Fears Dragons not alone
NEWCOMB & District coach Andrew Webb believes salary cap cheating is widespread in the GCA, declaring administrators would be naive to think some clubs were not bending the rules.
After Bell Park copped one of the heftiest penalties in local sporting history for breaching the salary cap for the past two seasons, Webb fears the Dragons are not alone.
“You’d be silly if you thought they were the only club in the GCA (that was breaching the salary cap),” he said.
“I’ve been told loads of things over the years, whether it be football, netball or cricket, where clubs have rorted the system.
“Whether clubs want to risk doing it, that’s up to them, but I have never been one who wants to spend a lot of money on players because I want to build a club full of players who want to be part of something, rather than just coming for a couple of seasons.”
Bell Park was stripped of its three 2019-20 premierships, fined $5000 and had two years’ worth of first XI wins wiped, resulting in relegation to GCA3. The GCA also ruled the club ineligible to play in Division 2 for two years.
The Dragons’ appeal is expected to be based around the sanction, not the guilty finding.
While acknowledging that
Bell Park deserved to be penalised, Webb believes more needs to be done to ensure a level playing field.
The GCA has vowed to crack down on speculated “under the table” payments, with plans to introduce renewed guidelines to assist in the equalisation of the competition.
Under GCA bylaws, clubs can pay up to three “professional” players a combined total of $10,000 per season.
Regardless of the GCA’s next move, Webb said the Dinos had no plans to increase spending at Grinter Reserve, adamant his club was well below the $10,000 yearly limit.
“We paid Matt Harrison but that was about it,” he said.
“No one got match payments at all. In the past, I have got guys over for the bare minimum. I want people who want to be at our club, rather than those who want to come for the money.
“If they come for money, they will leave for money.”