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Find your frequency hereDillon: AFL may bring in maximum term contracts
SENZ • August 14th, 2025 12:11 pm
Maximum term contracts will be on the table when the AFL next meets with the Players' Association, according to Andrew Dillon who says they may look to mirror the NBA in how they regulate long-term deals.
With some clubs and players negotiating deals over 10 years, there is a belief held among some experts that the contract system needs stricter guidelines.
Currently Melbourne's Kysaiah Pickett is contracted through until 2034 while Fremantle's Hayden Young until the end of 2033. Both were handed extended deals in a bid to fend off rivals from signing them.
Harley Reid reportedly been offered a deal to remain at West Coast that could total $24 million over 11 years and he’s far from the only star looking to secure his future long-term.
While acknowledging the security aspect is good for both club and player, Dillon believes it also presents a risk.
“Concerning is not the right word,” Dillon told Gerard Whateley when asked if he was becoming increasingly worried about the length of contacts on the table.
“But it is something we are keeping an eye on. We put in place some guard rails a few years ago to ensure that clubs signing off on them is going through correct procedures.
“It’s a tick for players as it brings certainty but when you have fully guaranteed contracts in a cap system and when a long-term deal doesn’t go right that’s a problem.
“The NBA has maximum value contracts, I don’t think we go down that road but there is something in a max term contract that is something to talk to the players association about and I think it will be on the table in our next CBA.”
STATE OF ORIGIN
“If we’re playing men’s rep it will be in pre-season.
“We are working closely with clubs and players and various state governments and we’re confident of an announcement sooner rather than later.
“Absolutely (players are all in). As we saw with the All Stars game, it works when the players are all in. When the players are all in then clubs are in and fans buy in.
“Conversations I have had with the players they are all in. Then we work out how often we play it and when you play it. The first part is to get it going again.
“The clubs understand we have to continue to evolve as a competition. Some traditional thinking has to be modified but not to the detriment of home and away season and finals.”
FIXTURE IMBALANCE
"I haven’t don’t the maths to the double match-ups, but I think it’s something we have to be aware of. When you look at a fixture and you can change the result from one game and a team goes 4th to 9th, that kind of thing and change is front of mind we want to make sure we have a comp is fair withing the parameters.
"It's nice to have nine trying to get into eight but it would be better if it was 14/15 teams trying to get into finals.
"What you also have this year is three or four teams that weren’t top 8 last year like Adelaide and Gold Coast. As things move, it is difficult to predict. I’m finding it hard to predict what happens this weekend let alone trying to do it in October for next year.
"We need to continue to evolve. Whether that’s having a formula to remove subjectivity, we will continue to assess. We have an opportunity in a couple of years with Tassie coming in to have a look at how the fixture is set and how the season runs.
"Our sport has stood the test of time. You want to evolve but you don’t have to revolutionise at the same time.
"There is reasons for that, if you study injury lists there is almost a direct correlation to where you are on the ladder. It’s not where we want to be.
"We want a competition where you go to the game each week and you think you’re a chance. We have had too many games this year that it wasn’t the case.
AFLW
"It was something we thought about, there are different views, but for this year we wanted certainty. Double headers aren’t rule out in the future, but there are complexities.
"AFLW is its own competition It doesn’t need to be a raiser or closer for the men’s in order to grow.
"I’ve got no concerns about the viability. We will continue to invest because its important for the AFL. We have a solid base, but we want to see growth, the standard of play evolves, more people watch and attend.
"If we can continue to get the people who follow their teams to follow the men’s and women’s that’s where we will see growth but W is also great for new audience as well."
SNOOP DOGG AT GRAND FINAL
“Snoop Dogg is an iconic musical act. He is culturally of global relevance.
“He’s done the Super Bowl the Olympics and to have an artist of that calibre in Australia is terrific. He’s a super star.
“Yes, there’s things in the past but look at him now and how he has evolved in this period in the public eye. He is perfect for the AFL.
“His music won’t appeal to everyone, but I think it’s a great way to attract a different audience to the pre-match.
“If you look back over 30 years everyone will have their views. But where he is now, he’s in line with us. He’s a grandfather, he runs a youth football league in America.”
