GWS Giants lost the second-most games to injury last year.Credit:AFL Photos
It is all part of the AFL’s wish to strip back discretionary spending that is not included in the salary cap,but there is so far no indication the figure will continue to drop.
Industry sources toldThe Age the average per club was $563,000 before the lower amount was introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic but also some teams abusing the system,including trying to have All-Australian and other related bonuses covered.
Injuries play a significant role in a team’s on and off-field fortunes.Credit:AFL Photos
West Coast and Greater Western Sydney lost 176 and 155 games,respectively,to injury last home-and-away season,according to Champion Data,while Hawthorn (134),Essendon (114) and Carlton (109) also had a tough time with setbacks.
The reduced allowance means list managers responsible for overseeing total player payments (TPP) must be savvier than ever in forecasting how many matches their footballers may miss – an incredibly difficult task – to avoid a salary-cap squeeze.
Clubs submit to the league a projected TPP figure before each season,between December and January,that considers potential missed games through injury. Every team must spend at least 95 per cent of the salary cap,with those in rebuilding mode almost always spending less than sides expecting to contend.
Where it becomes more complex is the AFL introduced a rule several years ago whereby clubs could “bank” cap money to use in a future season – up to five per cent extra –if they underspent on players in the two years prior. Clubs not maximising their cap amount will rarely need to dip into the allowance,but would lose that advantage they were planning for if they endured a horror injury run,so the rules around the allowance,also referred to as a “rebate″,are slightly different.