Gill’s set to open books

AFL boss Gillon McLachlan will open the league's financial books to players in the first major step towards looming pay talks.

The players’ union wants “complete transparency” and the AFL has agreed players have the right to peruse the current financial impact on the competition.

The league will push for a reduction in next year's $14.5 million salary cap because of the COVID-19 crisis.

The AFLPA wants access to the league’s records before agreeing to changes to the collective bargaining agreement.

But the AFL will find it difficult to give an exact statement to the AFLPA because projections for next year and the year after are yet to be determined.

The AFL has previously provided the union with detailed financial payments in pay deals, but this time the union will be expecting even deeper access.

The 18 clubs and AFL, which is working on contract extensions with TV partners Fox Footy and Channel 7, will lose hundreds of millions of dollars this year.

The AFLPA request for transparency got the official green light yesterday.

“Once we have the season in full swing, we will sit down with the AFLPA and work through the review of the CBA and as part of that we will provide all the appropriate AFL financial information and revenue outlooks,’’ an AFL spokesman said.

The pay talks will focus on list sizes in 2021 and 2022.

Western Bulldogs president Peter Gordon has said players should brace for pay cuts “significantly north of 20 per cent” in 2021.