AFLPA CEO Paul Marsh doesn’t believe there is a compelling case to cut list sizes beyond 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has the AFL looking at every possible means of saving some money as they aim to pay back a $600 million loan taken out to save the game.
Reports across the last few months suggest list cuts from the current number of 45 are an inevitability in the coming years.
Marsh however has called for the AFL to be transparent with the financial situation and suggested slashing lists might have severe consequences.
“List sizes is one that we haven’t yet seen a compelling case for change,” Marsh told SEN Breakfast
“We’ll remain open-minded but there needs to be a case for change here so there’s lots of aspects of the CBA I’m sure that will be discussed as we go through this process.
“I think the industry would need to show that we don’t need these players. Our view as an association isn’t necessarily that our job is to maximise the number of contracts, it’s to get the right number.
“We’ve done a lot of work on the histories and the numbers of players used by clubs and it’s hard to mount an argument that we should be making wholesale changes to list sizes.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen when we have spates of injuries at clubs and those sorts of things.
“They’re conversations that have to take place, but it would have to be that we just don’t need the players.”
Melbourne, Richmond and St Kilda all used 39 players in 2019 – all three were hit with tough runs of injuries.
The AFLW competition runs with lists of 30 despite 21 players being needed weekly, with Melbourne relying on top-up players in finals because of injuries and player unavailability.
A similar fate may befall the men’s competition if list sizes are reduced.