Not unfair ... Andrew Demetriou says the two Sydney clubs deserve extra cap space. Source: Michael Dodge / Getty Images
AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou believes the controversial cost-of-living allowance given to the two Sydney clubs doesn't give them an unfair advantage over the rest of the competition.
With Greater Western Sydney in play for the signature of Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin on the back of Sydney Swans’ audacious recruitment of former Crow Kurt Tippett, the cost-of-living allowance has drawn intense fire from rival clubs.
The Swans and Giants receive an extra 9.8 per cent of salary cap space than the rest of the competition due to the expense involved in living in Australia’s biggest city but it has drawn sharp criticism from the likes of Collingwood president Eddie McGuire.
Speaking on Fox Sports News on Wednesday, Demetriou defended the measure but also agreed it should be reviewed regularly.
“Look, it’s under review at the moment, as it should be, (and) it was reviewed about three years ago and it was justified,” Demetriou said.
“(But) I don’t think the Sydney Swans won the premiership last year because they had a cost-of-living allowance. I think they won because they were the best team, they had the best players, they had the best culture and they prepared on the day to win.
“They didn’t have Kurt Tippett (then) as some people think. They got Kurt Tippett after the event. They’ve had a cost-of-living allowance since 2006 and they’ve won one flag since then.
“It’s not as if they’re winning flags every year.
“We had a club not that long ago that spent more than a million dollars over the salary cap, in Carlton, that finished last. I don’t know if there’s a correlation necessarily between spending all this money extra that gives you an advantage on the field, but we’ll review the cost-of-living allowance.”
Demetriou labelled calls from the Swans for the AFL to consider increasing the allowance “more positioning and more politicking”.
He also defended Franklin’s right to listen to offers from any team that attempts to lure him when his contract runs out at the end of this season.
“You couldn’t knock back Buddy Franklin, but he’s doing what players of his ilk normally do in the last years of their contracts and that’s making it sound like he … hasn’t decided what he’s going to do,” he said.
“He’ll probably extract a few more dollars out of it and good luck to him.
“Any football club in this competition would love to have a Buddy Franklin playing (for them) because he’s a superstar and he does things that normal human beings don’t do. He’d be welcome, I’m sure, on the Gold Coast, in western Sydney and he’d be welcome at Collingwood.”
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét