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Nizzy has come out today. Sounds as though schisms are starting to appear between clubs. Struggling clubs want deep cuts to stay afloat and wealthy clubs are concerned about the impact that will have on the competition.
Coronavirus crackdown: West Coast Eagles boss Trevor Nisbett says list cuts could be disaster
Steve ButlerThe West Australian
Saturday, 18 April 2020 4:00AM
Steve Butler
West Coast chief executive Trevor Nisbett fears that dramatic cuts to staff and player numbers because of the coronavirus crisis will turn the AFL back into a semi-professional slog.
Nisbett, part of the AFL’s special working group guiding football’s financial fightback, said any more than the suggested $3 million cut to football department spending — down from $9.7 million a year — could have devastating consequences for the league’s brand.
And a list-size cut to 35 players from 44 would be unworkable in the current structure and would put an end to AFL clubs having State league teams, such as the Eagles in the WAFL. It is already unlikely West Coast would be able to pay its $800,000 annual WAFL requirement as the club deals with the harsh financial fall-out from the coronavirus-led lockdown.
“This is a professional league and we need to keep it professional,” Nisbett said bluntly.
“We know there has to be cuts in finance, but if it goes lower than $6.7 million there is going to be so much trauma in the football departments because it will mean a lot of people may have to go.”
Nisbett said the impact of extra coaches, particularly in player development, had been underestimated. He believed some of the game’s greatest recent stories, such as West Coast pair Tim Kelly and Liam Ryan and Richmond’s Marlion Pickett and Sydney Stack, would never have emerged if clubs did not have the development coaches entrusted to bring “speculation” players through the system.
“They have been wonderful stories for footy and wonderful for those families and those kids,” he said.
“Yet what we’re saying is we’re not going to be able to do that any more because you’re only going to be allowed to have 35 players. I think it’s wrong and the wrong way to go. It needs to be staggered over a few years if we are going to reduce lists.”
Nisbett also pointed out that players had already agreed to a 50 per cent reduction for two months, but believed they would be prepared to negotiate further if it meant keeping teammates on club lists and coaches in football department jobs.
He said list sizes any smaller than 38 players would be damaging for the game’s standard, as would trying to top up lists with players from second-tier competitions who were not being trained at AFL level.
Nisbett harked back to 1989 when he first joined West Coast and the damage caused to the team because of the 35-player list size. They had only 18 fit players for the final game of the 1989 season when they were belted by Collingwood by 49 points at Victoria Park.
“You saw what a disaster that was in the Eagles’ first three years ... an absolute disaster,” he said.
“This needs to be given very careful thought before we make these changes.
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