Former Western Bulldogs AFLW coach Nathan Burke has made explosive claims that the league actively blocked trades and facilitated star player transfers to expansion clubs, resulting in a competitive imbalance within the league. This controversy arises as the AFLW’s second round this year saw four out of nine games decided by margins of 70 points or more.
Burke, who played 323 AFL games for St Kilda and coached the Bulldogs from 2020 to 2023, argues that the league’s intervention left many clubs struggling to develop effectively during the 2019, 2020, and 2022 expansions. He attributes this to the AFLW’s tiered payment system, which he claims handicapped clubs attempting to retain talent.
League’s Influence on Player Movement
The AFLW’s expansion strategy included offering incentives to high-profile players to join new clubs, such as additional services agreements that provided payments for promotional and marketing activities. Burke revealed that every trade required AFL approval, with the league often rejecting deals that seemed too advantageous for one side.
“Every single trade had to go through the AFL, and they would say no and they’d regularly knock us back and say, ‘Sorry, that’s too advantageous for you and not for another team, so you can’t do it,'” Burke told ABC Sport.
The Western Bulldogs, one of the original AFLW teams in 2017 and premiership winners in 2018, lost 13 key players to rival clubs over the next four years. This included notable players like Monique Conti, Katie Brennan, and Emma Kearney.
Impact of the Tiered Payment System
Burke criticized the current payment structure, which standardizes salaries across all 18 teams through a four-tiered system. He argued that this system complicates efforts to retain top talent, as clubs are restricted in how they can allocate salaries.
“If you’ve got a player on tier three who thinks they’re a tier two, well, you’ve got to wait for somebody to leave or vacate that spot, or demote somebody … and then players leave,” Burke explained.
The tier system dictates that Tier 1 players earn $109,760, Tier 2 $89,559, Tier 3 $76,091, and Tier 4 $67,337 for the 2025 season. This rigid structure often forces clubs to lose players who feel undervalued.
Calls for a Salary Cap and Draft Changes
Amid these challenges, AFL executive general manager of football operations Laura Kane has expressed openness to introducing a salary cap. “We have a soft cap, we introduced a national draft last year, and we don’t currently have a salary cap, so we’ve got some levers that are available to us when we’re ready to introduce them,” Kane told ABC Sport.
Former AFLW All-Australian and commentator Kate McCarthy, who moved from Brisbane to St Kilda in 2020, echoed concerns about player movement. She highlighted how clubs like North Melbourne have successfully built and maintained their rosters, while others, like the Western Bulldogs, have struggled to recover from losing core players.
“They could basically take anyone they wanted, if they wanted to offer them something — ie Chloe Molloy going from Collingwood [to Sydney], Collingwood get no compensation for it,” McCarthy noted.
Future Prospects and Draft Potential
With no further expansions planned until Tasmania’s entry, McCarthy believes the solution lies in drafting. Last year, the AFLW transitioned to a fully national draft, moving away from the state-based model. This change is expected to allow struggling teams to rebuild more quickly through strategic draft picks.
“The other positive for this is how quickly we think draftees can change this competition, because they can,” McCarthy said, emphasizing the potential for rapid improvement.
The AFL has been contacted for comment regarding these allegations and the potential introduction of a salary cap. As the league navigates these challenges, the future of player movement and competitive balance remains a critical issue for stakeholders and fans alike.
