The AFL players are heading towards a steep pay cut according to AFL Players Association president and Geelong midfielder Patrick Dangerfield.
The players agreed to have a 50 per cent cut from their current contracts while the league is taking a hiatus. But the AFL wants to cut their contracts down even more.
Speaking to SEN’s Whateley, Dangerfield said that the players are prepared to have a significant cut to their paycheck, although he wished for more clear communication from the AFL.
“Yes we have (been told 50 per cent is not enough of a cut),” he said.
“I think the next step is getting clarity around the finances of the game and where the line of credit or whatever it might be sits with the cost of keeping the whole competition running without games and without any income.
“We need to be in sync with the AFL so it’s not asking for something that’s totally unreasonable, it’s going ‘yep we understand where you’re at, now let’s come to an agreement that looks after all parties’.
"Are we prepared to take longer-term cuts? Absolutely. But we need a bit more information on where the season is going, the finances of the season so we can make the right decision for the players and for the game because without the game there is nothing,” he said.
“We get (the information) from the AFL and I understand they are in an incredibly difficult position at the moment, but we need greater certainty around what it looks like so we can make an informed decision.
“I would suggest that 50 per cent for the next two months and if it extends for the rest of the season, that’s pretty painful and if we get the books on where it sits and it’s far more dire than that, then that’s a conversation that needs to be had. That’s an agreement that must be met, but we need to get that information.
“The criticism has been extreme in terms of what we as players cop on a daily basis, but I’d ask that we judge it on what the end agreement is. Judge us on the end of the process once we’ve resolved it and it’s a fair position we’ve reached rather than this hysterical commentary we’re seeing at the moment.”
