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Social media went into overdrive recently when images circulated of Reid setting next to Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell at Tom Barrass’ wedding. Mitchell has since done his best to pour cold water on speculation the Hawks may be attempting a mid-contract raid.
A record 25 players earned $1 million or more in the 2024 season, six more than the previous year and a 12-fold increase over the preceding decade, according to the AFL’s annual report.
Harley Reid will spark fierce competition when he comes out of contract.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Of those, 10 players earned more than $1.2 million last year, and the average salary for a listed player was $459,173.
Players like Reid and Daicos are already being talked about for their potential to demand $2 million per season in the next contract they sign.
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“I think the best players in the game should be remunerated as best as they should,” Merrett said.
“My take would be to reduce the size of the list and then inflate the best players’ salaries and reward those guys for being the best players and then improve the product.
“I think we could adjust just a little bit to go from a development competition to a high performance, result-based, NFL-style system.
“If you reduce it by five or six players, it’s fewer players to dedicate your resourcing to, and you don’t have to control them as much because you’re getting a higher percentage of higher quality players. Plus you might free up a million dollars a year to spread across the other 35 players.”
Callahan’s recommitment to the Giants means the Saints have missed out on both him and Merrett in less than six months, while the club is also preparing massive offers from Carlton’s Tom De Koning, North Melbourne’s Luke Davies-Uniacke and Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw.
St Kilda’s captain Jack Steele has nothing but praise for his club’s aggressive recruiting strategy.
“I like that we are going after these players,” Steele told this masthead.
Jack Steele is proud of his club for consistently trying to poach A grade talent from rival teams.Credit: The Age
“I think Finn Callaghan is a great young prospect. He’s going to be a very good player and someone that I would’ve loved to have at the club. But this isn’t really my area of expertise, I’m going to leave that one to “Gubby” [head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan] and SOS [list boss Stephen Silvagni].”
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“Definitely [I want us to get better] and we’ve gone to the draft and gotten rid of a lot of older players and we really do want to attract a few players that area ready-made and ready to go and hitting their straps,” Steele added.
Asked if he was disappointed that, to this point, the Saints had failed to land a big fish in the trade market, he said: “Not at all. All we can do is play an exciting, fun brand of footy and showcase what we’re about to attract those sorts of players. That’s all I can do as a captain is really drive that.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
Social media went into overdrive recently when images circulated of Reid setting next to Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell at Tom Barrass’ wedding. Mitchell has since done his best to pour cold water on speculation the Hawks may be attempting a mid-contract raid.
A record 25 players earned $1 million or more in the 2024 season, six more than the previous year and a 12-fold increase over the preceding decade, according to the AFL’s annual report.
Harley Reid will spark fierce competition when he comes out of contract.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
Of those, 10 players earned more than $1.2 million last year, and the average salary for a listed player was $459,173.
Players like Reid and Daicos are already being talked about for their potential to demand $2 million per season in the next contract they sign.
Loading
“I think the best players in the game should be remunerated as best as they should,” Merrett said.
“My take would be to reduce the size of the list and then inflate the best players’ salaries and reward those guys for being the best players and then improve the product.
“I think we could adjust just a little bit to go from a development competition to a high performance, result-based, NFL-style system.
“If you reduce it by five or six players, it’s fewer players to dedicate your resourcing to, and you don’t have to control them as much because you’re getting a higher percentage of higher quality players. Plus you might free up a million dollars a year to spread across the other 35 players.”
Callahan’s recommitment to the Giants means the Saints have missed out on both him and Merrett in less than six months, while the club is also preparing massive offers from Carlton’s Tom De Koning, North Melbourne’s Luke Davies-Uniacke and Fremantle’s Andrew Brayshaw.
St Kilda’s captain Jack Steele has nothing but praise for his club’s aggressive recruiting strategy.
“I like that we are going after these players,” Steele told this masthead.
Jack Steele is proud of his club for consistently trying to poach A grade talent from rival teams.Credit: The Age
“I think Finn Callaghan is a great young prospect. He’s going to be a very good player and someone that I would’ve loved to have at the club. But this isn’t really my area of expertise, I’m going to leave that one to “Gubby” [head of talent and acquisition Graeme Allan] and SOS [list boss Stephen Silvagni].”
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“Definitely [I want us to get better] and we’ve gone to the draft and gotten rid of a lot of older players and we really do want to attract a few players that area ready-made and ready to go and hitting their straps,” Steele added.
Asked if he was disappointed that, to this point, the Saints had failed to land a big fish in the trade market, he said: “Not at all. All we can do is play an exciting, fun brand of footy and showcase what we’re about to attract those sorts of players. That’s all I can do as a captain is really drive that.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
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