Hands off Goodwin or else
By Chief Football Writer MICHELANGELO RUCCI
04jun03
ADELAIDE has taken action to ensure key midfielder Simon Goodwin does not get caught in the kind of maelstrom which suggests Brisbane Brownlow Medallist Jason Akermanis is on the market.
The Crows yesterday revealed they had sought legal advice to stop rival clubs negotiating with 26-year-old Goodwin.
But Adelaide's ultimate move to end the doubt on Goodwin's future – sealing a contract the Crows say they and Goodwin want to sign – is being held up the AFL and AFL Players' Association haggling over the players' next collective wage claims.
Without the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the players' union, no AFL club can be sure of its salary cap next season.
Brisbane and Sydney's situation is more complicated.
Their salary caps are further clouded by the AFL Commission's review of their $900,000 and $600,000 bonuses respectively for player-retention and higher costs of living.
Goodwin who, like Akermanis, is out of contract at the end of the season, is one of many high-profile players who are being mentioned as recruiting targets while contract negotiations are being stalled by the lack of a new CBA.
Akermanis is being linked to Sydney while Goodwin yesterday was regarded by one Melbourne-based club as worth a No. 1 draft pick if he went on the market as an out-of-contract player at the end of October.
Goodwin's name has been thrown around football corridors since a television report claimed Adelaide – with as many as 18 players out of contract at the end of the season – would be forced to unload players to stay within the salary cap. Without elaboration, Goodwin was mentioned as a top-line player to be moved on.
Both Adelaide football operations manager John Reid and Goodwin's manager, Max Stevens, yesterday declared a very different scenario.
They state they are working on a new contract to further establish Goodwin as a one-club player. He has been with Adelaide since 1996.
Reid was adamant yesterday: "The Adelaide Football Club is quite clear that it wants Simon Goodwin. And Simon is quite clear that he does not want to leave the Adelaide Football Club. We are negotiating to achieve that. And we also are taking legal advice on how we deal with anyone who wants to say otherwise."
Stevens yesterday said: "We are working with the club and talking about where Simon is at the moment. We are at early stages."
The key issue, added Stevens, was the AFL-AFLPA CBA which could hold player salaries flat or even decrease them.
"It makes it very difficult to negotiate contracts when you do not know if the new CBA is going to increase the salary cap, if there is an increase at all," Stevens said.
"If we knew the salary cap was going up three per cent, we could negotiate a contract that way and factor in CPI increases. As it is now, we have to wait."
Reid agreed. "We'd like to know where we are going," he said. "As it is now we do not know if we are increasing or decreasing our wage bill.
"But one thing we are certain on is that Simon Goodwin is not going anywhere. That is not an issue."
By Chief Football Writer MICHELANGELO RUCCI
04jun03
ADELAIDE has taken action to ensure key midfielder Simon Goodwin does not get caught in the kind of maelstrom which suggests Brisbane Brownlow Medallist Jason Akermanis is on the market.
The Crows yesterday revealed they had sought legal advice to stop rival clubs negotiating with 26-year-old Goodwin.
But Adelaide's ultimate move to end the doubt on Goodwin's future – sealing a contract the Crows say they and Goodwin want to sign – is being held up the AFL and AFL Players' Association haggling over the players' next collective wage claims.
Without the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the league and the players' union, no AFL club can be sure of its salary cap next season.
Brisbane and Sydney's situation is more complicated.
Their salary caps are further clouded by the AFL Commission's review of their $900,000 and $600,000 bonuses respectively for player-retention and higher costs of living.
Goodwin who, like Akermanis, is out of contract at the end of the season, is one of many high-profile players who are being mentioned as recruiting targets while contract negotiations are being stalled by the lack of a new CBA.
Akermanis is being linked to Sydney while Goodwin yesterday was regarded by one Melbourne-based club as worth a No. 1 draft pick if he went on the market as an out-of-contract player at the end of October.
Goodwin's name has been thrown around football corridors since a television report claimed Adelaide – with as many as 18 players out of contract at the end of the season – would be forced to unload players to stay within the salary cap. Without elaboration, Goodwin was mentioned as a top-line player to be moved on.
Both Adelaide football operations manager John Reid and Goodwin's manager, Max Stevens, yesterday declared a very different scenario.
They state they are working on a new contract to further establish Goodwin as a one-club player. He has been with Adelaide since 1996.
Reid was adamant yesterday: "The Adelaide Football Club is quite clear that it wants Simon Goodwin. And Simon is quite clear that he does not want to leave the Adelaide Football Club. We are negotiating to achieve that. And we also are taking legal advice on how we deal with anyone who wants to say otherwise."
Stevens yesterday said: "We are working with the club and talking about where Simon is at the moment. We are at early stages."
The key issue, added Stevens, was the AFL-AFLPA CBA which could hold player salaries flat or even decrease them.
"It makes it very difficult to negotiate contracts when you do not know if the new CBA is going to increase the salary cap, if there is an increase at all," Stevens said.
"If we knew the salary cap was going up three per cent, we could negotiate a contract that way and factor in CPI increases. As it is now, we have to wait."
Reid agreed. "We'd like to know where we are going," he said. "As it is now we do not know if we are increasing or decreasing our wage bill.
"But one thing we are certain on is that Simon Goodwin is not going anywhere. That is not an issue."
