Delisted…..That time of the Year !!!!!

There comes a time in all our lives that we know the answer …….we just don’t want to hear it but the percentages suggest at times it’s your making.

There are 3 types of delisted players

1. Can’t play (brutal but it’s a professional sport)
2. Needs time and might have to go back to a lower level
3. Traded or Drafted

As an Agent I would always try to beat the coach to the dreaded meeting of telling a player it was all over.

How would I do that ?   Basically gather information from July onwards each year on how my player was travelling by asking questions like “maybe you have too many big men” or “surely you’re looking to trade him”

I would then get the Player in to my office prior to Rd 22 or the Finals and tell it like it is.   You are gone !   Blunt, Brutal but honest.  I’m here to get the best out of you.   So we move on to chapter 2 this is my plan to get your re-drafted or traded.    I decided in 1992 the first year of Player Management that every Player had to leave my office with a pat on the back and positive state of mind.   I prided myself on this…..i would actually watch them walk out of my office with their chest pumped out saying “f…..k you I’ll show you” or “I can do this”

One day I was sitting in Mick Malthouse’s Office at Victoria Park and we were picking each others brain.  He was asking who of my players would come to Pie Park and I wanted to know how to sack an employee “gently” from the Office.

Mick has a great way of telling it like it is.    Too often we see footy as life or death.  It aint.  Its simply is part of passage.    I asked Mick how I should explain to a player that he is probably finished.  He told me to recognise that the Player has bought something to the Club, left with an Education and real life experiences.   He has left a better person.  He might not have made the grade at footy but he is clearly a better person for experience.

I remember sacking a receptionist and telling her that “she wasn’t ready for the big time and that she needed to grow up”.  I couldn’t believe some 5-7 years later I went in to a meeting at Slattery Media and she had “all grown up”.   She pulled me aside and said that she cried for 3 days after I sacked her but it had “made her”.    AFL Players are no different sometimes they can’t see the top of the mountain for the fog.  They need someone to part the clouds.  This is the job of the Agent.

So Player X comes to my office for a post season review.  I cut to the chase.   You’re not good enough.  What do you think about that ?    Do you think I’m right ?   It’s a tough caper AFL but I want to see him challenge me.   Most say I’m wrong.  I say prove it.  Are you prepared to play at Port Melbourne for the year ?  Are you prepared to do what it takes …..are you ?  are you ?   They leave almost doing 1000 push ups at reception !!!

Of course some are lucky enough to be traded which is a time of year I loved.  Matching wits with Coaches and Recruiting Men at Clubs that thought they knew more about my client then I did.

Sometimes a good Agent is able to cling to dear life for his client knowing full well one more year might be all it takes for a boy to become a man.   I knew that a kid at Brisbane needed that and I believed in him and backed him in.

I had a very good knack of making a lot of deals seem “special”.  What do I mean by that ?   I never deliberately set out to screw a Club  but let’s say Brisbane are desperate for a key forward.  Brendan Fevola is out of contract at Carlton.  He is a Coleman Medallist for God’s Sake….surely you can’t miss the opportunity.   I didn’t manage Fevola.  I have a young kid Lachlan Henderson desperate to get back to Victoria.    Lachie has grown up in Geelong.  Close to his family and I believe he will become a player if he is closer to his family.

That is not maligning Lachie.  It’s called understanding your client (something very few Agents seem to be able to understand these days) .    I know Lachie is quality at everything.  Why because I take the time to speak to his mum in detail about how he grew up and what he was like at school.   I almost adopt a psychologist assessment program.   Based around gene pool.  Interesting huh bet you never thought that’s what might make the difference  !!!

I use to joke with my ex-wife Jude (psychologist) that she might be the best psychologist in the world but Sport Agents are the best Amateur Psychologists

I speak to Brett Ratten (who I manage) and Greg Swan (long relationship with).  At first they are reluctant to let Fevola go for a kid who is struggling at Brisbane.    It takes a big sell from my end.   Eventually they agree.  Greg Swan says he will cut certain parts of my anatomy out if I’m wrong.  Heard it all before Greg.  Don’t bother sharpening the knife just yet.

If you are going to be any good at being a Sports Agent you have to know how to Educate, how to Assess, and how to Act.

You be the judge if I got it right on Lachie Henderson.

All Speaking Enquiries:   info@rickynixon.com.au

THE NEXT STEP by Ricky Nixon

Negotiation is a Challenge.   One that requires nerve.   One where you can’t roll the dice too many times and expect your number will keep coming up.

Ralph Carr has rolled the dice on Dustin Martin lately.  Called Richmonds bluff and made some very poor decisions on behalf of his client.

This all smacks of an Agent that

1. Lacks experience

2. Doesn’t understand the Football Landscape

3. Isn’t connected enough to sell his client into another Club on a deal worth leaving Richmond for.

How could you take your client to Sydney for a meeting without a written offer on the table ?   Desperation ?   My number one rule as a Player Agent was get the deal on the table first before the visit !

I can’t believe how long this has dragged out for.    Any Agent with half a brain would know that once you get to this stage of the season there wouldn’t be too many cookies left in the cookie jar (read Richmond Salary Cap)

I don’t intend to go over what mistakes have been made to date but rather what you could do as Dustin Martin’s Agent this afternoon.

1.  Get Dustin in and tell him honestly the lay of the land.   Is there other offers on the table  ?  If so from where.

2.  Ask Dustin what he wants to do.  Does he want to start negotiations with Richmond again or walk.

Richmond are already 2 weeks into their 8 week player break.    As a Player you hardly want to be going overseas etc not knowing your future particularly if you have to move interstate the day after you get back.

What are Carr’s Options:

1.  See if Richmond are prepared to come back to the table.    I believe they are.    Hence agree to their terms but make sure you get Dustin a win.   For example the contracts in the AFL run from November 1st to October 30th the following year.  Not January to December like most people would think.   Hence i would ask Richmond for a sizable up front advance on Dustin’s Base.  Base payments are made on a monthly basis ie if Dustin was on a base of $450,000 he would get $37,500 per month.  Ask for $150,000 on the 1st of November and argue hard that Richmond will be cashed up because they will have membership money pouring in.

2.  Getting his client to take a punt.   For example take less in the Base but more upside in incentives.   So take a $400,000 Base but instead of an ability to earn $500,000 through incentives put $150,000 of incentives with the option of an additional year on the contract at the amount Dustin wants not the Club.  This might be based around winning the B&F

3.   Split differences.    If Richmond won’t come to the table on any of that then split the difference.

I don’t intend to give away all my best trade secrets here but just an insight into being creative as an Agent.

It might be time for Carr to put his money where his mouth is.  I recall him running with a big spread in the Herald Sun saying a year or so ago on how he thought AFL Agents had no idea and that he was going to show them how a Music Man did it.    It might be time to for the Music Man to put his money where his mouth is and find Dustin some deals outside the Club that bring his yearly earn up to the level Carr promised him and if he doesn’t then if i was Dustin i would ask him to underwrite it.

Ok what can Carr do if Richmond play really hard ball and for example had a deal of $520,000 on the table 2 weeks ago and now are saying its $475,000 take it or leave it.

Carr can get a deal on the table from Melbourne for $600K or take a deal of $650K from Brisbane.   All stupid deals because he is no better off at Melbourne and to move to Brisbane will cost him that much by the time he resettles etc.   Plus i hardly think Dustin is a Brisbane Boy.   They don’t even have a coach !

Clocks ticking for Carr he needs to pull a rabbit out of the hat.    Unfortunately for Carr he doesn’t have a stable of stars to do his own trades like i use to ie: Trade one of my own players in Brisbane for one at Richmond.   Everyones a winner that way but that ain’t an option here.

My advice hasn’t changed.     Get the deal done at Richmond.    Otherwise your boy is going to Club he probably doesn’t want to go to via the draft system or trade.  He will be no better off and Richmond will benefit substantially with probably a first round draft pick and and experienced player or room in their salary cap to take one in the pre-season draft.

The Music is beating Mr. Carr…..time to show if you can dance or not !!!

 

All Speaking Enquiries:  info@rickynixon.com.au

 

GETTING THE DEAL DONE

by Ricky Nixon

What would I do if I was managing Buddy Franklin, Dustin Martin and Alan Didak at the moment.

Three very different players at very different stages of their careers.  Buddy an out and out premiership superstar with a big decision to make.    Dustin a rising star at a Club looking at Finals the next 5 years and Alan a Premiership Star and all-time great at the biggest footy club in Australia …..now delisted but looking for another home the next few years.

BUDDY FRANKLIN

Buddy’s Agent Liam Pickering wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t explore everything on offer for Buddy.   In doing this he would have taken into consideration the following:

1.  Hawthorn – Buddy’s achievements there and service to the Club

2.  Buddy’s age and injury history and potential to play into his 30’s (which would be high with his athleticism)

3.  Hawthorn’s Premiership Chances the next 5 years

4.  Business Networks and Personal Relationships anchoring him to Melbourne or not (ie his T-Shirt and Football businesses)

5.  Hawthorn’s ability to pay ie what is the maximum they could pay Buddy but still keep a premiership list together.

6.  What reliance Hawthorn have on Buddy

7.  What would Buddy command elsewhere and how would he get there (ie Free Agency or via the Draft)

After all of those things i would then consider whether Buddy would cope with moving Clubs.    Would he contribute at a new Club as much as he has at Hawthorn ?  Does that matter ?  Or is the only outcome to get the most money.    This is where i think the counter balance of life, happiness and future after footy are also thrown in the mix by a good Agent.

Liam Pickering is an experienced Agent.   He has managed Gary Ablett Jnr.  He has learnt the lesson from that………..Gary was put under enormous pressure by Mark Thompson to commit to the Club.  This was unpleasant for everyone.    He has seen the manner in which the Travis Cloke drama played out at Collingwood last year.   Both Liam and Buddy set the tone early and stated two things very clearly

1.  He would not make a decision until after the season (which translates to we will tell you after the season)

2.  That Buddy would love to stay at Hawthorn (of course he would but that doesn’t mean he will)

Both Buddy and Liam have limited the commentary on the subject all year and the Media gave up speculating.    Good work Pickering !

Buddy has been a very loyal boy to date and he genuinely likes playing with the boys at Hawthorn,      Would the sheer weight of money make him move to GWS ?

Don’t be fooled by Hawthorn announcing that they withdrew their offer to Buddy some months ago.  What a load of rubbish.  So what ?  This is a negotiating tactic that worked in 1927 !!  It will be back on the table this afternoon if Buddy or Liam wanted it to be.

Liam would still consider the deal to be on the table and he will tell Hawthorn in due course via Buddy if it’s acceptable or needs some alteration.

Liam would know Hawthorn’s limits and it would be silly to make a counter offer out of their reach.  He would also be saying “Gary Ablett made the successful move to Gold Coast….yes it was tough the first year but look at how he is playing now and look at how the team has developed……can you do that at GWS…..a very different proposition”

I’m not here to start guessing on Buddy’s decision (like most Media Commentators) other than to say it’s been handled professionally.   I don’t think Hawthorn could argue about that given they have had ample time to plan for what they might get in compensation and also how much $$$$ it will free up in their cap.

Buddy is a very strong willed young man.  If he says he is waiting until after the season then he is.   Yes he should tell Hawthorn of his intentions but a few days after his last game this season is fine.

What i can say is that with 20 years of experience I think Buddy should stay at Hawthorn like Carey did at North, like Voss did at Brisbane, like Ablett Snr at Geelong, Dunstall & Brereton at Hawthorn and many other of the true greats.

Buddy is worth $1.2M a year to stay at the Hawks but would have to take less to keep Hodge, Roughead, Mitchell, Rioli etc. How much is probably the determining factor.   If I was managing Buddy I would be asking for a 4 year deal keeping in mind that he would become a veteran as some stage and only a proportion of his wage kept in the salary cap not 100%.  It’s Buddy’s last big contract.  It will set him up for life.  He needs to maximise it.

DUSTIN MARTIN

Dustin Martin is a rising star at Richmond.      Who is to blame for the current situation ?  Does it matter ?  I always held the view that you can’t change yesterday so fix the problem today before it get’s a whole lot bigger tomorrow.  The stalemate seems to exist because the goal posts keep shifting and i’m pretty sure it’s not the Club shifting them.

Put simply Dustin’s Agent Ralph Carr has to put up or shut up.   He either is able to get other offers on the table and a pathway for Dustin to move Clubs or he will have to go back cap in hand to Richmond because if my information is right they are fast running out of patience.

To make matters worse if Carr doesn’t act soon or pull a rabbit out of the hat and the Tigers sign rising star Reece Conca then there will be even less cookies in the cookie jar and he will be made to look very foolish.

It should never have got this far.  I was a big believer in doing your homework 12 months before your ‘”star” was out of contract.

1.  Find out who else in the top 5 players at the Club are coming out of contact

2.  Find out if other Agents are trying to get new deals for their clients.

3.  Keep an eye on up and comers on the team list as they can surpass your client with a blink of the eye

A lot a management from a Club level has gone in to Dustin this year.   Mark Williams is brilliant with the type of Players.

What should Ralph Carr be doing right now ?   He’s running out of time.   He needs to get offers on the table in writing from other Clubs.   Offers that make sense.   There is no point Dustin moving Clubs in Melbourne for an extra $100-$150K for a variety of reasons.

Let’s face it the only Clubs probably willing to put an offer on the table in Melbourne that are $600K+ are Clubs that are not in the Premiership race the next few years.   Richmond could be if he stays !

Carr needs to sit down with Richmond and talk about how the deal could be worked around either via clever financial structuring, incentives, third party agreements or help outside the Club that will contribute to the overall bottom line.    All of which should have been done 6 months ago !

 

ALAN DIDAK

Before discussing Alan Didak i want to make it clear that what i say about Alan applies to all long term players I’ve managed who were coming towards the end of their career.

Alan is a special player and a great person and character around the club.  But this is cut throat professional football where as an Agent you have to be honest and true to your client.

Mick Malthouse loved and thrived on coaching characters.   Nathan Buckley doesn’t.     This doesn’t make one coach any better.   It is however something a good Agent should have observed and know.  Something that perhaps in hindsight could have been managed better for Alan earlier in the year.

When i thought a player was within 2 seasons of retiring and i’m talking about players who were very good players, played over 200 games and usually the favourite son type players (ie Alan) i would say the worst person to decided when you should retire is YOU !!!  Look at Ricky Ponting.    I would always tell a Player to get three people around them……a close friend, a person within the club ie fellow player or assistant coach and myself to tell you when we think it’s time.     I never had a Player argue with me when we sat down with him and said it was time.    Some wanted to play on but they never did.

Alan its time.    You’re a premiership star.   Your Agent will get you a gig in the media or coaching.   You are an ornament to the game.    Keep the smile on your face don’t be bitter about how it ended this year.  Whilst to date I think you have handled yourself well with the Media it’s time to close shop forget about how it ended and focus on either an assistant coaching role, specialist coaching role (after all you were a freakishly skilled player) or business interests (which via Collingwood networks wouldn’t be too hard).

The Agents job with a retired player is to follow up after they finish to always give the “after hours service”….see how they are travelling and help them in to the next phase of their life…….why  ?  Because it’s part of your responsibility.

And you never know……..If you do the right thing by the Ex Player then maybe he will remember you when he is coaching the next Wayne Carey who is looking for an Agent.

 

For All Speaking Enquiries:    info@rickynixon.com.au