Wow thank you for answering some questions but not you didn’t answer all of them.
I think you have your head in the sand WP if you think West Coke, Essendrug, Sydney and Geelong lost anyone from their footy department.
We didn’t keep Innes. Sydney could afford him why? Is he not getting paid at Sydney? Is Pyke also there for free?
We couldn’t afford to keep McCrae but Hawks can. We couldn’t afford to keep Leppitsch either so he chose to help the club and walk. Will be interesting if he stays out of footy next season.
We have not replaced any of these guys.
McCrae has gone to Hawks, how is that possible with decreased cap spending? Is he there for free?
What about Hawthorns decision to not honour Clarksons contract next season and beyond without it effecting their soft cap? Do they really seem worried by soft cap pressure 
BTW I have asked the club via email weeks ago as to why we don’t have that football Department information anymore on the app or website but as yet I haven’t received a reply nor have they changed the website back so we can see that information.
Knowing people within the industry with multiple clubs I can categorically state that what you have said is blatantly not true. EVERY SINGLE TEAM in the comp had to cull staff, but each team focused on different areas. As an example, I think you’ll fine a lot of the WA and SA team culled sponser based staff because it was thought that they could survive within a five year period with a focus on each state’s individual medium to large businesses (not 10 teams fighting for sponsors in VIC).
You also seem to think that every AC, trainer, footy dept. employee is worth the same. This is again not true; winning three flags in four years, four straight Preliminary finals always comes with an added financial burden. Teams look to raid successful clubs and often you have to match to keep your key staff.
Re: Lepptich, think you’ll find that a) he was looking for time outside of footy and b) he walked so other could keep their jobs. It’s not a surprise that Leppa has ended up in the media on multiple fronts. With McCrae I will think you’ll find that the Footy Dept have never stopped a coach from going to another club with a better opportunity anyway (Marty Clarke, Ben Rutten; to an extent Blake Caracella although Blake is on the margins).
Last thing I’d say is that the club, 10 years ago was struggling financially on the back of poor Management for a number of years. The Club actively worked to get out of debt (Fighting Tiger Fund) and are now in the black. It’s - to be brutally honest - absolutely nearsighted to expected the Club (after taking so long to get out of the red + 2 Covid impacted seasons) to then spend money for the sake of it; and in doing so giving a financial benefit to other clubs via the tax.
I know a poor year seems to make things worse than a successful year, but the club has got itself where it has with prudent management. Throwing that all away through financial mismanagement is a shortcut to worse outcomes.
I’m
only talking about the Football Department spending not administration or sponsorship etc. which isn’t part of soft cap spending so it’s a pointless argument. Looking at West coasts footy dept doesn’t seem they lost anyone that important to me as they’ve kept all the important people they had last season as did Geelong.
I’m very well aware of our financial prudence since Gale has been CEO and how much he has turned us around. I am also aware and mentioned that Leppitsch walked to help us out too.
My question is why we haven’t sought to keep the assistants that have helped our success considering other clubs have poached them, so my question is why can they afford them and we can’t?
Innes and McRae prime examples of what I am talking about.
We have NOT replaced the outgoing assistants so we have more inexperienced guys doing double the roles. Where as Geelong have not lost one assistant in their coaching panel from last season and the Swans adding to their panel.
We will see if Leppitsch will stay in the media or get picked up by another club (rumour that he will be at the blues as Head of footy. If that’s true then the cheats will be another club in the list of clubs that will have employed our assistants that we apparently cannot afford due to soft cap.
If it’s so difficult in the current climate to keep assistants and support staff in the footy department the why are clubs taking our people that we can’t keep due to soft cap?
We have lost Caracella, Leppitsch, McRae and Innes and haven’t replaced them. While other clubs have the money in the soft cap to employ them. McRae didn’t leave for better opportunity because he’s doing the exact same role he did for us but the only difference is that he’s at a much smaller club than ours so your point is that he moved for better opportunities is invalid.
No one has been able to answer how the Hawks will be able to pay all their support staff in the footy department whilst paying out Clarkson. McRae must be offering his services for free.
If Teague gets the tap on the shoulder and the Cheats are able to get Lyon or Clarkson whilst paying out Teagues contract on top of Leppitsch if the rumours are true, how do you think the blues will be able to fit a new big name coach and Leppitsch in the soft cap?
Sydney weren’t bothered and bolstered their football department by adding better people.
Meanwhile, Richmond are petrified of the soft cap and keep losing quality people that other clubs can pay for
