I have been a position of moving for money and it is driven by factors of ego, financial stability and loyalty.
Sometimes we move occupations because it is a way of progressing careers. Most of us normal people are driven by that and it is more than understandable.
Two of our great political leaders in Hawke and Keating were examples of these issues and ambitions, when it comes to football players or sportsman in can be different.
When playing for a football team it can be similar but is still different. i.e we are driven by opportunities and compelled by loyalty. Money should not be the ultimate factor if you put things into a relevance of circumstances.
Coming from an old school environment it is an oxymoron that loyalty in a sporting team is the only relevance to my way of thinking, I am old fashioned and obviously out of date.
Parramatta had players like the greats of Sterling, Kenny, Price, Grothe and Cronin who were all offered more money than each other at different times to go to another club. All these players took an honourable settlement to stay with the club they felt honourably bounded to. Bounded to meant the club and each other and also their supporters.
Now sometimes if you are a specialist and need to improve that specialty you move because it is a hinderance to stay as an understudy.
The current discussions on salary and contracts disturb me because I have a loyalty to my club which money could not buy!
Now I know that professionalism is the current marker when it comes to these things and as professionals there is a natural obligation to go certain ways.
I would never the less love and like to see loyalty become the predominant factor in changing clubs for rugby league but more specifically my Parramatta Eels.
I do not follow Parramatta because they are the best team, I have followed them like most of us when they have been anything but!
I hope when discussions with players under contract negotiations have this explained to them in such a way that they understand all aspects of the points I am making.
If they cannot understand that meaning of loyalty and can leave with all the honourable aspects addressed then they leave with those factors adequately addressed for what ever short or long term advantages they perceive.
Messrs Moses, Brown, Gutherson etc please note when these discussions inevitably arise.
Replies
That's a good point,. Poppa.A lot of players will not move for money if the attachments are good with a club and are paid a fair price for their ability. Fans also will not move from club to club if their team doesn,t deliver. People do bond with groups and their environment. Some people live in some really high-priced locations with maybe less desirable homes. They could get a lot of money to sell and buy a better home in a different area but choose not to. For many life is not all about money
Interesting post Pops. Firstly, I'm on my 3rd Talisker 10 so this may not make sense and I may stray from your post a bit (or alot:) );
It seems to me that managers pay no heed to the issue of loyalty and the rewards it brings in any way, let alone what is in the players best interests medium, short and long term as well as their ability to achieve their sporting goals - after all, footy players of every ability play, first and foremost, because they like (love) playing footy.
From where I sit managers are concerned purely with the dollar value of a contract they are able to negotiate for thier client. This is because there is a misbelief that managers are there to act in their client's best interest. That's bullshit - managers are there to maximise thier income right now, and the only way to do this is maximise player contract dollar amounts.
Which brings me to this: How are players paid? If they are paid thru a company they can maximise their earnings thru various avenues, but if they are paid as an employee of their employer (like alot of us) they don't have the same ability. They will be paying PAYG at the highest rate as well as a pre-tax (i'm guessing) 10% or so to thier manager, super may be getting extracted from the contract as well. A 250k contract increase could end up being $125k or even less in the player's pocket.
As for the managers cut of the 250k increase (25k at 10%), well, he's getting that paid to his company and, after a bit of perfectly legal accounting wizadry he's seeing every single cent of that 25k.
Any player would be best served getting further impartial advice from a trusted 3rd party outside of club and manager. I reckon that advice would often be at odds with a managers recommendation. I reckon managers should be called brokers - because that's what they REALLY are..
Full circle back to loyalty - - - loyalty is the manager's enemy. I empathise with confused players, their managers are discounting anything that doesn't increae a gross contract amount and using all sorts of tactics to get the player thinking the same way. It's one of the great blights on the game.
You make sense Kram and you have taken the conversation where I hoped it would go i.e. managers and their worth. I could see people falling asleep when Poppa's goes into detail..... I was a bit (??) on the way as well after a hard days racing LoL.
I am just reading this through and will come back on some of the points you raise.
100 % on the player manager commentary Kram.
They are in for themselves.
The only thing based on loyalty in sport is if thee mentioned client orders his agent to source the best deal from the club if he really wanted to stay.
Well put Chris!
In a players defense they have a short shelf life to in some cases secure there dependents and there own futures in some cases before there back to thee grind.So I kind of see both sides of thee argument.
If you were in the same space it's a tough ask to take a 3,400 K haircut when you have some of thee above mentioned to take care of.
I don't blame players for leaving for more I don't because we as fans aren't in thes guys shoes or have there responsibilities.
Like Semi Radradra was a great case does he stay in league earn 5-600 K or go to France and the UK and earn 1.1 1.2 mill per and secure not only his family but generations of his family.So for me when you look at it and use loyalty as a excuse why there's non of it I can understand exactly why players leave to take more.
Which team would be happier Mick. One where a top player gets one million and the others with similar ability are getting half that or a team where most are getting what they see as a fair share of the kitty? Inequality breeds discontentment, jealousy, bitterness and may work against team bonding particularly when stress from going through long bad result patches..So much for trying to build a good culture in a team
Well that's the problem for those that are jealous Tad. They need to take a long hard look at themselves. Some people are more talented or are better performers than others and therefore should get rewarded accordingly.
That's a simple principle of life.
Taddy spoken like a true communist lol
Snake I would never be successful in business mate.
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