Final Wash Up for the year. Hopefully everyone had a safe and enjoyable NYE celebration.
Bit of a salary focus in this weeks column starting with some AFL news.
Geelong: The Cost of Winning
2007 AFL Geelong Premiers may be feeling the pinch at the end of next season, as 20 players (half of their list) will be coming out of contract. [Contractual claws for Cats] Despite offloading 5 players at season’s end via trades and delistings, the estimated $700,000 they freed up is not enough. An example is the NAB Rising Star (Rookie) winner Joel Selwood. Joel was on roughly $50,000 this year as he was a first year player. However at the end of his 2nd season next year he will be out of contract. If he has another stellar year, his figure could increase at least 6 or 7 times what it is now.
The dominance of Geelong in the All-Australian team has also added to their salary cap woes. Bonuses for each individual range between $15,000-$25,000 and must be included in the cap. [All-Australian glory puts squeeze on Geelong Cats]
The list of players that are out of contract at the end of 2008 include Brownlow Medalist (MVP) Jimmy Bartel and All-Australians Joel Corey, Matthew Scarlett, Cameron Ling and Matthew Egan. Matthew Egan’s position is interesting. He is believed to be on a minute $150,000 per year, and being an established Centre Half Back, his figure would treble in the open market.
The CEO is banking on the leadership group to convince the younger players to stay. Captain Tom Harley has already stated that he will take a pay cut to benefit the club. However, the Cats do get some relief next year, as Harley and their highest paid player (Matthew Scarlett) are eligible to be placed on the veterans list, meaning only half of their salaries are counted towards the cap.
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F1 to be capped?
Honda wants F1 to follow the big leagues and introduce a salary cap. [Honda proposes salary cap for F1] With changes already being made in regards to research and construction, Honda CEO believes that the money will just get filtered to driver and engineer wages. What he proposes is that the cap apply to the entire team’s budget, with the winner being who can manage their team the most efficiently.
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Adelaide re-signed to losing players?
Moving back to Australian sport news, and in the A-League, Adelaide still have 11 players that haven’t signed on for next season. [Adelaide face player exodus] Adelaide don’t want these contract issues overshadowing them, as they are fighting for a top 4 spot this season. The problem is that the players whose contracts expire at June 30 are now free to talk to other clubs, and this may hinder their performance. Of those that are soon to be out of contract, Nathan Burns is a name that would interest many local and overseas clubs. The young striker has a bundle of natural talent, and despite an injury plagued season, would command a significantly better contract than his current one.
Another player who is attracting interest is Lucas Pantelis. The prolific goalscorer is said to be garnishing interest from Melbourne Victory. Former Victory player Kristen Sarkies, who moved to Adelaide United for more game time, is coming to the end of his one year deal, but it is expected he will be retained.
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Cricketers on a Good Wicket
Well the Aussie cricket stars are on a good wicket, with many earning in excess of $1 million dollars. [Aussie cricket stars worth $17 million] Brett Lee was highest earner, with $3 million, thanks largely to his endorsements in India.
Andrew Symond’s has jumped the highest in earnings, making an estimated $1.2 million last year. His popularity continues from strength to strength, and this has attracted corporate sponsors. Matthew Hayden made $1.7 million, thanks partly to his popular cookbooks.
So where does Captain Ricky Ponting fit in? Including his base salary of $800,000 last season, Punter made just over $2 million. Ricky isn’t big on corporate sponsors, instead investing his time in charity work.
The figures have risen astronomically in the last decade, when Australian legend Allan Border made $90,000 in 1994. The rise can be attributed to the domination in cricket that Australia has.
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Open Window
Finally, the January transfer window for the English Premier League has opened and there is sure to be a lot of ins and outs. Already there has been talk of Tottenham striker Dimitir Berbatov wanting to quit Spurs and win trophies. [Agent: Berbatov ready to quit Tottenham] Berbatov hit 4 goals in Spur’s 6-4 win over Reading on the weekend and will command more than the 11 million pound that Spurs paid for him. Manchster United are said to be interested in acquiring him.
Other questions that are raised are will Drogba leave Chelsea? Will Ronaldinho leave Barca? Every man and his dog will say he heard this etc. but it’s only on Jan. 31 will we know what has come to fruition.