Player managers fear a middle-class squeeze that will see the league’s reliable role players sacrificed so clubs can stay under a smaller 2021 salary cap.

AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking on Wednesday confirmed little work had been done on the salary cap or list cuts as key industry figures fear key decisions are months away.

List managers and player agents are still none the wiser on when they will be able to contract players again as players begin to express their anxiousness about 2021 contracts.

 

BAYLEY FRITSCH (MELBOURNE) 

Jack Viney is the free agent the Demons will want to lock away but Fritsch has turned into a sneaky-good utility who can play anywhere and kicked 17 and 20 goals in his first two years. Can he go big and turn a 30-plus goal year into some serious leverage?

Twitter should start putting warnings on Herald Sun journalist tweets like it did yesterday on President Trump's. 

Fritsch's ceiling is super high. Would be crazy to let him go.

The fact this doesn't necessarily need to be a binary list management decision, I'll play along with the Hun on this one - remains to be seen what each brings to the table in 2020.

JV may well crack the sads when/if the going gets tough, as he may well be entitled to do, or Fritsch may not get the supply.

For mine Fritsch's return on investment is far greater, more upside too.

No chance Fritter will be squeezed out

23 minutes ago, rolling fog said:

The fact this doesn't necessarily need to be a binary list management decision, I'll play along with the Hun on this one - remains to be seen what each brings to the table in 2020.

JV may well crack the sads when/if the going gets tough, as he may well be entitled to do, or Fritsch may not get the supply.

For mine Fritsch's return on investment is far greater, more upside too.

You must've missed JV in R1?

3 hours ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

Twitter should start putting warnings on Herald Sun journalist tweets like it did yesterday on President Trump's. 

And a health warning on anything from the aptly named Ralph

They must keep Fritsch; he's our next Brad Green.

I'd get rid of a lot of players before Fritsch!

8 minutes ago, Collar-Jazz-Knee said:

I'd get rid of a lot of players before Fritsch!

With you 100% on this.

the only thing getting squeezed out here is a brainfart from Ralphy's head. Viney and Fritsch won't be going anywhere.

Unfortunately Fritsch may have to make way so we can re-sign the Wagner brothers

Going by the contracts thread, there are 17 players OOC. I'd have Fritsch as the third most important to sign behind Trac and Vines. He ain't going anywhere.

But nice try Ralph you muppet.

Is timing the issue? Do the majority of other players have contracts after this season? If there’s numerous other players also OOC at seasons end, then this is a nothing article. Fritz will he retained.

Edited May 28, 20205 yr by Ethan Tremblay

46 minutes ago, Collar-Jazz-Knee said:

I'd get rid of a lot of players before Fritsch!

like 90% of the list

Below is the list of OOC players at the end of this season. 

Player	Status
Aaron Nietschke
Austin Bradtke
Bayley Fritsch
Charlie Spargo
Corey Wagner
Harley Bennell
Harrison Petty
Jack Viney	RFA
James Jordan
Jay Lockhart
Jayden Hunt
Joel Smith
Joshua Wagner
Kade Chandler
Kyle Dunkley
Marty Hore
Michael Hibberd
Mitchell Brown
Mitchell Hannan
Nathan Jones	UFA
Oscar McDonald
Toby Bedford
Tom Sparrow

Edited May 28, 20205 yr by Ethan Tremblay
Removed Langdon

4 minutes ago, Ethan Tremblay said:

Below is the list of OOC players at the end of this season. 

Player	Status
Aaron Nietschke
Austin Bradtke
Bayley Fritsch
Charlie Spargo
Corey Wagner
Ed Langdon
Harley Bennell
Harrison Petty
Jack Viney	RFA
James Jordan
Jay Lockhart
Jayden Hunt
Joel Smith
Joshua Wagner
Kade Chandler
Kyle Dunkley
Marty Hore
Michael Hibberd
Mitchell Brown
Mitchell Hannan
Nathan Jones	UFA
Oscar McDonald
Toby Bedford
Tom Sparrow

Really is a nothing tweet from Ralph. just making up things whilst in isolation. If he had a half a brain he would have mentioned the Wagners, Dunkley & maybe Spargo or Hunt first. Keep the young guys and Bradtke as work in progress

Ed Langdon out of contract at the end of his first year?   Gotta be a mistake.

19 minutes ago, demonstone said:

Ed Langdon out of contract at the end of his first year?   Gotta be a mistake.

here's luci's list - so 22 contracted beyond 2020

Edited May 28, 20205 yr by daisycutter

Ralph is going for shock. He has named decent players in each team and their supporters are going to say the same as us. Jon Ralph doesn't deserve this much conversation.

Being brutal about the players listed for contract renewal in 2020 it would seem that only Viney and Fritsch are certainties. Lots of others are probables (some more than others) but there's a few that could be hit by list reductions if they occur.

Big year for quite a few of those on Lucifer's 2020 renewal list.

I would think that for the AFL to reduce the salary cap for 2021 that they would need agreement with the AFLPA to revise existing contracts downward, otherwise what happens if a club have most of its players locked away so that they are over the revised salary cap with their existing contracts.

9 minutes ago, chookrat said:

I would think that for the AFL to reduce the salary cap for 2021 that they would need agreement with the AFLPA to revise existing contracts downward, otherwise what happens if a club have most of its players locked away so that they are over the revised salary cap with their existing contracts.

yes, i wondered about that possibility. even if not over the revised salary they may be with min payment requirements to pay those re-contracted out of the remaining players to make up the new list numbers

i think one way or the other (voluntary or not) existing contracts will be renegotiated within certain guidelines. 

Clowns like John Ralph are a blight on good journalism, just makes up garbage all the time.

Fritsch needs to work on his set shot kicking if he wants to go places in the league.

Is a good snap shot and good on the run but his elementary set shots for goal leaves a lot to be desired.

Had a poor round 1 with 0.2. Looking forward to a better showing vs Carlton.