At least five rival clubs are “absolutely filthy” with the AFL allowing Collingwood champion Scott Pendlebury to pocket hundreds of thousands of dollars from merchandise sales surrounding his record-breaking game.
Pendlebury will stand alone at the top of the all-time AFL games record list when he runs out against West Coast next week for his 433rd match.
Pendlebury merchandise sales spark salary cap fury
Channel 7’s Tom Morris revealed on The Agenda Setters on Monday night that Pendlebury will cash in on a variety of different initiatives surrounding the milestone next week.
He will wear up to 12 guernseys throughout the match, while custom boots, wine and even a limited edition watch are all set to be on offer to fans.
It’s estimated he could earn over $300,000 from the match-worn jumpers alone.
Pendlebury is expected to don a gold jumper next week. Normally the club take a portion of the profits made, but in this instance, Pendlebury will get it all.
And the move has been ticked off by the AFL, despite the “testimonial clause” being removed from the CBA.
It has since emerged that Pendlebury will donate a portion of the profits to My Room, a charity for children’s cancer, but debate has raged over the how the AFL is allowing the Collingwood great to earn big money outside the salary cap.
Clubs fume at decision
Channel 7’s Caroline Wilson revealed the multiple clubs are fuming at the decision.
“I’ve spoken to five other clubs who are absolutely filthy about it,” she reported on The Agenda Setters.
“And look, Collingwood deny, and we take them at their word, that there was not a negotiation done where maybe Scott received unders last year knowing he was going to get the money this year. We take them at their word.
“The question must be asked by the clubs.”
Wilson went on to say that Geelong would be interested onlookers after they were investigated and eventually fined for sloppy paperwork surrounding third-party payments.
“I’m not going to name names, and I have not spoken to anyone from the Geelong Football Club today. But we broke the story at the beginning of last season about third-party issues with Geelong that as it emerged, and we never said there was anything underhand, but there was some sloppy paperwork that had happened,” she said.
“They were fined the Geelong Football Club. It was a long-negotiated settlement.
“Now, if I was Geelong and I saw that report last night, I would be going, ‘holy hell’.”
Host Kane Cornes implores AFL to act
Host Kane Cornes implored the AFL to step in and not allow it.
“Is it the biggest loophole in recent salary cap memory, like that clubs can exploit this? Like that clubs can exploit this? They’re looking at it going, well, if Collingwood have done this,” he said.
“The AFL can’t accept, cannot allow this to happen.”
“In a competition that’s supposed to be even, and that is the biggest aim of the AFL, to make it even, this is a big issue and one that I think the AFL have dropped the ball on.”
Carlton and Collingwood great Dale Thomas said any potential earnings should be capped.
“I can understand how at a milestone in something as massive as the game’s record, your Buddy Franklin’s 1000th goal, you could do something slightly outside, but I think it should be capped,” he said.
“I think that’s in fairness to the competition.”
