Blayney Bears vice president Damon Taylor admits the club has been guilty of recruiting players who have "just turned up for the money" in the past, but an innovative player payment system to be implemented in 2021 will change that.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bears have battled to field a competitive side in Group 10's premier league competition in recent seasons, enduring winless campaigns in 2016, 2017 and 2019, while picking up just two wins in season 2018.
Recruiting players to help dig the club out of that hole has been tough, and Taylor says paying overs to attract quality to supplement the talent already in the town has become the norm.
And, Taylor says, the club just hasn't been getting bang for its buck.
Looking to correct the club's course, new coach Wade Judd has floated a system whereby players are paid based on their performances.
At a base level, each player who plays with Blayney in 2021 will be on the same contract, but players will have the ability to earn more money should they perform well.
If a player wins man of the match honours, they'll receive the maximum points and payment for that week - for example, five points for $500. A player who wins the four points will receive $400, three points the $300 and two points the $200 for that week.
All other players take home the base level $100 per week.
Taylor says the figures the club works off a different to the above examples he gave, but they're figures the club can afford.
He added the Bears have had to think outside of the box to remain viable, and put an end to the over-spending on players.
"From what I know about it, we'll probably pay about half of what some of the big clubs pay," Taylor said.
However, such a system will likely put an end to hopes of the club luring former NRL players to King George Oval.
"I think we'll struggle with ex-NRL players. Someone like a (Josh) Starling would have been interested but he's not here in Group 10 (next season), of course. I don't think our top money is going to entice an ex-NRL player here, but I think we're better off," Taylor said.
"We've spoken to players from out of Blayney and the response has been positive.
"I think it's going to give us a more competitive squad across the board. We're going to have players turning up and having a real crack, and that's what we want."
It's not uncommon for players at the top level of Group 10 to command over $1000 per game.
Want to keep up to date with Bathurst sport? Sign up to our daily newsletter and breaking news alerts here:
Nick McGrath
Editor, Central Western Daily
Editor, Central Western Daily
