Bombers Salary Cap Problems

[ace]

Essendope tried to unilaterally cut players wages for this month by 9%.
The AFL has cut the 2020/2021 years cap by 9%.
It would seem that Essendon has contracted to the full salary cap before the cut.
That would mean Essendon's cap is already full with nothing to spare for future free agent bids.
They may struggle to meet the 2020/2021 cap if the players resist.


Essendon have been forced to backpedal after upsetting their players with an email on Friday night telling them the club was planning to withhold nine per cent of their wages this month.

The players were told by email at 8pm on Friday of the club's plan to withhold money, potentially in breach of AFL rules and player contracts, due to the AFL's cuts to the salary cap for next year.

Senior players were angry at the move, made without discussing it with them first, and immediately contacted their managers and the AFL Players Association.

The players' union contacted the club on Saturday for clarity over the emails and warned them about the risk of breaches if they pursued the plan to withhold money.

The email, from chief executive Xavier Campbell and which The Age has seen, said the club would meet with players to discuss the plan for how to apply the AFL cuts to the salary cap but as a starting position they would withhold nine per cent of player salaries in the November pay period.

A subsequent email on Friday night said this withheld nine per cent in November was "a holding pattern while we work out a working normal" in discussions with the players.

By Sunday morning, the club had agreed with the players' union that they would not proceed with withholding money and would meet with senior players on Monday morning.

"We didn't get the communication right and we own that. Our intention was to create a 'holding position' for the next fortnight to allow us the time to meet properly with the playing group," Campbell told The Age.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't consult properly with the players prior, and that is our fault. But we will do this over the next few days."

The club admits now it should have spoken with the players before raising the idea of withholding the money, not withholding the money and then starting talks.

Under the AFL agreement with the AFLPA, players will incur varying degrees of cuts next year.

Players who will be in the final year of contracts in 2021 who were signed well before the COVID-19 impact became apparent – in Essendon's case a player such as Zach Merrett – can only have a mandated 3.5 per cent cut to their salaries next year.

Other players who have contracts running into 2022 and beyond – players at Essendon such as captain Dyson Heppell and Dylan Shiel – can have their wages cut by 8.5 per cent next year with a minimum five per cent that can be recouped in 2022 or later years.

Thus five per cent of the player's contract is "back-ended" and recovered in years when the salary cap is expected, or hoped, to return to at least pre-COVID-19 levels or perhaps higher to account for the back-ended player contracts.

"For a club that has just gone through a review and found problems in their footy department and distrust from their players this was unnecessarily provocative. Put it this way, it hasn't improved relations with their players," one senior industry source said.

Other clubs have taken different approaches to handling the cuts to the cap.

For instance West Coast, who always pay to the maximum of the salary cap, drew their players together to discuss how they could work out an answer to getting under the reduced cap.

They reached an agreement with their players to take a higher than the AFL mandated minimum 3.5 per cent. Sources said the Eagles players had agreed cuts closer to an average seven per cent.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/unn ... 56iw8.html

[Ghost Like]

It seems Essendon do a lot of things for the players without telling them. We should see Merrett training with us this time next year.

No player coming out of contract with them would ever entertain staying in that festering sore of a football club.

[Wayne42]

When Essendon players want to leave that environment it can be very difficult for them to get out of there.

If they are free agents then they have a free pass to go where they want, if they get delisted they could end up somewhere else, but,
if they are contracted or even restricted free agents then they often become pawns in dildo's poker game and sometimes they end having to stay there.

Somehow they have ended being a very difficult work place, hopefully, one day, they improve.

[ace]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jye Caldwell received the news that his pay would be cut by 9% before he ever received any.

I wonder if his Dad will suffer a similar pay cut.

[stkfc1]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jye Caldwell received the news that his pay would be cut by 9% before he ever received any.

I wonder if his Dad will suffer a similar pay cut.

Yeah that's gotta hurt.

[Wayne42]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jye Caldwell received the news that his pay would be cut by 9% before he ever received any.

I wonder if his Dad will suffer a similar pay cut.

Yeah that's gotta hurt.

That's what they get for choosing that club.

[The Billings Method]

Pinch me someone. I think I'm dreaming! First, the filth implodes, then the shitstains from Norf look set to spend years in the bottom 4 and now the drug cheats continue to stuff up! Now all we need is Carlscum to miss the finals. Again! Schadenfreude has never felt so good!

[ace]

And Essendon was going to fit Josh Dunkley in as well even after they knew about 10% cut in the cap was coming.
Turns out they can't afford Caldwell or Dunkley without making other players cut their pay.

[SaintPav]

Ha ha..

Gold

[meher baba]

Yes, it undoubtedly raises questions about what they paid for Caldwell and their pursuit of Dunkley.

No wonder they tried to muddy the waters as much as possible around how much Caldwell is being paid.

[ace]

They can't pay their list now.
Imagine what about if they had successfully got Josh Dunkley as well.
List manager and Dildo can't be talking to each other.

Jye Caldwell has stolen existing players lunch.
Josh Dunkley would have had then all eating dog food.

[st.byron]

When Essendon players want to leave that environment it can be very difficult for them to get out of there.

If they are free agents then they have a free pass to go where they want, if they get delisted they could end up somewhere else, but,
if they are contracted or even restricted free agents then they often become pawns in dildo's poker game and sometimes they end having to stay there.

Somehow they have ended being a very difficult work place, hopefully, one day, they improve.

Nope I hope they don’t improve. I hope their arrogant, entitled self importance continues to bite them on the arse for a long long time. May they crash and burn. F*** Essendon.

[asiu]

Ha ha..

Gold

that made me laugh
... small things ‘n unending depth go well together

[stevie]

Most of their players are worth fuckall from Blackall driving a Vauxhall anyway

[Wayne42]

When Essendon players want to leave that environment it can be very difficult for them to get out of there.

If they are free agents then they have a free pass to go where they want, if they get delisted they could end up somewhere else, but,
if they are contracted or even restricted free agents then they often become pawns in dildo's poker game and sometimes they end having to stay there.

Somehow they have ended being a very difficult work place, hopefully, one day, they improve.

Nope I hope they don’t improve. I hope their arrogant, entitled self importance continues to bite them on the arse for a long long time. May they crash and burn. F*** Essendon.

I like your words better than mine, F*** em, they'll get hit by a truck soon anyway.

[st.byron]

When Essendon players want to leave that environment it can be very difficult for them to get out of there.

If they are free agents then they have a free pass to go where they want, if they get delisted they could end up somewhere else, but,
if they are contracted or even restricted free agents then they often become pawns in dildo's poker game and sometimes they end having to stay there.

Somehow they have ended being a very difficult work place, hopefully, one day, they improve.

Nope I hope they don’t improve. I hope their arrogant, entitled self importance continues to bite them on the arse for a long long time. May they crash and burn. F*** Essendon.

I like your words better than mine, F*** em, they'll get hit by a truck soon anyway.

And well deserved it will be.

[saynta]

Geez, they are arseholes, just like the filth and Norfth.

[SAINT-LEE]

ITK

ESSENDON & NORTH MERGE

They move South to Tasmania and become:

North Burnie Shinbombers.

[Ghost Like]

ITK

ESSENDON & NORTH MERGE

They move South to Tasmania and become:

North Burnie Shinbombers.

How about they just dissolve? We can stop testing our sewage & have a 30 round season playing each other twice.

[desertsaint]

I feel for them. Is there a gof*ckme set up so i can help out?

[saynta]

I feel for them. Is there a gof*ckme set up so i can help out?

Love it.

[Saintmatt]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jye Caldwell received the news that his pay would be cut by 9% before he ever received any.

I wonder if his Dad will suffer a similar pay cut.

Yeah that's gotta hurt.

I’d be lying if I said that I’m not hoping that the young fella chokes hard on the fat one his dumpster fire of a new club has asked him to chew on.

[skeptic]

I would love to have been a fly on the wall when Jye Caldwell received the news that his pay would be cut by 9% before he ever received any.

I wonder if his Dad will suffer a similar pay cut.

Yeah that's gotta hurt.

I’d be lying if I said that I’m not hoping that the young fella chokes hard on the fat one his dumpster fire of a new club has asked him to chew on.

I feel kind of bad for the kid. Clearly has no around him acting in his best interest...
Has a dad willing to disregard his well being and jeopardise his career for a pay cheque

Could you imagine if you were a parent and your kid was saying that he wanted to trade to Essendon. My immediate instinct would be get him drug tested and then take him to a psychiatrist

[happy feet]

Never forget this sh1t stain of a club cheated the salary cap big time in the early 1990’s and walked away with a Premiership, which in all rightfullness should have been stripped from them. I find it hard to understand that any parent would let their child go to this club given the experimental drug cocktails they were given. I just hope in years to come serious health issues don’t kick in to the effected players. Essendon are a disgusting club, I hate them more than the pies.

[shanegrambeau]

Tullamarine is windier than Windy Hill.
They will feel it next winter.
In preparation for...
Their permanent transfer to New Zealand
...and Windy Wellington..