YES

Who wants to know what players are paid? Well, list managers and player agents already make it their business to find out as much detail as they can, and most supporters who care about transparency and accountability at their club would appreciate the information. Publishing player salaries, a practice that is commonplace in American sport, would allow members to see how their club is distributing its salary cap, and poor list management would be held to account as a result. Furthermore, if another salary cap scandal hit the game, there would be no excuses. The AFL Players' Association has long opposed making salaries public, but such a move could even work to the players' advantage. The game is changing fast in the free agency era, and contracted players can move with more freedom. If salaries are made public, their market value would become more obvious and supporters would understand if an underpaid gun sought a new home. Full disclosure would also eliminate the misinformation that can flow when new contracts are signed. – Nathan Schmook

NO

There are a couple of good reasons why players' salaries shouldn't be made public. The first is obvious: privacy. Very few people in the Australian workforce have their salaries laid bare for all to see, so why should footballers? If fans want to hold list managers to account, then publish a breakdown of how each team's salary cap is distributed without identifying the amount certain individuals are being paid. Fair enough, that might expose exact dollar figures for top earners like Gary Ablett and Lance Franklin, but their wages are already the subject of intense speculation. And for footy fans, it would be easy to compare how your club's list payments stack up with a club in a similar position – while still protecting players' privacy. Publishing salaries could also breed discontent within a playing group. There's a potential flashpoint if the books were blown wide open and players were able to scrutinise the earnings of their teammates compared to their own. Keeping 40-odd players with a blend of diverse personalities on the same page is tough enough without lobbing that potential hand grenade into the mix. – Travis King

