Is Eddie Good for Football

Eddie McGuire was just a “boy” reporting for Channel 10 News when I first met him in the mid 80’s.    I remember he interviewed me at Carey Grammar where I taught Physical Education before a game against Footscray.  I can remember it like yesterday thinking wow this guy knows his stuff and has so much energy and he also knew how to throw in a curly question by asking me if “someone” would be watering the Moorabbin Oval (mud heap) at 2am before the game.    Talented people like Eddie use their strengths as their weapon in their chosen field to make progress up the ladder.     I believe what drives Eddie is his insatiable desire to succeed and his ability to communicate at all levels of the community.   I love Eddie and Eddie is good for the AFL very good.

 

Sure being president or chairman of the biggest sporting franchise in Australia both in Football and Cricket (Big Bash) sure gives you a platform to speak your mind.   But having an opinion is only ever any good if you can back it up with the runs on the board and at the moment Eddie has a Don Bradman batting average when it comes to success in media and football.

 

I can remember being at the Tok H nightclub in Toorak as a young 23 y.o. and standing with me was these two young very ambitious news reporters Stephen Quartermain and Eddie McGuire.   Those were the days when Channel 10 got it right.   Quarters has gone on to be the National News Co-Host and Eddie’s achievements would fill the MCG.    Back then I was taken back by how these two were the first to mingle with AFL Players socially and of course befriended them which lead to major inside knowledge of breaking player stories.    Smart very smart.   I also noticed how competitive they both were to beat each other yet were mates.  It reminded me a lot of growing up with Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams in Bendigo.   We were great mates but lived each day to beat each other at everything from bike riding to who could eat the  most Sunny Boys or Glugs to everything football.  I won the bike riding and Sunny Boy eating but I’ll give him a win on the footy but only because of the Brownlows.

 

Everyone in the world would know that Eddie grew up in Broadmeadows and to be honest I wouldn’t have known where Broadmeadows was if he hadn’t told the world 6 billion times.   Broady was good for Ed but Ed was good for Broady and that’s why AFL needs an Eddie McGuire.

 

Eddie can talk.  He talk’s a lot of sense.  He could sell ice to the eskimos.    When he became president of Collingwood he not only sold a future to the Pies fans he also was selling the future of the AFL to all fans.   Because without a successful Collingwood (with the largest fan base) there would be no where near the TV viewers or attendances at games.

 

What Eddie is is a visionary.    Sure he has great ideas for a new Stadium near the MCG.   This is part of his brilliance but its was his vision for Collingwood when they were playing at Victoria Park to move them to the MCG and to have training facilities second to none across the road.    It was his vision to have all Collingwood fans feel wanted and part of the Club.  It was his vision to bring the past players back on board who were at loggerheads with the Club.    In turn he got some very clever people to the Club including Mick Malthouse, Gubby Allan and Greg Swann and of course a Premiership resulted.   It’s was his vision when starting on the Footy Show to harness Sam Newman but at the same time let him go for it.    He’s also very good at get over stuff ups.

 

Yes me makes blunders (usually when on live radio or TV) but he ain’t the first or last. Eddie’s comments about Adam Goodes a few years a go and of course dropping of the C Bomb on Fox Footy come to mind but wow you haven’t made similar comments.  Give me a spell.      He has a remarkable way of responding to both mistakes and criticism.   He gets on the front foot early takes responsibility and moves on.

 

What makes him good is he is the face of not only his own Club but the Competition.  He has major media platforms to spruik both including Radio, TV and Newspaper.    What he does is he creates interest in the game.   He is bold and daring and at times I haven’t agreed with everything he has done but his heart is always in what’s best for both the game and Collingwood.  Not too many people would know he helped the Western Bulldogs find a major sponsor when they done and dusted.   He ticks off a carve up of tickets Sales to Clubs who play Collingwood.    He fights for his own Club and in return for the members.    Let’s face it whoever you follow you would love Eddie to be President of your Club.

 

At the moment I can sense Eddie knows the game is lacking appeal.   He knows the game needs characters and high scoring matches.   I suspect just like me he thinks the Commission may lack visionaries just like him.   All the Commissioners are highly regarded businessmen and woman but I don’t see a Michael Gudinski type who can see the future.    I wonder is it coincidence or not that Jeff Browne (a good Eddie mate) and former Legal Eagle at the AFL and former Channel 9 CEO is being spruiked as possible Commissioner.   Personally if I had to rate the the top 5 visionaries in the AFL over the 36 years I’ve been involved I would have Eddie as No.1  Andrew Demetriou as No.2   Jeff Browne as No. 3 and Brian Cook No. 4 and Jason Dunstall No. 5 ( he got Clarkson to the Hawks and pushed for Kennett the rest is history)

 

I believe the time has come for the AFL and the AFL community to use Eddie McGuire as the No. 1 man in AFL and make him an offer to Chair the AFL Commission.  I believe this would secure the future of football for a long time.    It would reward the man and the game with the best result for everyone.     No one can bring waring parties together better than Eddie.   No one has a bigger public profile.    Yes he there will be criticism that he has conflicts of interest but tell me someone who doesn’t ?    As Eddie moves in to the next phase of his life I know he will need challenges to keep his focus and drive.    He has seen first hand how the Big Bash has won the support of the fans with short sharp games that are entertaining from the first ball to the last, how characters draw people to games like Kevin Pietersen and how sport is entertainment now and needs to be in your face from start to finish.

 

 

Eddie is not good for footy he’s great and believe it or not could be a hell of a lot better if we make the appointment I am suggesting.     Eddie McGuire Chairman of the AFL has a ring to it doesn’t it.

 

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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The secret deals that agents do

Sporting News Australia

The secret deals that agents do

By Ricky Nixon

Bottom drawer agreements are daily events in the AFL. Some of mine could have blown up the competition!

Mick Malthouse, you’ve been a naughty, naughty little boy, now go to your room.

How dare you tell the football world what probably really happened in negotiations between Adelaide and Eddie Betts?

How dare you lift on the lid on what happens in 99 per cent of players deals to exit one club and go to another?

Should you believe Adelaide FC, Steven Trigg, Betts’s agent Ned Guy, Betts himself and host of other administrators and coaches involved when they say hand-on-heart that Betts did not sign a contact with Adelaide 18 months before he exited Carlton?

Yes, you can believe them. Because he wouldn’t have “signed a contract”.

But might his agent have agreed verbally or via a side deal well before his time at Carlton expired?

If he didn’t, and I was Betts, I would have sacked him.

It’s Ned Guy’s job to get the best deal for his client. He can’t possibly do this within the rules and wait until Betts’s contract expires before talking to other clubs. Tell me any employee of any nature who doesn’t speak to a suitor regarding their employment behind their current employer’s back.

Get in the real world. It happens daily.

Go sit in an AFL agent’s office today and I guarantee you they will all be doing deals outside the rules of the AFL and in some cases contractually.

In sport and for that matter business the AFL requires a player to sign a contract to play in the AFL.

The contract is a tri-party agreement between the player, his club and the AFL. The contract encompasses all the provisions of the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement between the AFL Players Association and the AFL). Like most contacts of employment it has the standard confidentiality clauses and also the term of the agreement.

Of course Betts can’t “sign” a contract with another club while contracted to his present employer. From the day I opened my office door in 1993 to start my first negotiations on behalf of a young promising centre half forward Wayne Carey, I used a filing cabinet to store player files. It was always locked; no one had a key, not even my trusted PA Carlie Merenda (sister of Mark). It had a bottom drawer. If only that bottom drawer could talk! Boy, has it seen some amazing secret deals and boy could I bury just about every club in the AFL!

I hope you’re sitting down because I assume this will totally blow you away. Agents and clubs do secret deals outside the rules every day of the week.

Is it risky? Yep. Is it necessary? Of course. Why isn’t it exposed? Because an agent is not going to burn a club he probably has to deal with an hour later on another player.

Remember when North Melbourne was in serious financial trouble in the mid-90s and contemplating merging with Fitzroy (in fact they did, only for it to be overturned)?

It was around the time that Geelong was known as the handbaggers. They were in desperate need of a match winner. Somewhere in that bottom draw is a scribbled, hand-written deal. The note said something like this:

Wayne Carey – $1 million
North Melbourne – $1 million to help eradicate their debt and keep them afloat.
Ricky Nixon 3% of Wayne’s salary and 3% to get the $1m to North = $60K (“might start looking at new Alfa Romeos”).

Of course history will show it never happened.

But what history doesn’t show was the ground-breaking clause the greatest player of all time didhave in the bottom drawer that could have sunk North forever.

Carey was earning close to $1 million at the time. Because of the fear they could merge I came up with this:

“If North Melbourne merge and/or relocate at any stage during the term of this agreement the Club agrees to terminate this agreement and pay the Player $1M”.

I’ll never forget the sheer joy in the voice of a certain North Melbourne administrator when he rang and said: “Rick, great news, we’ve merged with Fitzroy. Wayne will be a North player forever.”

Me: “Aren’t you forgetting about the termination clause and payout? Wayne is now effectively the AFL’s first Free Agent and rich, very rich.”

There was a long silence. “Oh my God, I forgot about that!”

Fair to say Wayne was doing cartwheels. I’d told the wife to order the new swimming pool and was deciding between dark blue or black for the new Alfa Romeo.

Imagine for one minute if the King had gone to Geelong at the same time as a couple of young kids, Gary Ablett Jnr and Matthew Scarlett, emerged from the Geelong Falcons. They might have won 10 premierships in a row.

So what really happens in contact negotiations that the AFL doesn’t want you to know?

Firstly a club or an agent will initiate contact to discuss the interest level in a player about to come out of contract. This can be up to two years before the player’s contract expires.

Think Adelaide again, think Patrick Dangerfield.

As if his agent Paul Connors wouldn’t have been talking to every club at least a year a go about a possible move to a new club and a fat new contract.

Would Dangerfield have signed a contract with a new club? Of course not.

Would Paul have notes in his bottom drawer? Well, given the top seven agents all either worked for me or were managed by me I’m thinking some bottom drawers would make interesting reading.

If a deal has already been struck on Dangerfield then this is what we will hear for the rest of the year from Dangerfield and Connors: “No deal has been done. We are waiting until the end of the season to talk to Adelaide so that Patrick can focus on his footy.”

Haha, yeah right. He was able to focus on his footy for the past 15 years without too many distractions.

Now if you’re wondering what happened to the bottom drawer of my filing cabinet I’m pleased to tell you it’s in a very safe place under lock and key.

It now has scribbled across it in big black texta: “Ricky SuperFund”.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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• INSIDE FOOTBALL
• AFL

Big Deals

Big Deals

By Ricky Nixon

Whilst the AFLPA cry out for a share of the top Clubs revenue in a bid to raise more money for their operations, programs and player salaries they seem to make very little noise about ways and means for the Superstars of the game to earn what rightfully they deserve.

What do I mean by this ?  It’s long been my belief that the SuperStars of the AFL are being ripped off when it comes to their total earnings both on and off the field.     In the year 2000 Wayne Carey was earning approximately $1.1 Million from playing and approximately $500K in off field earnings which included the likes of Nike, Triple M, Foxtel etc.

Compare that today with likes of Gary Ablett Jnr, Nat Fyffe or Buddy Franklin who are only earning a similar amount (I’m lead to believe less) yet Carey’s deal was 15 years ago !

It’s not their Agents fault (apart from lack of creativeness) it’s a combination of the AFL’s all in powering restrictions and the AFLPA’s want to negotiate for the collective player group (which rewards the average player) but bleeds the Superstars Pocket.

Players in the mid range who I believe are worth $250K-$300K are earning $400K+ at the expense of the Superstars who are told to sacrifice wage for the sake of team success yet are restricted when trying to earn off their reputations and IP (intellectual property) such as likeness, identity and autographs etc.

What do I mean by this ?   Put simply the AFL restricts massively Star Players from earning outside the TPP (Total Player Payment ie Salary Cap) and Additional Services Agreement (also capped).        For example the Players cannot conflict with the nominated major sponsors of the AFL and their Clubs and need to seek permission for everything they do when promoting themselves as AFL players.    Even if they are given permission the AFL wants it’s slice and if not their slice they more often rule that the income should form part of the TPP or Additional Services and hence most times the deals don’t happen.

It’s time for the AFLPA to stand up for the Stars of the Game and not at the expense of the top Clubs.

You might be wondering how I managed to do this over a 20 year period.

To start with I got Star players to incorporate their own promotional company.   They would then sell their IP to the company for $2 then contract their IP exclusively my company.   I would then sell that IP to the Stars Club for a very sizable fee ie $300K-$500K for them to use non-exclusively.   This would give the Star $300K (less my commission) outside the TPP and very legitimate.

My entrepreneurial flair when it came to deal making was what set me aside from other Agents.

I once registered the domain names (web addresses ie www.buddyfranklin.com.au)  for two Superstar Forwards at a powerful Melbourne based team in the northern suburbs and then on sold them to the Club for to use non-exclusively for a six figure sums.  When questioned by the AFL about how they could possibly be worth a six figure sum I simply argued that they are worth whatever the buyer is prepared to pay.  There was no precedence .   Both players got a six figure sums outside the TPP and it meant the Club saved a substantial amount in their TPP for other players.   It was all above board.   Left field yes but it rewarded Stars way more than they are being rewarded today.

Thinking outside the square but within the rules is something I made a hobby of and boy did my Players enjoy my hobby.

The AFL once raised their eyebrows at how much I charged some Clubs to join my Irish Recruiting Program.     What their rules didn’t allow was for the AFL to investigate what I did with that money.       I’m sure it contributed to some Stars moving from Traralgon to Toorak if you get my drift.

With Wayne Carey, Jason Dunstall and James Hird behind me I created the first ever Radio/TV/Internet show in Australia.  It was called “The World According to Pig, Jimmy and Roo Boy”  An absolute ratings bonanza for Triple M and Foxtel.   It put big money in the Players Pockets it gave the supporters something they had never had (access directly to the biggest names in the game) and it delivered for sponsors and for the media outlets.     “The World According to Pig, Jimmy and Roo Boy” evolved over the years in to “The Gospel” which featured Dunstall, Nick Reiwoldt, “Spida” Everitt and Nathan Brown.

Today those sort of deals are virtually impossible because of the TV Rights restrictions and the Telstra deal with the AFL.    Also the Clubs have their own Websites and in some cases TV Shows.  The Star Players loose again.

Remember the old bus with Ted Whitten and Four ‘n Twenty Pies ?  When today do you see the Star Players in fun promotional TV campaigns ?  Hardly ever.

In 1995 I created Club 10.  Club 10 comprised of the biggest 10 names in the game including names such as Lockett, Carey, Ablett, Dunstall and Lyon.     It was the first time someone had marketed the Stars of the game as a group.   It put the Superheroes in front the fans.   It made the Players additional income outside their playing wage, it promoted the competition, it promoted clubs.   More importantly it created hero worship.   Something sadly lacking today

The AFLPA should be fighting for the rights of the Star players to sell themselves much more to potential sponsors, advertisers, marketers etc as well as online service as a means to making much more financially from their limited time in the game.   Not trying to take it away from the top Clubs who are also working in an AFL restricted environment to increase their revenue.

The AFLPA itself and the current players today don’t even realise that in 1995 when the AFLPA was basically bankrupt my wife and I mortgaged our house to take the AFL to court over the IP rights of the Players.  The AFL settled on the steps of the court 1 minute prior to case starting.    My wife still can’t believe we risked the lot for the future of the Players.   Amazingly to this day we’ve never been thanked once.

The Players regained control of their IP which had previously been assigned to the AFL via a clause in the yearly registration form and set the standard across Australia in all sports for the IP rights of all athletes in a particular the AFL, NRL, Cricket and Olympic Sports.

Whilst Clubs and the AFL whinge about what Free Agency is doing they fail to realise that Free Agency could have been avoided if they simply followed my idea of 10 years ago to have one Franchise Player at each Club (nominated yearly) who can be paid whatever the Club likes and outside the TTP.  This may well have stopped Buddy Franklin leaving Hawthorn and Gary Ablett Jnr leaving Geelong.

It’s time the AFL and the AFLPA looked after the Stars who make the turnstiles click but not at the expense of Clubs.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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Lessons for all in Sylvia’s demise

Sporting News Australia

Lessons for all in Sylvia’s demise

Ricky Nixon | 14 May 2015, 

Even without knowing the whole story we are quick to condemn players for failing to meet our expectations.

Australia was once a country of “get up and have a go”—now it’s the country of “get up and have a go at someone”.

With the development of social media everyone these days is an expert on AFL yet very few have the inner knowledge of what makes a player tick when it comes to commenting on their full career. To hear of Colin Sylvia’s retirement from AFL football a couple of weeks ago hardly surprised me.

To see the “social media experts” canning him and for that matter the ex players on Media Street shows the ignorance they have in understanding that not everyone is capable of reaching their maximum.

I managed Colin when he was first drafted and was on the record as saying he had the ability to be the next Michael Voss.

Two facts have emerged since he was drafted. Firstly he showed (in rare glimpses) the ability of Voss.

Secondly he will forever be seen as some sort of failure because of the expectations of the masses.

Colin left my management for greener pastures early in his career. Something that happened with very few players but one that I noted was usually a sign of another player agent telling them they are a lot better player than what their contract reflected, and even more notable that they didn’t accept both the club’s and my appraisal of where they were at with their career.

Yes, he might have failed to reach dizzy heights of Michael Voss but trust me I recognised by year two of his career that his character and nature would mean he would more than likely not reach his potential.

Colin was a confident happy-go-lucky sort of person who had so much natural ability that his mind told him he didn’t need to do the hard work to be the star.

Too often as a junior footballer you do as you please against inferior opposition, which gives you a false sense of confidence once you come up against the big boys in the AFL. Colin is also the victim of the athletic event the AFL has now become.

He didn’t have the hunger or motivation to be the fittest he could be and to get his body to an elite athletic level to play midfield or high half forward.

Good management is about knowing that every player is different and you need different approaches to get the best out of them.

Secondly you need to know what level they will go to in order to thrive, not just survive, at AFL level.

Gary Ablett Snr, who I managed for 10 years, was often the subject of commentary about his inconsistency. I was guilty myself of sometimes questioning how he went about preparation for games and his attitude in games.

This of course was covered up by his freakish skills and the fact he kicked 14 goals three times in home and away games says it all.

One day Gary asked me to go fishing with him. He said something to me that day that I will never forget and changed my view on management of players forever.

He said: “Rick have you ever thought I don’t want to be what everyone else wants me to be?”

I was a bit stunned, then realised that Gary just wanted to play football, he didn’t want to be on The Footy Show or endorsing Adidas, or doing a radio interview.

It was on that fishing trip that I adopted a very different approach whereby I accepted Gary as Gary.

After that he and I formed a great partnership. I worked with what I had and planned his life around his strengths and weaknesses.

I made sure the positives made up most of each day and that negatives were dealt as much as possible behind closed doors, face to face.

That fishing trip also became the turning point for some young players’ careers when I felt they needed a left-field approach to get to the top, and if I had managed Sylvia at 22 I would have done the following:

I would ask him to come and see me.

Not go chase him all over the planet. If he truly wants to be the best then he will make the effort.

I would ask which day or half day he has off from training and to come fishing with me.

I would insist that we both leave our mobile phones at home.

When we were out fishing I would ask him if he could swim. If he said yes I would ask him how far he could swim.

If he said 500 metres I would take the boat 1km off shore. I’d then stop the engines and ask him what he would do if I pushed him overboard?

I’m not going to exactly disclose all of my IP here that has worked when resurrecting many sporting careers over 20 years but let’s just say that by the time we got back to shore I think he would understand what management is about.

I would use words to the effect “If I push you overboard this far from shore, what would you do? Would you do what it takes to survive? Could you push through? Would you survive?”

And yes I have actually pushed some players overboard to see how they handled the challenge of life and death.

Any yes they said, “Why the f— did you do that?” But every one respected the lesson.

(Some didn’t appreciate the ride back to shore without a towel. God, kids these days are soft!)

Then I would ask Sylvia to see me again the next day, or on some occasions this happened in the car park at St Kilda Marina. I would explain that management is about:

– Understanding your client

– Challenging them

– Having mutual respect and belief in each other

– Kicking their bum and slapping their back when appropriate

– Being there with a hand when they are drowning

– Helping them to find a way to win when they are gulping for air

– Setting goals based on their ability

– Using their personality as a weapon not as a hindrance to achievement

– Setting a long-term vision

– Educating that sport and life is about team. Getting the best team together that can assist with strengths and weaknesses.

One of the problems with today’s management of AFL players is that they are being managed by agents of a similar age or not much older.

These agents in some cases lack the worldly experiences needed to get the best out of their clients and this problem will continue indefinitely because the AFLPA keeps accrediting agents on the back of an examination of AFL rules with no education or training.

I believe you can only be critical of a player whose career doesn’t reach the predicted dizzy heights if he has refused to listen and refused to try.

Is that Colin Sylvia?

Only Colin knows the answer to that but, guess what, Colin may also have decided AFL isn’t for him and it’s best to stop wasting everyone’s time and walk away.

Either way I wish him the best. He had a crack and he now has lots of footy at another level to play (and enjoy) and a long life to live.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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Anatomy of a contract

Sporting News Australia

Anatomy of a contract

By Ricky Nixon

As his fantasy agent, this is how I’d be approaching Geelong over young gun Nakia Cockatoo’s future.

As an AFL agent I would sit watching the NAB Cup with great anticipation to see how “my boys” drafted three months earlier played against the big boys.

I watch footy differently to most because I did so with a business hat on, and I would get very excited if I saw the slightest inkling that I could have a star on my hands.

Let’s just assume for the sake of this column that I had signed Geelong’s Nakia Cockatoo last year.

Cockatoo went into the National Draft at the end of 2014 with big wraps on him but with the general consensus that he was an outside player with lots of skill and pace who tended to drift out of the game.

I would have been thinking he was probably a few years away from establishing himself in a strong line-up at Geelong although the Cats might have high hopes that he could take Travis Varcoe’s spot and sit on a wing all year and develop.

Wow it took all of five minutes into the first game and before I realised we had a “10 kick kid” on our hands.

What’s a “10 kick kid”? He is one who needs only 10 kicks to influence the game more than anyone on the park.

This kid showed electric game-breaking pace and better still can actually deliver the footy with precision at speed.

There is no doubt every club looks at the Hawthorn machine and says “what do we lack that can match them in September?” and what the Cats lack is outside speed and ball carry off half back, similar to what Bradley Hill has developed at the Hawks.

Cockatoo would be on the standard two-year deal when drafted and given he was taken at Pick 10, according to the collective bargaining agreement between the AFL and Players Association here is what he could earn if he played 22 games in 2015:

• Base payment: $71,515 (this is paid in 12 monthly instalments).

• Match payment: $3500, hence $77,000.

• Bonuses for 1-5 games $3265; 6-10 games $3265; 10+ games $3265 (max bonuses $9795)

• Total for 22 game season: $158,310.

But now the real game begins because we know we have a potential star on our hands and so does Geelong.

The problem is Geelong will want to play it down and as his manager I would want to tell them he’ll be All-Australian within three years. This is what would happen.

Geelong would approach me and seek to extend his contact beyond the two years. The going rate for Cockatoo’s potential is around the $200-250K guaranteed for the third and fourth years.

I would want to protect both Cockatoo’s interests (and in turn my own of course) hence careful consideration would have to be given to how we could maximise the contact by getting as much guaranteed money as possible and including incentives would be acceptable to the club.

I have no doubt the club would seek to extend now for a third year if possible whereas I would want him to play out the season and have the best year possible.

Why? Because his contact can’t change in the next two years regardless of his performance, and secondly there is only upside in how he performs and hence his value.

A risk of course is he gets injured or his form in the NAB Cup was a fluke and he shows nothing of that form during the season. As an agent you have to back your client in. We’d have nothing to lose.

I would wait until mid year and then seek to extend his contract by one to two years (on the proviso that he tells me he is very happy at Geelong and doesn’t want to return home).

What sort of deal would I seek? Probably a deal along the following lines:

• 2017 base: $275,000

• 2018 base: $325,000

Best and fairest incentives based either on their model or one they accept from me, for example:

• 1-3 in the B&F: $30,000

• 5-7 in the B&F: $20,000

• 8-10 in the B&F: $10,000

I would seek incentives along the following lines:

(a) If he plays in a premiership and finishes top 10 in the B&F in either 2017 or 2018 or both he gets a $30,000 bonus.

(b) If he finishes top 10 in the B&F in 2016 and 2017 he gets a new three-year deal at a minimum $350,000.

Of his base in 2017 I would seek an upfront payment of $75,000 in November so that he could put a deposit on a house. It’s a good time to hit up clubs for money because they have their first influx of membership money and also they get their yearly dividend from the AFL which is a seven-figure sum.

Oldest trick in the book but I would visit a club seeking a new deal and would always start the conversation off along the lines of (if talking to the CEO) “wow, well done on your membership, you guys are on fire here” or if it was the footy manager “you’re the best, every year you pick the best kids, no wonder you’re on the big money here”.

Why would I do that? Because it puts the person you’re talking to in a positive frame of mind and I lost count of how many times they would say “you must be kidding on how much you want. OK, we’ll come up from what we thought he was worth but can you just come down a bit.”

To which I would say “Come on mate, you picked him because you knew he would be a superstar. This contact actually makes you look good.”

Contract negotiation is all about timing.

When you are lucky enough to have a Nakia Cockatoo, you have more than just an exciting player.

He also has a catchy name and I would focus also on the fact that he could become a cult figure and hence a valuable marketing tool for the club, the AFL and of course for you as his agent.

With Michael Long doing such a great job of promoting indigenous players and their pathway to the AFL what better kid to use as an ambassador for the programs than Cockatoo?

Once his two-year standard deal finishes in at the end of the 2016 season he also qualifies for what called an Additional Services Agreement.

This is money that can be paid to a player for marketing and promotional services for the club or associates of the club.

As his agent this is another consideration to think of over the next 12-18 months.

So the ball is in Nakia Cockatoo’s court to now play to his capabilities while all of us sit back as his fantasy agents and see if he can deliver on our deal.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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The Exit Door

 

Sporting News Australia

The Exit Door

by Ricky Nixon

Having played AFL for 11 years at three clubs and then managed the biggest names in the game for 20 years, I have seen many mental health issues and also had to deal with my own.

Would it a surprise you to learn that based on a 2012 survey by the AFLPA of past players, 25 per cent are dealing with some form of mental health issue?

I suspect this is a lot higher given that one premiership team of the ’90s has over 50 per cent of its members with on-going problems.

It will be interesting when the AFLPA next undertakes a similar survey to see whether the number is larger. When the clapping and attention stops and players no longer can do what they love and have to live normal lives, they struggle to cope and that can lead not only to depression and anxiety but to addictions such as gambling, drugs and alcohol.

Of late two superstars of sport have made the headlines for different reasons. One is a good friend and former client Ben Cousins, the other swimmer Grant Hackett, who is also someone I have dealt with over time.

One has found the way and needs to maintain and manage it; the other needs his hand held, perhaps intervention, to be shown the way.

Hardly a day goes by without me getting asked for advice or counselling to help with depression, anxiety, addiction or the combination.

While I have experienced some of this myself and rebounded I have also “studied” what does and doesn’t work over a long period because I always had clients or their families that needed advice and experience from me.

I hope to give you a front row seat in this column about what really happens. One of the glaring problems many ex players face is that the very things that made you so good at football—ambition, adrenalin, success—are the very things that drive addiction as well.

So what have I learnt? We all live in a make-believe “house”. Very few of us sit in the dining room all our lives eating prawns and sipping champagne. At some stage we all enter the dark room out the back. Some of us end up stuck there, in the dungeon, unable to find the exit door to happiness.

Finding that exit door can be a very traumatic experience for ex players because they face the hurdles of the media spotlight, social media speculation, rumour mongering, and constant questioning of their lives and actions. Sometimes they find the exit only to discover it’s a revolving door and they are spun around. When faced with mental health problems they self medicate through drugs, whether that be legal or illegal, only compounding the initial problem.

How I counsel and manage current and former players as well as myself of late might also help you.

The first step is to understand yourself and what makes you tick. Personally I am an adrenalin junkie which means the excitement genes in my head never stop.

People who know me know I can go days without sleep (naturally). I have learnt I have to slow down. I have learnt to have people around me who tell me to calm down—count to 10 or go for a walk. Don’t react to everything and everyone.

Why do you need to understand yourself? Because the very traits that made me successful have also held me by the throat in the dungeon of the dark room.

Next step was the advice from my grandmother (Peg) and ex wife (Jude). “It’s not about you Ricky, it’s about your two sons and everyone in the pyramid under you.”

Peg gave me some simple advice to overcome the depressive state I was in. Here is what she said: “Get out of bed in the morning, go to the bathroom, look in the mirror and smile. It automatically generates happiness genes in your head and your day is off to a good start.”

Getting out of bed when depressed is what depressed people find the hardest.

Peg said, “Start walking each day and get the blood circulating. Lying in bed with minimal circulation only feeds the black dog. As you’re walking, listen to your favourite music and look at pics that are of happy moments—early childhood, family, mates, holidays etc.

“Challenge yourself to climb a new mountain using the very things that made you an AFL player and pioneering AFL agent—hard work, commitment, discipline and talent within (believe it or not I always had a talent for being funny and writing when at school).”

Less than two years ago I was lying on my back for a month in Currumbin Clinic, Queensland being treated for post traumatic stress disorder and addiction knowing that by the end of my stay I would either win the battle or be dead.

Most people would not disclose this or be too afraid to tell the truth. I feel being honest helps you find the exit door.

Upon arrival I asked for some paper and a texta and I wrote down what my grandmother said and I posted it on the ceiling so could see it the minute my eyes opened each day.

The very first day I looked in the mirror and I went for a walk listening to Cold Chisel and flicked through photos of my sons. Instantly I could feel clouds lift.

As I turned a corner in Currumbin I was faced with a big twisty hill. It reminded me of a hill in my home at Bendigo fondly known as One Tree Hill.

One Tree Hill is where Greg Williams and I created the base for our future football careers at 16 by pushing ourselves to run up it every night.

That day in Currumbin I struggled to run more than 100 metres up the 600 metre hill. Within three weeks I made it to the top. The day I was to leave Currumbin I ran up the hill and down the other side.

The final part of any recovery is to find a new career or purpose, or to reinvent yourself using your talent (we all have it).

Grant Hackett has returned to the pool because it’s what he does best and it’s a no-brainer to get your life back on track. Most of us can’t return to sport because we are too old or not conditioned. Hence what I did and what I suggest to people is find a new challenge. As I lay in bed in that very lonely room in Currumbin, I heard on the TV a person say, “I could never speak publicly, in fact being a stand-up comedian is the hardest challenge in the world.”

Bingo, the light went on. In my life I rarely use the word “can’t” so that day I decided to be a stand-up comic and that would be my exit ticket from the dark room.

I returned to Melbourne and with the help of Tony Grantlee and Dan O’Sullivan at the Comic Lounge in North Melbourne and legendary comedian Dougie Chappel Jnr I performed in front of two sellout crowds of 400.

Now having the mental health issues manageable the confidence I got from climbing that new mountain has led me back to what I do best. Football.

In the form of a new footy online footy recruiting business MyFootyAgent for suburban and country clubs, and performing my comedy show and story of my life at footy clubs not only around Australia but around the world.

Unfortunately this country’s reputation is built on “big boys don’t cry—get up don’t be weak”.

Well, big boys are allowed to cry and should not be embarrassed to put their hands up, like Mitch Clark at Melbourne.

One of my close friends and ex-Carlton premiership star David Glascott spoke last week in Inside Football of his struggle after football finished.

The more former players speak out, the more it will become less confronting for players in the future and for that matter the community.

True friendships are built on being there for you friend in time of need. Telling them, “It’s OK, I’ll show you where the door is.”

I was lucky that when in denial I had two strong women who showed me the door.

So whether you an ex-AFL player, a plumber in Cranbourne or unemployed in Echuca, you can find the exit door and put a smile not only on your own face but everyone in your pyramid.

You can do it. You can. 

– If you or anyone you know suffers from a mental illness you can get help via Beyond Bluewww.beyondblue.com.au

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

Sporting News is a one-stop shop for avid sports fan http://www.sportingnews.com/

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Trading Hope

Football isn’t ready for year-round trading, but could do with a mid-season trade period—for the supporters’ sake.

Last week former Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell threw up the idea of being able to trade players all year round.

While it was an idea from left field and created lots of debate and comment, I doubt it will happen.

If it was to be considered seriously the question is how will it work practically and will it advantage the clubs already at the top because of their depth and ability to therefore trade more freely, whereas clubs at the bottom would only have “stock” worth looking at that are more than likely the backbone of their team?

There is no doubt in my mind that having a year-round trading system would also lend itself to the top agents with big stables being able to manipulate the system to their own advantage trading their own players.

What do I mean by that? Put simply it wasn’t uncommon for me to trade my own players.

If a club came to me and said it wanted to trade one of my players I would look at the club they wanted to trade that player to, and see what players I had at that club that I could look to move on—to that player’s advantage (and my own and of course financially).

All-year trading would certainly create a lot of interest from the public’s point of view. You only have to look at social media during the normal trade period to see the amount of comment that goes on and the media coverage to know that it creates more interest than during the season.

Why? Because everyone wants to be an expert on how their team list should look and most people are amateur agents and think they know the ability and value of a player, and it creates plenty of conversation in the office at lunchtime as to who they would trade from their own club and who they would want back.

Practically can it work? I don’t think so. It would be fraught with danger as we got closer to finals because teams that had worked hard to get into the eight could suddenly face the prospect of a top team trading several players outside their top 22 to a club on the verge of the eight for a player that is icing on the cake for the top team’s premiership chances.

Personally I really can’t see how it could possibly benefit the game given the clubs that might struggle by mid season would have to trade away a top five player just to get a top-up player from a top club like Hawthorn.

I have advocated a mid-season draft for over 10 years and I think that, combined with a short trade period, is the answer.

Imagine if you win six of your first eight games and both your key ruckmen go down in Round 9. Your team will struggle for the season yet if there was a mid-season draft it would give the opportunity to a player or players who may never have had a chance to play AFL.

Also imagine what it would do for the game if a player from Shepparton was drafted mid-season to Collingwood.

It gives every player around Australia the chance to be drafted, which is an exciting prospect, particularly for older players who may have been overlooked initially.

Also if there was a trade window opportunity mid-season it would mean that players not getting a game at certain clubs, or players deemed expendable, could get a lifeline elsewhere and this would create the same excitement and conjecture it does in October.

What supporters want is to see at their club, regardless of where they sit on the ladder, is excitement and hope generated when new players come in and fill perceived holes in a team.

So how could it work? I think a mid-season draft should be after Round 10. Each club can have three picks additional to their current list.

Each player drafted would be on the minimum draft terms and conditions and a short-term contract.

This would form part of the salary cap. In addition to this each club can trade a maximum of three players but it has to be player for player or players, not draft picks. These players have to fit inside the club’s TTP (total player payments) hence no club is advantaged or disadvantaged financially.

The great thing about a mid-season draft and trade period is it gives all clubs and their supporters hope for the second half of the season, and that is what you want regardless of where your club sits on the ladder.

There is no doubt that list management has become absolutely vital at every club and the amount of resources, time and money put into this area has gone through the roof.

What supporters want is hope.

Hope can come with additions to the list mid season that cover up holes obvious to everyone.

What it will also do is sort out which clubs are on the ball with their list management as there is no doubt the best list managers will work deals that are not only for the immediate term but also for the future.

For me a mid-season trade period is a no-brainer.

What I do want to see is a trade period that is shorter.

The current trade period in October is way too long. If there is to be a trade period mid season it should be for three days.

Let’s get this happening for 2016 and see what it does for the game, the supporters and the players who may otherwise never get a chance at AFL level.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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Contact Ricky Nixon via info@rickynixon.com.au

When Footy Is Not The No.1 Priority

So former Melbourne Star Mitch Clark is “thinking” about a return to the AFL.    Yep that’s right he is “thinking” about a return, he hasn’t returned yet.    Any possible return is unprecedented for a number or reasons.   Firstly he is one of the few to admit publically that he has some form of Mental Illness.     He has spoken publically about suffering from Depression.   A very common illness in Australia and yes AFL Players are not immune to it.    Mental Illnesses are now something as a country we are starting to understand and be more open about.   Having said that a person with Mental Illness is usually not capable of understanding the extent of their problems because their mind is not working in a manner that allows for such understanding.  I should know I’ve been there.    I spent a month in Currumbin Clinic in 2012 undergoing treatment.    Back to Clarke.   Forget the rumour mill and media hysteria about which Club he could end up at and whether he has a moral obligation to the Melbourne Football Club.

The starting point on this matter and for every AFL Player is their future health.   Hence Clark should not be and cannot be allowed start any process whatsoever in relation to a comeback until such time as he is cleared medically to be able to handle both physically and mentally a return to AFL.   Sure Clubs who are interested would demand a medical check but this goes over and beyond that.    Too often Clubs are blindsided by their competitive instincts to win the race for the signature.     The AFL and AFLPA  must step in and have Clark assessed by not only Independent Medical Experts but in my view by a former Player(s) who have experienced both playing and mental health issues.

In my experiences Depression can be either “Situational” in other words caused by an event or action ie business collapse, a death or drug abuse etc or it is “Genetic” in other words handed down via the gene pool or upbringing.

Clark’s Agent Colin Young is a very good Agent.  He is both experienced and wise.    He has had his fair share of clients that had off field issues and handled them very well.     Getting the message out there now that Clark is eyeing a return is smart.  Why ?  Oldest trick in the book.   Get the hysteria out of the way now and deal with reality starting next week.    Young is only doing his job.  His client employs him to get him the best possible football contract.

Reality this time around now is Player, Agent, AFL, Clubs and for that matter all other cogs on the wheel need to understand that Clark’s future health is the priority not football and that just like some retirement decisions the decision should not be the players alone.    With the AFL facing a mountain of brain damage claims in the future I am sure they will want to make sure that Clark can tick all the boxes first.

So what should the AFLPA be doing ?   Firstly they are in control of both Clark and Young to some degree.    I would be contacting them both and asking for a face to face meeting as soon as possible.    I would then put an agreement on the table that Clark cannot nominate for any draft or be traded (he is currently still on Melbourne’s list) unless he meets certain criteria.  Criteria by Medical Experts and People who have “been there done or had that”

Let me also address the hysteria issue.  Firstly I am lead to believe Clark walked out of the Melbourne Football Club last September citing Health issues.   New Coach Paul Roos talked him back in to attempting to play.    Something I can’t be critical of Roosy for doing as I know Roosy would have had Clark’s health as a priority as to would the Medical Team at Melbourne.   Clark decided he wasn’t capable of playing.    Both parties agreed on a settlement.   I believe that was a financial settlement for part of his contact this season but that 2015 he is to receive nothing.    This deal was agreed.  End of matter.    He has no further moral obligation to Melbourne Football Club after this season.    What he does owe everyone and most importantly himself is to make sure he is in the best possible health before attempting a comeback or any discussion with Melbourne as to whether the comeback is there or he is traded or delisted.

When was the last time you had an expert check your mental health ?

 

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

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Contact Ricky Nixon via info@rickynixon.com.au

 

 

Footy Media Bring It In

Footy Media bring it IN.   Bring it in tight.  Sit down and listen and listen good.     Robbo pay attention…..look me in the eye Rohan……Ralphy are you listening ?  Jake put the pen down for a sec and Patrick for god’s sake ……lift your head.    The rest of you tune in and focus.

I’m not sure we have stuck to the game plan of late.   You know where I told you to focus on the main man.    The plan was to attack straight down the middle.    Get it to the Star in the goal square.    Not this ridiculous stuff you’re dishing up of going backwards, sideways and god forbid the scrums.    That’s right the scrums of reports on medical monitoring of Essendon, the Match Review Panel Review (oh really !!) Equalisations Funds (zzzzzzzzz), Draft Shake Ups and wait for it another report about a game on Good Friday (you told us it was happening….you promised).  You guys have let me down.

So tune in.     Tune in big time.    This morning Gary Ablett Snr and I were discussing heading off to the footy tonight (Friday).   There is a game on isn’t there ?   Isn’t there ?   Don’t look at me with that stupid look Patrick.     Someone told us a few days ago that Essendon was playing Richmond.   So boys I headed down to the Bakehouse Café below my joint and checked it out in the papers.

Good news there is a game on Gaz.     Trust me you’d hardly know given the media saturation of yawn material.

Boys surely this week the game deserved better.    Boys we needed you to rev things up to create this as the game of the year.  The fans want stories about Stars and what they do and what makes them tick and what great characters they are.     I want to be revved up to go to the footy.  It would help if Jack Riewoldt said something or Jake Carlisle was allowed to.    I want to hear these two Stars talking it up and treating this like a title fight to the death.

Look me in the eyes boys look me in the eye…..tell me you remember when the Duck ruled the MCG on a Friday Night and all the talk by Micky Sheahan, Jonny Anderson and Daryl Timms  was whether  Craig “Ned” Kelly from Collingwood would pinch him on the bum or try to knock him out or get 6 kicked on him before half time.     Or when Gazza went berserk against both the Tigers one day then the Bombers on another occasion kicking a lazy 14.    Man you went alright Gazza didn’t you.

Robbo I wanted to hear Jacky Riewoldt say “this is going to be my stage this week and I’m going to lead us to the finals”.     I wanted to know that Dustin Martin saw this as a pivotal game in taking the next step to be known as a “big game player”.   I wanted to hear Joey Daniher say “I don’t care about investigations I want to take the next step and show Bomber Thompson “I’m the man”.   I wanted to hear Jake Carlisle say “trust me the Richmond defence is going to know they are in a game of footy tonight”.

What game plan boys are you playing…..do you ever listen…..what this crap about Mitch Robinson showing more form in an Alleyway Saturday Night than all season on the back page.    The bloody back page on a Friday when the two of the giants of AFL are playing.   I want to read that Paddy Ryder feels like he’s now ready to assert himself on games and rise above the pack.   That he wants to assume Adam Goodes mantle.   Thanks what I want to hear.

Ok Robbo, Ralphy, Jake, Rohan……and bloody hell Patrick… come in tighter.     Really tight.   Why did you write that crap about Jacky Boy Riewoldt a few months a go.   Why ?  Now he’s like a muppet. Now he’s spinning crap about one week at a time and we’re not thinking finals.      The boy’s a star on and off the field.  I want Jacky and I want him NOW.

Ralphy time to step up.  Rohan you’ve been at it a while…..lead son lead.   Jake….Jake…Jake….got so much faith in you…don’t let me down.      I’m throwing down the challenge to each and every one of you

Everything is on the line in this game.    I want to read about who grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and squeezed the living daylight out of it.   Who said “look at me ….look at me”

Think …… Just Think  !!!!

When it’s your turn to report on tonight’s game report it in a manner that excites and enlightens us

When it’s your turn to challenge the way the game has been reported this week challenge it !!!

When it’s your turn to put your thoughts on the line for us supporters…..you do it….then you do it again

Focus on the Players not the Politics

And tell yourself this is my day …….the day I returned the reporting back to the Players….back to what the supporters want to read.

Remember this simple message…….if it’s to be ……then it’s up to me

If it’s to be…… it’s up to ME…….now get there and show me what makes this team so special.

Meanwhile Gaz I guess if worse comes to worse and neither Jack, Dusty, Joey or Jake don’t turn it on we can always watch some replay of you on Youtube at the bar.   By the way who did kick more goals in that elimination final at Waverley between Geelong or St.Kilda…was it you or me ?  Let’s watch that.  Now that was a game when the Stars turned it on.

Ricky Nixon’s take on AFL #ChickenGoesBANG Mondays and Fridays 6pm  Sporting News Australia

Sporting News is a one-stop shop for avid sports fan http://www.sportingnews.com/

Contact Ricky Nixon via info@rickynixon.com.au

Jake Kings Retirement

Ricky Nixon

Straight Down the Middle

 

A month ago I was crossing Bay St in Port Melbourne and ran into Richmond Player Jake King (aka The Push Up King).    I’ve met Jake a few times which is a 100% more times than most of the people commentating on him in the last 48 hours.    To me Jake represents a lot of what AFL should be about yet some commentators and media outlets find it “newsworthy” to promote (to their own benefit) a very different view.

Jake King retired this week and deserves to be remembered and celebrated for what he has achieved.    Not “childlike” unfunny fake phone messages that a journalist wrote this morning nor the constant repeat of pictures with ex bikie Toby Mitchell which one paper thought appropriate to put to an article about cancer patient 5y.o. Nate Anderson.       An act that not only upset Nate’s family but also many of King’s friends, family, teammates.

Let me tell you a bit about Jake King (the side of Jake you don’t hear a lot about).    The boy played for North Heidelberg kicking 5 goals in a Grand Final and was Rookied as a 24yo to Richmond.   He stands a tad over 170cm.   Let face it he’s no Anthony Koutoufides rolled in to Wayne Carey.    He once kicked 4 goals in an AFL game.     Something only very good players can do.

Round 6 2011 sums up Jake.    The Tigers were locked in a fierce battle with Brisbane at the MCG.   King grabs a bouncing ball one handed near the boundary line on forward 50m, shrugs off a McGrath tackle almost losing his shorts.  He bounces the ball in front of the Richmond faithful and sprints towards goal.    Please Jake don’t get your ambitions mixed up with your ability because you ain’t Gary Ablett.   Kick a goal Jake !   He runs to 25.  Please kick it now.   Please.  What ?  No.  He takes another bounce.  He cops and almighty tackle from Irishman  Pearce Hanley and nearly gets decapitated, shakes it off, never losing balance and nails the goal.   Oh yeah boy oh boy we love Jake.   The Lenny Hayes of Richmond.  The heart and sole of what makes a footy club tick.    That’s footy played the Jake King way.

Heroes and villians make AFL a great game.   Sadly the lack of such Heroes and Villians now is one of the contributing facts which make it less entertaining by the week.    Wayne Carey could be both in 5 minutes.   Jake was typecast as villain both on and off the field and rarely a hero by Media.  But by people who have played the game or played with him he stood tall as a hero to them.

Football isn’t just about games played and goals kicked it’s what you do with the opportunity of a lifetime.    Jake didn’t waste one second of his career.   He was determined to make something from where he came from.   He was the first person in his family to buy a house.     When he stood up at his press conference to announce his retirement he spoke about his teammates and the club that gave him an opportunity.    He is a “we” man not an “I” man.   Something a few people at a Club with a sash in the Northern Suburbs have taken a while to come to grips with.

Football use to be for everyone.   Black, White, Tall, Short, Local, Foreign and dare I say it men with Tattoos from the other side of the street.   Unfortunately the do gooders both within the game and outside the game don’t agree.    They want to sterilise it.  They want robots.  They don’t want characters.   Pretty soon if you’re a tradie who drinks beer you will be banned from playing the way the game is going.

Jake King is what football should be about.   Inspiring to kids who aren’t as fortunate as some of us.     Jake well done.   A mighty career and a mighty person and a mighty goal.   Just cut the bounces out son !

http://www.afl.com.au/match-centre/2011/6/rich-v-bl

“Straight Down the Line”    is a regular blog written the Ricky Nixon way…..Short Sharp Informative & Entertaining….just the way you like it.

Ricky Nixon can be contacted via    info@rickynixon.com.au