AFLW 2022

[Lods]

It's chicken and egg lods.

Does the standard get better and that leads to better pay
Or
Does better pay lead to a better standard.

....and which should come first.

The girls are starting to make a bit of noise about pay. Not that they think they deserve more for playing AFLW, but because in order for it to take the next step, the girls need some kind of security. 1 year contracts is the norm, with 2 year contracts the maximum possible and rare by comparison. Those 1 year contracts are basically for 6 months, they other 6 they don't get paid.....BUT....they are still expected to be elite athletes.

The afl dropped the ball when they canned the season mid finals 2 years ago.
You had girls busting their gut all year, play 7 or 8 games and then the afl pulls up stumps and you get nothing out of it. Postpone first, cancel as  last resort.

How can the girls take the next step with their commitment if the afl doesn't give them any?

Give them a proper season, give them an annual wage they can make work financially and the standard will magically improve....and it will grow the game where their salaries are covered, by the revenue aflw makes.

You hear the girls speak and their love for the game is never in doubt. They just want what's fair. The criticism they get and the demands that are asked of them are both completely out of whack with what they get paid.

Give them the money they want need and the rest will take care of itself.....including a truly national draft which evens out the competition like its supposed too.

I have no doubt that the women have a great love for the game.
I think what supporters want to see is a 'Sam Walsh' like love and commitment to the 'club' and their team-mates.

I suspect a big push for increased salary is probably coming from the older players.
They've been the pioneers, but the youngsters are coming thick and fast.
These older players have a limited playing time left and can probably see a situation where they run out of time before the big money is forthcoming.

I've never been a big fan of the draft.
I don't think it evens out a competition to a greater extent than a salary cap alone would.
The NRL seems to operate quite well on that basis...and you don't have the player retention issues that clubs like the Gold Coast and GWS have experienced under the draft structure.
But having said that there needs to be some improvement on the current state "zoning" type restrictions.

What these discussions are showing is that the AFLW is an evolving concept.
Where we're getting some disagreement is over the pace of that evolution and the form of the final product.

I tend to agree with LP's comments that the AFLW needs to develop some points of difference that improve the spectacle but keep the basic structure of the game.