Richmond football manager Neil Balme says overpaying players sets a club up to fail.
It’s been reported North Melbourne has pushed every chip in to lure Dustin Martin with a seven-year deal at $1.5 million a season. The deal is said to be significantly more than Richmond is willing to pay the Brownlow Medal favourite.
“We want to pay everyone as much as we possibly can but you can’t pay anyone too much and you can’t pay anyone too little,” Balme told SEN’s Hungry for Sport.
“You’ve got to keep working to make sure everyone gets a fair crack at it because that’s what building a team is about. That’s what builds trust from the players to the club and the club to the players. That’s when teams do their best.
“But if you get it wrong and pay someone too much, or pay people too little, then you’ll fail.”
Despite suggestions Martin was on the verge of re-signing at Tigerland some weeks ago, no signature has been forthcoming. Given rival clubs have not pulled out of the race suggests they believe the star playmaker is still very much on the market.
Balme would not be drawn on whether the Tigers most recent offer was final, but intimated no individual was bigger than the club.
“You take things into account, just as you take the rest of the club into account,” he said.
“Every decision will be made for all of our club and all of our players.
“We preach fairness and commitment, everyone in supporting each other and we demand great performance from each other and accept weaknesses…all of that happens but it can only happen if it happens everywhere, from the pay scale to the game to whatever it is.”
The long time footy boss also questioned the logic and wisdom of free agency.
“If Dustin chooses to go somewhere else because the AFL has introduced free agency then so be it,” he said.
“We said at the outset that free agency was going to be very inflationary and its going to give the guy who is getting a bucket load of dough a bucket load more.
“I don’t understand the logic of that because where are the players going to go if they are not getting more money. Their not going to go and play rugby...it makes no sense to me.
“The lesser players are getting less which doesn’t make any sense to me either because that first notion of team first and buying in and every player is as important as the next one when the ball is at their feet is diminished when these inflationary things happen.”
Richmond is looking to lock away top four when it tackles St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday.