Weekly Times | A MEMBER of the AFL Victoria working party developing its equalisation measures admits it would be “very difficult” for a salary cap to be implemented next season.
The testing period for the draft community club sustainability program developed by AFL Victoria — to address issues such as rising player payments — ended last week. The working party developing the measures, including a statewide points system and salary cap, will meet tomorrow to discuss the feedback.
AFL North East Border region general manager John O’Donohue said his region wanted a successful implementation of the salary cap, but the working party, of which he was a member, had a lot of work to do before it could be implemented next year.
“We’re very cautious about its implementation next year because I don’t think we’re ready as a code to implement it, administer it, police it and enforce it between now and the start of 2016,” he said.
When pressed on whether he thought the salary cap was likely to be implemented and enforced next season, O’Donohue said: “There still needs to be some more work done before I can answer it, but I would think it would be very difficult to get it in for next year”.
Another working party member, AFL Central Victoria RGM Paul Hamilton, said the salary cap was an important part of the whole project and its implementation would be a discussion point tomorrow.
“I think the absolute full implementation, in terms of how you manage it, it’s more likely to be 2017 … but I think you could probably put aspects of it in for next year,” he said.
AFL Western District RGM Lachy Patterson said clubs in his region agreed with the salary cap concept, but wanted more time for players, officials and supporters to understand the mechanics of it.
RGM Bruce Petering said the three commissions he oversaw — Sunraysia, Central Murray and Wimmera Mallee — were advocating for the points system to be introduced next season, but for clubs to be given a salary cap figure that would not be enforced until 2017. AFL Gippsland RGM Travis Switzer said some clubs in his region were pushing for the cap to come in next year.