THEY’RE OUT

Tassie Tigers players dip into help fund as pay dispute drags on

(OF MONEY)

We’ve obviously missed our first pay cycle which is disappointing and puts a financial strain on the guys

BEN DUNK

TASMANIA’S professional cricketers are being forced to dive into a hardship fund and find supplementary work as the pay dispute with Cricket Australia hits hard.

Players without a contract, including most of the Tigers and all of the Roar, have now missed their first pay cycle and the Australian Cricketers Association Tasmanian delegate Ben Dunk said while morale was high, the lack of remuneration was starting to take its toll.

“Players are still training, but we’ve obviously missed our first pay cycle which is disappointing and puts a financial strain on the guys,” Mr Dunk said.

“It takes its toll on everybody because in the back of your mind it doesn’t matter how well you are going, you don’t want to go multiple months without pay.

“We don’t want to see the Ashes or any cricket in jeop- ardy and we’ve already seen the Australia A tour [cancelled] and we don’t want to miss any more cricket but unfortunately it is hard to do these things for free over a long period.”

The ACA has set up a hardship fund for players battling with mortgages and other payments and while it would not divulge how many had tapped into the account, Mr Dunk said it was being used.

“There is certainly going to be players accessing the ACA hardship fund,” he said.

“I don’t know exactly who but there are guys going out there now and doing some extra work.

“I think it is actually a good thing for some players to do stuff away from cricket.

“That’s fine but when it is done out of necessity, it puts a bit of strain on your professional career which is cricket.”

The Tigers have struggled the past three years in the Sheffield Shield competition, and Mr Dunk said it was for this reason the squad was not going to let the dispute ruin the team’s preparations, including undertaking the Three Capes walk later this week.

“We are pretty proud individuals and we are not happy with where we are and we are trying to do the best we can to move back up the ladder,” Mr Dunk said.

“By missing training or missing camps, it is not really an option for us. We need to make every day count to get better and you can’t do that by sitting at home.”

While there is no end in sight yet, CA and ACA are continuing negotiations hoping to end the stalemate.