Who's in the money? Nine players top $1 million markBy Damian Barrett and Mitch Cleary
afl.com.au
18 Feb 2020NINE players received more than $1 million in the 2019 AFL season, with Dustin Martin and Nat Fyfe the standout earners.
It is believed Martin and Fyfe each earnt more than $1.3 million on 2019 accounts, well clear of the game's other million-dollar players headed by West Coast's Jeremy McGovern, GWS's Jeremy Cameron and Sydney's Lance Franklin.
Others in, or near, the million-dollar club include the Giants' Josh Kelly, Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury, Geelong's Patrick Dangerfield, Dog Marcus Bontempelli, Eagle Andrew Gaff, and Carlton's Patrick Cripps
North Melbourne recruit Jared Polec signed a heavily front-ended deal after he left Port Adelaide, placing him among those in or near the million-dollar zone on 2019 books.
The gross total player payments across the 18 clubs was $242.3 million in 2019 – up 0.8 per cent on 2018 – before deductions in veterans' list payments, injury allowances and finals incentives.
The average wage for a listed player last season reached a record $363,430, up from $362,471 the previous year. For the first time ever, players who featured at AFL level earned an average $401,552.
The League's total revenue went up by $15.3 million to $793.9 million, due to broadcast rights and record commercial revenue.
After all distributions – including those to clubs, community football, the AFLPA and AFLW – the AFL group's surplus for 2019 was $27.9 million, up $2m on the 2018 figure.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/374327/who-s-in-the-money-nine-players-top-1-million-mark
