What did XR do?

[bloodspirit]

A few points to throw in the mix:

* players are not primarily playing for the money. Sure, it's become a big factor, but they are doing it because they love it and it beats "working" for a living (I know they work much harder than me - but that's not my point). Even before they earned so much there was still footy and crowds and players giving their all.

* if a player gets injured in the line of duty that is no reason to diss them. They've put their body on the line for us. This particularly relates to the criticism being thrown at Tippett and Reid. They don't owe us anything. Perhaps if we continue to show faith in them after a series of injuries then the pendulum can swing a little. But then, if a player is injury prone that will be reflected in their wages after a while anyway.

* while acknowledging better players are always going to get paid more, I still think there is a good case for a decent minimum wage given that unlike modelling, banking, pulling beer and other occupations, our players are (again) putting their bodies on the line and, much more frequently than in other professions, wind up with permanently diminished physical capacities after their playing career is over. This applies to both more and less talented players (possibly more so to the less talented because they have to rely more on grit) and that is a reason for bottom players getting paid decently even if they are not as good as their better paid team mates. I think it's great that the players themselves have some kind of fund and support for players whose careers are cut short by injury.

[dimelb]

A few points to throw in the mix:

* players are not primarily playing for the money. Sure, it's become a big factor, but they are doing it because they love it and it beats "working" for a living (I know they work much harder than me - but that's not my point). Even before they earned so much there was still footy and crowds and players giving their all.

* if a player gets injured in the line of duty that is no reason to diss them. They've put their body on the line for us. This particularly relates to the criticism being thrown at Tippett and Reid. They don't owe us anything. Perhaps if we continue to show faith in them after a series of injuries then the pendulum can swing a little. But then, if a player is injury prone that will be reflected in their wages after a while anyway.

* while acknowledging better players are always going to get paid more, I still think there is a good case for a decent minimum wage given that unlike modelling, banking, pulling beer and other occupations, our players are (again) putting their bodies on the line and, much more frequently than in other professions, wind up with permanently diminished physical capacities after their playing career is over. This applies to both more and less talented players (possibly more so to the less talented because they have to rely more on grit) and that is a reason for bottom players getting paid decently even if they are not as good as their better paid team mates. I think it's great that the players themselves have some kind of fund and support for players whose careers are cut short by injury.

Well put, especially your third point.

[Meg]

Well put, especially your third point.

It is precisely the third point that the Players' Association aim to protect through the minimum terms and conditions negotiated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. I think the association does a pretty fair job for the players. While the delay in announcing the TPP for 2017 and beyond has made recruitment decisions difficult for the clubs, I suspect the delay reflects the association holding firm on a good outcome for the players.

[707]

Comprehensive article this morning on the AFL website fully explaining what occurred with XR.

Classic case of misreading your own worth and in the end biting the hand that was going to feed you $150k+ for another two years. Looks like the Swans just got fed up with his posturing and banked some salary cap.

Looks like he'll be enjoying Melbourne's cheaper cost of living whilst studying next year.

[Ludwig]

Trading Places

[Mel_C]

So many articles have been written about X the last couple of months. The footy world is as dumbfounded as we are.

Sent from my HTC_PN071 using Tapatalk

[Industrial Fan]

The more time passes after the delisting the more I think it will be a big positive for us keeping the list together.

[Aprilbr]

Yes I read the article with great interest. The link is:

http://m.afl.com.au/news/2016-12-02/...avier-richards


It's interesting to read that some clubs did not rate his ability that highly. I thought he showed a bit in the last 10 games and is very athletic. Obviously he had a shocker in the GF but then again he had a few mates in that regard.

Knocking back $150k per year for 2 years to be on next to nothing as a student is a big decline. He complained about the cost of living being too high in Sydney but surely one could live a reasonable existence there on that money? By the way I live in Melb and it's not too cheap here either. I might add that I thought there was still a reasonable rent allowance permitted by the AFL for players in Sydney on the lower wage levels?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Markwebbos]

Maybe in the future we'll use the expression "doing an X" and everyone will remember this as a cautionary tale.

The way the AFL tells it X was the driving force not his manager, who tried to talk sense into him.

Question is, ARE the Swans better off without him? I'm not convinced but I understand why they did it.

[Nico]

Yes I read the article with great interest. The link is:

ANALYSIS: Where did it all go wrong for Xavier Richards? - M.afl.com.au


It's interesting to read that some clubs did not rate his ability that highly. I thought he showed a bit in the last 10 games and is very athletic. Obviously he had a shocker in the GF but then again he had a few mates in that regard.

Knocking back $150k per year for 2 years to be on next to nothing as a student is a big decline. He complained about the cost of living being too high in Sydney but surely one could live a reasonable existence there on that money? By the way I live in Melb and it's not too cheap here either. I might add that I thought there was still a reasonable rent allowance permitted by the AFL for players in Sydney on the lower wage levels?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Herald Sun article today by John Ralph quoted his manager as saying that after the COLA was stopped it meant X could not afford to live in Sydney. So managers used the COLA to lure players to the Swans (to the managers' advantage also) then use it's abolition as "the" excuse for them to leave the club (again to the managers' benefit). Ablett allegedly wanted to come back to Geelong. He was paid a motza to go there and got there skillfully with the help of his manager. Did his manager then want to get him back to Geelong to give the manager some more action in 2016? I wonder if X had any advice on what he should do other than from his manager.

Beware of people who want to play with your money X.

[Meg]

The COLA excuse doesn't make sense though.

If X was offered around $150,000 (which sounds about right to me), then COLA would have provided an additional $15,000 which would then have been taxed (so the net figure would be somewhat less in the pocket).

With COLA now gone, at this salary X would have been eligible for the accommodation assistance which I think is $15,000, the same as he would have got from COLA (final figure was never to my knowledge made public). But I also think (but again don't know for sure) that it would not be taxed - that it would be a net $15,000 in the pocket.

So at worst (if both amounts taxed) X would have got the same amount as COLA. At best (new allowance tax-free) he would have been better off than under the COLA scheme.

[Meg]

I think the dream that I had some time ago was close to the mark. X shared house with Tom Mitchell and also shared the same player agent. I suspect that X had a pretty good idea of the amounts being offered to Tom by the Swans and by Melbourne clubs. And on the basis of this thought he too could get a better deal from a Melbourne club. (I'm not suggesting X thought he could or should get as much as Tom.)