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Lake ready to accept Dogs' $1.8m deal
Caroline Wilson | September 14, 2009
THE Western Bulldogs will go into Friday night's preliminary final virtually assured of having secured the services of their star full-back Brian Lake until the end of 2013.
Although the 27-year-old has refused to entertain an official deal until after the Bulldogs' finals campaign is finished, both parties are comfortable with the club's revised contract offer estimated at $1.8 million over the next four years.
Lake, who did his All-Australian prospects no harm three nights ago with another solid performance against Jonathan Brown, has told the club he intends to remain a Bulldog while the club in turn had told Lake's management it would not consider trading him.
''We are quietly confident Brian is staying,'' Bulldogs football boss James Fantasia said last night. ''We are confident we will complete everything once the season is over and out of respect to Brian and his wishes we are happy to wait until then.''
With Lake seemingly secured, the biggest headache looming in the post-season for the Bulldogs remains deciding the future of its five players over the age of 30, only one of whom (Ben Hudson) is contracted.
The club has told Brad Johnson, Scott Welsh, Jason Akermanis and Nathan Eagleton that no conclusion on their playing futures will be reached until after the finals. All face pay cuts with Akermanis still undecided about whether to play on. The prevailing view is that with a significantly diminished draft pool at the end of next season at least one of the above, and possibly two, should depart.
Sydney told Lake's management a fortnight ago that it was out of the running to secure the services of the footballer vying with Matthew Scarlett tonight for the title of All-Australian full-back while Lake has indicated he was not interested in leaving the Bulldogs for Melbourne, which has first pick in the pre-season draft.
Hawthorn was understood to have indicated it would pay around $550,000 a year for Lake's services, an amount the Swans were not prepared to match. The player's current contract is worth half that amount.
Earlier this season the Bulldogs offered Lake a three-year contract worth less than $400,000 annually but in recent weeks that offer has increased significantly and extended to four years guaranteeing that Lake, who turns 28 before the start of next season, will remain a Bulldog for the remainder of his playing career. He moves on to the veterans' list midway through the contract.
Lake's manager, Rick Olarenshaw, refused to comment on the negotiations last night, stressing that his client would baulk at any contract talk with matches still to play.
Constrained by their near-capacity total player payments and financial circumstances - the Bulldogs' stadium returns from Etihad have been pitiful this year - The Age understands the club is negotiating with its main sponsor, Mission Foods, for an annual extra payment of $100,000, which would sponsor a player in the manner of the Chris Judd-Visy arrangement.
The Bulldogs now spend only half of their additional services allowance - the AFL caps that extra commercial player payment at about $550,000 a year - and only two other clubs in the competition pay less.
======================
Rarely does Caro's pen engender such joy.
The next question is, Eagle and Welsh aside, who's potentially playing their last game in red, white and blue this Friday night...
Caroline Wilson | September 14, 2009
THE Western Bulldogs will go into Friday night's preliminary final virtually assured of having secured the services of their star full-back Brian Lake until the end of 2013.
Although the 27-year-old has refused to entertain an official deal until after the Bulldogs' finals campaign is finished, both parties are comfortable with the club's revised contract offer estimated at $1.8 million over the next four years.
Lake, who did his All-Australian prospects no harm three nights ago with another solid performance against Jonathan Brown, has told the club he intends to remain a Bulldog while the club in turn had told Lake's management it would not consider trading him.
''We are quietly confident Brian is staying,'' Bulldogs football boss James Fantasia said last night. ''We are confident we will complete everything once the season is over and out of respect to Brian and his wishes we are happy to wait until then.''
With Lake seemingly secured, the biggest headache looming in the post-season for the Bulldogs remains deciding the future of its five players over the age of 30, only one of whom (Ben Hudson) is contracted.
The club has told Brad Johnson, Scott Welsh, Jason Akermanis and Nathan Eagleton that no conclusion on their playing futures will be reached until after the finals. All face pay cuts with Akermanis still undecided about whether to play on. The prevailing view is that with a significantly diminished draft pool at the end of next season at least one of the above, and possibly two, should depart.
Sydney told Lake's management a fortnight ago that it was out of the running to secure the services of the footballer vying with Matthew Scarlett tonight for the title of All-Australian full-back while Lake has indicated he was not interested in leaving the Bulldogs for Melbourne, which has first pick in the pre-season draft.
Hawthorn was understood to have indicated it would pay around $550,000 a year for Lake's services, an amount the Swans were not prepared to match. The player's current contract is worth half that amount.
Earlier this season the Bulldogs offered Lake a three-year contract worth less than $400,000 annually but in recent weeks that offer has increased significantly and extended to four years guaranteeing that Lake, who turns 28 before the start of next season, will remain a Bulldog for the remainder of his playing career. He moves on to the veterans' list midway through the contract.
Lake's manager, Rick Olarenshaw, refused to comment on the negotiations last night, stressing that his client would baulk at any contract talk with matches still to play.
Constrained by their near-capacity total player payments and financial circumstances - the Bulldogs' stadium returns from Etihad have been pitiful this year - The Age understands the club is negotiating with its main sponsor, Mission Foods, for an annual extra payment of $100,000, which would sponsor a player in the manner of the Chris Judd-Visy arrangement.
The Bulldogs now spend only half of their additional services allowance - the AFL caps that extra commercial player payment at about $550,000 a year - and only two other clubs in the competition pay less.
======================
Rarely does Caro's pen engender such joy.
The next question is, Eagle and Welsh aside, who's potentially playing their last game in red, white and blue this Friday night...
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