Opinion Gold Coast should be allowed to pay Ben King outside the Salary Cap

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Aug 25, 2005
11,641
16,685
Grogansville
AFL Club
Gold Coast
I am not a Gold Coast fan but I am getting sick of Victorian clubs acting like vultures towards Gold Coast players.
To be fair, wasn't that the AFL's strategy though?

Give them enormous Draft hauls which * up the existing clubs - but then they'd get access to them eventually anyway as the salary cap bit?

The bigger issue thus far, is that when the tree has been shaken and players have left - they were going to the 'big clubs'.

So the beneficiaries were Gold Coast and GWS initially through the Draft, then the Essendon, Collingwood and Richmond.

Everyone in between is really who has been shafted by this - not Gold Coast.
 
Apr 24, 2018
3,181
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St Kilda
Yep. Imagine where Melbourne would be right now, or Carlton for that matter if in their dark days as they were trying to rebuild every year they had players poached from them. It would be so much more difficult to rebuild.
Gws have lost plenty of players and still become and remain a competitive football team don’t blame other clubs for the suns own complete mismanagement
 

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Feb 21, 2006
20,657
19,479
Muckertal
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Melbourne
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Turtles, NYJets, Celtics, Tottenham
Yep. Imagine where Melbourne would be right now, or Carlton for that matter if in their dark days as they were trying to rebuild every year they had players poached from them. It would be so much more difficult to rebuild.

Umm we did
 
Mar 12, 2021
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Gold Coast
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I am sorry if this is going to be likely an unpopular opinion but I am one of those seemingly rare traditional state footy club supporters who wants the Suns to flourish and succeed in our league, and I think The AFL should introduce a Franchise Player rule (which I believe Ricky Nixon suggested years ago) where a club can pay its Marquee/Star of the club player/asset outside of The Salary Cap (within ATO reasons of course)

The Suns really cannot afford to lose BK after what they have been through, and I have no problem or issue whatsoever if the AFL can put in place a system where he can earn at least twice as much P/A than any other Eastern/Southern based club chasing him.

BTW this whole Franchise player OTC philosophy shouldn't just apply to the Suns, I would like it to apply to all clubs once over say during a 5-10 year period, to insure some equality in the game, especially for Non Victorian Clubs..

Gold Coast and the game of footy simply cannot afford to let Ben King slip out of the Suns fingers, and I would like to see some innovative measures put in place to ensure he re-signs at The Suns.

At any rate, it's either that or the Suns will get pick 1 as a Priority Pick compo if they lose King to say St Kilda or Essendon (or whatever club wins his services who will pay severe unders for a player of Ben's calibre anmm 0d upside, don't think for a moment the AFL and Gil won't do it either)

I've been saying something similar for years. Not because I'm a suns fan, but because other leagues internationally have similar set-ups in place to protect those at the bottom of the league. I'd love to see a Marquee nomination by each club that doesn't make the top 8, for a period of say 1-2 years. Only an unpopular opinion to victorian leagues who don't want interstate teams to succeed.
 
Mar 12, 2021
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This is a issue of the structural advantage enjoyed by the Victorian/SA/WA comparatively to the northern clubs. A disproportionate amount of the players come originally from there. Meaning northern clubs such as GC disproportionately have to pay above market rates to retain talent from outside their areas. This offers non northern clubs greater flexibility when apportioning player Payments that benefits retention and recruitment. Yes, academies go some way to offsetting this disadvantage, but will never fix this problem, until great numbers of players are developed and drafted locally.This doesn’t even consider the issue of third party agreements and other unofficial incentives available down south.

Not to mention memberships. Any business that has 100,000 consumers versus 15,000 is always going to have a leg up.
 
Jul 25, 2019
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At what point do the GC stand on their own two feet?


Maybe when Southern/Eastern based clubs stop trying to be so selfish and raid the club for all their top end talent.

There is a bigger picture to be looked at here.
 
Apr 12, 2014
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52,263
AFL Club
Melbourne
Maybe when Southern/Eastern based clubs stop trying to be so selfish and raid the club for all their top end talent.

There is a bigger picture to be looked at here.

You don't even have to be a crap club to have other teams come for your players, do you think Melbourne being reigning premiers will stop Freo having a crack at Jackson next year? It is up to the club to make an environment that has players WANTING to be in it.
 
Maybe when Southern/Eastern based clubs stop trying to be so selfish and raid the club for all their top end talent.

There is a bigger picture to be looked at here.

Maybe Carlton should have told Cerra to stay at Freo. Wouldn't want to be selfish would you.
 
Different set of circumstances and you know it..

Then what about Brisbane? They were leaking players like a sieve a few years back. Between them and the Gold Coast Queensland Footy was in bad shape. It was turned around by Fagan and his team, and since then, they've had players wanting to go there.

Retention allowances are a crutch that will either foster poor managment or over-reward good management.
 

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This is a issue of the structural advantage enjoyed by the Victorian/SA/WA comparatively to the northern clubs. A disproportionate amount of the players come originally from there. Meaning northern clubs such as GC disproportionately have to pay above market rates to retain talent from outside their areas. This offers non northern clubs greater flexibility when apportioning player Payments that benefits retention and recruitment. Yes, academies go some way to offsetting this disadvantage, but will never fix this problem, until great numbers of players are developed and drafted locally.This doesn’t even consider the issue of third party agreements and other unofficial incentives available down south.
Not to mention memberships. Any business that has 100,000 consumers versus 15,000 is always going to have a leg up.
Issue of putting clubs in regions where the sport isn’t popular.

Victorian, SA, WA kids grow up wanting to play in front of big crowds in their home state.

Thinking clubs with 100,000 memberships is a leg up, is ridiculous. it’s not fair us northern states can’t compete with that.

Vic, SA and WA have built the sport up over 100 plus years. If the northern state clubs can’t compete with them maybe you are in the wrong league?

Victoria has huge amount of draft talent, Draft Vic players then Vic players want to return to vic clubs with big memberships. Victoria is the problem.

If you want to compete put the work in and grow the game in your local region. Get local kids growing up wanting to play for the Suns/Giants/Swans/Lions
 

banzai

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,067
5,794
AFL Club
Richmond
Lol blaming the VIC clubs. Why should players have to spend their whole career at a club with no fans that is run terribly? They have had many gun players and they still currently do. All they have to do is identify the stars and pay them well. They will lose a few along the way, like GWS but they will get compensated for them. They run into problems when they overpay average role players by significant amounts, then they cant afford to keep the players they need to and everything falls apart.
 
Different set of circumstances and you know it..
No different Carlton looking to bring talent in from Fremantle (Cerra), Gold Coast (Jack Martin), or Sydney (Papley).
 
Aug 11, 2006
33,042
27,534
Perth
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Hawthorn
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I'm baffled that Gold Coast aren't a destination club. What 20yo with money to burn wouldn't want to live in a place with sun, beaches and a bit of hedonism on the side. They should be the equivalent of Miami in US sports.
An indictment for mismanagement should be placed on the organisation currently but, on the flipside, if they get their house in order they should be very competitive on and off the field.
If I was under 30 and had money gold coast would be an awesome place to land.
 
Sep 28, 2016
6,625
21,647
AFL Club
St Kilda
I am sorry if this is going to be likely an unpopular opinion but I am one of those seemingly rare traditional state footy club supporters who wants the Suns to flourish and succeed in our league, and I think The AFL should introduce a Franchise Player rule (which I believe Ricky Nixon suggested years ago) where a club can pay its Marquee/Star of the club player/asset outside of The Salary Cap (within ATO reasons of course)

The Suns really cannot afford to lose BK after what they have been through, and I have no problem or issue whatsoever if the AFL can put in place a system where he can earn at least twice as much P/A than any other Eastern/Southern based club chasing him.

BTW this whole Franchise player OTC philosophy shouldn't just apply to the Suns, I would like it to apply to all clubs once over say during a 5-10 year period, to insure some equality in the game, especially for Non Victorian Clubs..

Gold Coast and the game of footy simply cannot afford to let Ben King slip out of the Suns fingers, and I would like to see some innovative measures put in place to ensure he re-signs at The Suns.

At any rate, it's either that or the Suns will get pick 1 as a Priority Pick compo if they lose King to say St Kilda or Essendon (or whatever club wins his services who will pay severe unders for a player of Ben's calibre anmm 0d upside, don't think for a moment the AFL and Gil won't do it either)
FYI: coming to the end of his second year, GC renegotiated a two year extension with Ben. The extension included an ad hoc $150k pa Ambassadorial Allowance funded by the AFL and covered three years (the last year of his initial contract plus the two year extension).
This same AFL funded ex cap payment was offered to Lukosius and Rankine.
The rationale being to stop GC haemorrhaging players.
So AFL has already gone down this path (x 3).
(Lethlean was interviewed at the time of the extension and said that he indicated to Ben’s father that the offer was too good to refuse and to accept it).
The question is not whether the AFL offers incentives for Ben (or anyone else there) to continue at GC but will any of these three players want to remain at GC after 2022.
If the answer is no, then you’re not asking the right question.
 

#gosaintas

Cancelled
Veteran Reimagine Moorabbin
Nov 11, 2013
4,794
10,292
AFL Club
St Kilda
Maybe when Southern/Eastern based clubs stop trying to be so selfish and raid the club for all their top end talent.

There is a bigger picture to be looked at here.
So a StKilda specific rule that Ben King can't join his twin at Moorabbin even if he's out of contract. Ok.
 
Apr 24, 2018
3,181
2,485
AFL Club
St Kilda
Maybe when Southern/Eastern based clubs stop trying to be so selfish and raid the club for all their top end talent.

There is a bigger picture to be looked at here.
It’s a cut throat business of course other clubs are going to look after there own interests the suns have been given more assistance than any club in history it’s time for them to stand on there own . They had the opportunity to draft max king as well if they had done that this wouldn’t even be a conversation
 
Nov 10, 2013
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The Valley near the Alley
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Gold Coast
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Hell no
I just moved up here and everything you have said is spot on.

It's impossible to sleep in up here. you are up at 5:30am every morning.

We tried to go to the Carlton game and it was horrific, no car parking, no public transport, it was horrible. The game was so bad we left at half time
Plus you need to remember that the empty red seats you see at our games are upwards of $50. All the reasonably priced GA tickets are sold most weeks. Other than corporate areas all seats in the stadium should be $25 GA and $15 kids/concessions and $60 family tickets.
 

Generation X

Debutant
Sep 26, 2021
148
211
AFL Club
Melbourne
Yep. Imagine where Melbourne would be right now, or Carlton for that matter if in their dark days as they were trying to rebuild every year they had players poached from them. It would be so much more difficult to rebuild.

That actually happened
 

Generation X

Debutant
Sep 26, 2021
148
211
AFL Club
Melbourne
Academies are only talked about as a negative by the Melbourne centric AFL media.
That Heeney & Mills are playing AFL footy at the highest level is seen as a negative for the knockers, when it is an example of growing the game in NRL heartland.

Mills was from an AFL mad family and was always going to play AFL. I agree that academies are needed but don't make stuff up to suit your narrative
 
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