canned, and with smaller lists forecasted the same fate will await the games least well paid players.
And the players union seem utterly complicit with this, limiting themselves to looking after the stars pay packet, and let the least well paid go hang.

it seems that the health of the game is not even a consideration.

Yes, it's just a microcosm of what is happening in the wider business community and the economy. The execs and directors at Qantas
take a 30% pay cut and 12,000 lower rung employees get laid off. The people with no power or voice, be it at a footy club or an airline,
get shoved out the door first. If you actually have been making a lot of money historically you can actually afford to be paid nothing for
awhile more than a person who receives a modest salary. I saw one of the Melbourne papers had gleefully published their list of the
hundred highest paid AFL players with their estimated salaries yesterday. Man, talk about tacky considering what is going on
right now.

[mcs]

The NRL cap is unchanged. How is that "weak evidence".,?

Not changing the salary cap tells absolutely nothing in isolation.

What's the NRL salary cap - a bit under $10 million? That's ~160 million across all 16 clubs. NRL revenue in 20109 was ~528 million. So in theory, it's a third of "NRL" revenue. But in reality, its actual % is a lot less across the league, because NRL revenue doesn't include the money individual clubs raise from individual sponsorships and everything else.

All it tells us is the NRL has chosen not to try and make their players pay part of the costs of the lost revenue associated with COVID-19 through a lower salary cap. When V'Landys can come out and talk about cutting 50 million per annum out of HQ costs alone, there is plenty of fat there to cut by the sounds of it. So for all we know the NRL has chosen to cut a whole bunch of other funding elsewhere for other purposes, as a way to cover the pressures that are resulting.

It tells you absolutely nothing about the revenue side of the equation...... which was your original conjecture.

[Markwebbos]

So the Swans and Giants are about to "evacuate NSW" en masse before the QLD border shuts

Category: | Herald Sun

The AFL had planned their draw around this prospect that Queensland would soon shut its doors to NSW, hence the reason why the Swans and Giants had their next two matches scheduled for Brisbane and Gold Coast.

The plan now will be for the Swans and Giants to hub in Queensland from Thursday and for the next two games, before they both fly to Perth for the next phase of the fixture.

Queensland’s call to shut the borders from 1am Saturday came as a shock on Wednesday, but it’s a scenario the AFL had planned for in advance.

[mcs]

KTigers points out the leagues most expensive executive (a do nothing waste of space) takes a 20% pay cut. Meanwhile MelC points out that most players take a 50% pay cut.
We've already seen some of the least well paid coaching a support staff canned, and with smaller lists forecasted the same fate will await the games least well paid players.
And the players union seem utterly complicit with this, limiting themselves to looking after the stars pay packet, and let the least well paid go hang.

it seems that the health of the game is not even a consideration.

No different to what is being seen elsewhere really - the elite always find a way to protect their lions share.... players association seems no different in that regard.

- - - Updated - - -

So the Swans and Giants are about to "evacuate NSW" en masse before the QLD border shuts

Category: | Herald Sun

The AFL had planned their draw around this prospect that Queensland would soon shut its doors to NSW, hence the reason why the Swans and Giants had their next two matches scheduled for Brisbane and Gold Coast.

The plan now will be for the Swans and Giants to hub in Queensland from Thursday and for the next two games, before they both fly to Perth for the next phase of the fixture.

Queensland’s call to shut the borders from 1am Saturday came as a shock on Wednesday, but it’s a scenario the AFL had planned for in advance.

Who else are we going to play in Perth though given we've already played Wet Coke? Or will we be shuffled off to Adelaide next or Cairns or somewhere haha.

The challenges of a truly national game hey.

[barry]

I saw one of the Melbourne papers had gleefully published their list of the
hundred highest paid AFL players with their estimated salaries yesterday. Man, talk about tacky considering what is going on
right now.

That was gutter journalism wasnt it.
No one actually knows the salaries of players, so it was all conjecture, and suprise, suprise, the top two players came from Sydney. "Bondi Billionaires", or "Ryldemare Richies", lol.

Based on this, again on footy classified, Caro goes on about how can the Giants are going to lose stars due to a cap squeeze, but not richmond, or west coast or collingwood.
Its just a perpetual circle jerk.

[Ruck'n'Roll]

I saw one of the Melbourne papers had gleefully published their list of the hundred highest paid AFL players with their estimated salaries yesterday. Man, talk about tacky considering what is going on right now.

The salaries of those at the top of the tree are usually a vigorously defended secret, and even when forced to come clean, in the past both politicians and corporate big wigs put in enormous efforts to hide/suppress or distract attention from their brigandage. These days they also attack any non complicit media.

Having the top 100 published by the Hun, pretty much the perfect example of complicit media, is very strange.

Is it just being tacky or is someone stirring the pot for some reason?

It will certainly make for an interesting hub environment, with large numbers of players all locked down together. Players now able to look at team mates and opponents and, based on the Hun's estimates, actually calculate exactly how much more the guy hanging about outside a pack looking for a cheap possession is worth than they are.

[mcs]

That was gutter journalism wasnt it.
No one actually knows the salaries of players, so it was all conjecture, and suprise, suprise, the top two players came from Sydney. "Bondi Billionaires", or "Ryldemare Richies", lol.

Based on this, again on footy classified, Caro goes on about how can the Giants are going to lose stars due to a cap squeeze, but not richmond, or west coast or collingwood.
Its just a perpetual circle jerk.

Huzzah Barry - one of those rare occasions where we agree. Ridiculous case of gutter journalism.

[Meg]

From video on Swans Instagram account, Kennedy and Buddy - and Naismith - have all gone with the players up to Qld for hub life. I didn’t spot Heeney but given Naismith has gone perhaps Isaac has as well.

Perhaps the long-term injured players have gone so they can keep receiving rehabilitation treatment and oversight from the medical staff in the hub?

I assume there is some concern they may not be home again for some weeks.

Naismith has a funny video on his Insta account of his packed bags for the trip with his (very) small dog packed in his bag. And Jesinta has packed story books in Buddy’s bags so he can still take part in their usual bedtime story-reading routine with their baby daughter by Facetime.

This is certainly a unique season!

[Meg]

More info here about which Swans players have/haven’t gone to Qld. (Heeney & Hewett haven’t gone.)

‘The Swans ......... have told players to plan to be away for eight weeks.’


‘The Swans are taking a smaller group to than other clubs with families and partners not accompanying players to Queensland.’


Franklin could be back for Sydney derby Champion spearhead Lance Franklin could return as early as August 13's Sydney derby,

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/slip-of-the-tongue-franklin-could-be-back-for-sydney-derby-20200730-p55h2s.html?btis

[Bexl]

What I meant was playing regular games at Optus Stadium

- - - Updated - - -

I think I mucked up the post a little bit what I said was does anybody else think playing regular games at Perth Optus Stadium will benefit the Sydney players especially with that Stadium having the same dimensions as the MCG I think it'll be really good for them

[Meg]

I just completed the Swans member survey emailed out about membership options for 2021. I can understand the dilemma of what membership options should be offered given the ongoing Covid uncertainty.

My head was spinning by the end of the survey so I hope I was internally consistent in my responses. There wasn’t an opportunity to review answers at the end, after I understood more clearly the format & logic of what was being asked.

By the end though I knew exactly what I wanted: the same membership and reserved seat as I have purchased for over 10 years.

And for life to go back to the way it was pre-Covid. [emoji22]

[barry]

I just completed the Swans member survey emailed out about membership options for 2021. I can understand the dilemma of what membership options should be offered given the ongoing Covid uncertainty.

My head was spinning by the end of the survey so I hope I was internally consistent in my responses. There wasn’t an opportunity to review answers at the end, after I understood more clearly the format & logic of what was being asked.

By the end though I knew exactly what I wanted: the same membership and reserved seat as I have purchased for over 10 years.

And for life to go back to the way it was pre-Covid. [emoji22]

I got that too. It was complete jiberish. But it did come from the AFL (via the swans). Each club has such varied membership structure, it didnt fit anyone.

Looked suspiciously like it was not generated by an experienced marketing and PR team, but more likely an ex-afl player/coach given a job by the old boys network.

[goswannies]

I wonder how many aged ex-AFL footballers have been lost to Covid so far