Essendon trade moves and the secret 'COLA'-style payments people still don't understand

Remove this Banner Ad

Stopher

Brownlow Medallist
Jul 19, 2012
10,022
15,946
Gippsland
AFL Club
Essendon
Other Teams
Liverpool
Odd timing for a thread about a team not in finals, started (with continued contributions) by a supporter of a club not only in the top 4, but in its first final series since all this even happened!

SAD
 
EFC were handed a lifeline by the AFL in terms of player payments.

We really weren't. We'd have survived anyway, under the cap or over it. Whatever it took.
 
So much cheating for so little result. What happened to the good old days when you'd ignore the salary cap & win a flag?

Even better, when you ignored it and came second......and then squealed about the team that won?

:D
 

Log in to remove this ad.

ITT people acting like fraud is no big deal, not a criminal offence and that pretty much everybody would do it given the chance

Lets not forget about those shareholders who have been ripped off. They'd never launch a class action about fraudulent payments.
 
Sep 22, 2011
40,578
87,829
Your girlfriend's dreams
AFL Club
Essendon
So questioned my lawyer friend about this. He said if he allowed one of his clients to get $150k more in a class action (and that's what this essentially was) in the settlement as a different client who had the exact same amount of grievance he would be fired on the spot, be blacklisted by pretty much every firm in the world and never work as a lawyer again.

He then said the insurance company would never let that fly. So basically this thread is "OH s**t WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT DA DRUGZZZZZZ IN AGES"

He’s obviously not in on the great salary cap conspiracy cooked up and kept secret by Essendon, it’s players, their respective legal teams and player managers.

Several of those parties have interests at direct cross purposes with each other, but they still found a way to collude.
 
Sep 22, 2011
40,578
87,829
Your girlfriend's dreams
AFL Club
Essendon
Odd timing for a thread about a team not in finals, started (with continued contributions) by a supporter of a club not only in the top 4, but in its first final series since all this even happened!

SAD

“Essendon should be drawn and quartered for the way they allowed this s**t to ruin a great competition for many years”

*Starts totally random thread about it on the eve of finals, five years later*
 
So questioned my lawyer friend about this. He said if he allowed one of his clients to get $150k more in a class action (and that's what this essentially was) in the settlement as a different client who had the exact same amount of grievance he would be fired on the spot, be blacklisted by pretty much every firm in the world and never work as a lawyer again.

He then said the insurance company would never let that fly. So basically this thread is "OH s**t WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT DA DRUGZZZZZZ IN AGES"

Nah Eth, he lied to you. The AFL let us get one over on all the other clubs.
 
“Essendon should be drawn and quartered for the way they allowed this s**t to ruin a great competition for many years”

*Starts totally random thread about it on the eve of finals, five years later*

MOAR OUTRAGE!!!!!????!!!?!?!?!?!!!
 

Beer n Skittles

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 6, 2012
9,851
17,346
AFL Club
Carlton
Other Teams
Rampage
Even better, when you ignored it and came second......and then squealed about the team that won?

:D
We didn't squeal, it was the ATO that got you. Well we did squeal about the drugs.

But anyway, I think you need to take a little break before you blow a vein
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

Essendon fans very defensive in this thread. Makes me think there might be more too this.

:think:
Oppo supporter: "ESSENDON ARE CHEATING THE CAP THROUGH THEIR COMPO PAYMENTS!"
Essendon fans: "Well no, that's not the way it works for those without tinfoil hats."
evo: "HAHA THAT MUST MEAN IT'S TRUE!"
 
Sep 3, 2018
4,176
5,449
AFL Club
Adelaide
Quick version : The AFL allowed Essendon to deliver big payments outside the salary cap in the form of legal settlements probably giving them a massive advantage over other clubs still to this day.

Long version: Essendon have done absolutely nothing wrong as they simply followed the AFL's directives. This is not the 'supplements saga', this is more like COLA. It was AFL, whether intentionally or incompetently, compromising the competition again.

The reason it's interesting to bring it up now is that generally people didn't understand the possible implications at the time and still don't. They didn't seem to get that it could allow Essendon to retain (almost) all of its gun players and young talent while raiding genuine talent elsewhere for a number of years. And that is what we are starting to really see now - seemingly no pressure to retain wanted (from outside) players and the ability to go after multiple big signings in consecutive years.

Essentially Essendon was allowed to make discretionary payments to players outside the cap who they were simultaneously trying to keep contracted at the club and negotiating salaries with, with the only oversight being that Essendon had to pay 'market value'. This means they couldn't take the absolute piss with the cap, but it did mean that they could easily free up extra cash for each player and allow further room to maneuver with front-loaded and back-loaded contracts. It reduced the likelihood of paying overs for required players, helping list management. This means the effects were always going to last for many years after the payments.

Collingwood would love to pay Tom Lynch a 3 million dollar settlement if he stubbed his toe while meeting Bucks, pay him a bit less on his contract than otherwise and use the spare cash to help fend off any future plays for Stephenson. A settlement is just a payment from a club to a player outside the cap. It's ridiculous that essentially only Jake Niall in the media realised this was a problem at the time (but even he couldn't see how inadequate the 'fix' was) and other clubs have screwed up badly by not pushing back on the AFL.

Lastly, someone will post that these were just insurance payments - this is a lie. Insurance covered SOME of the payment amounts, but Essendon was paying discretionary amounts to different players from its own pocket.

It is interesting the other club affected by the Bombers saga was Port who got to pay Monfries and Ryder outside the cap. Who were clubs who bought in the most “names” last year in trade and free agency? Essendon Smith Saad and Stringer. Port Rockliff Motlop Watts
Rucci reported over here at the time that Port got a million dollar free kick with the cap due to the bomber saga
 
if true, the Dees would have benefitted as well.

I admit to some suspicion that a few of the jabbed up compensated brigade on the Dons list are augmenting the salary cap. Would love to see audited reports.

Similarly I would enjoy seeing out of salary cap payments to Pie players for their contribution to entertainment and knowledge on Eddie's TFS.
 
We as a fan group have become professional in black ops.
Part of the membership package, we got a hat and a 2 week course in black ops cert 3
 
I aced the theory but the blackmailing and stalking practical was tough.
it was a challenge but I did learn how to water board, so that was pretty cool.
 

Remove this Banner Ad

Back