The manager of the AFL’s first $2m player suspects the entry of Tasmania and the competition-wide salary increase has prompted clubs to pitch such lucrative offers.
Ben Williams, who negotiated the two-year deal Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera signed at St Kilda, openly detailed the process of his player’s extension on Tuesday morning.
Williams said Wanganeen-Milera’s decision to commit to the Saints over returning to South Australia ultimately came down to finishing what he started at Moorabbin.
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He conceded surprise to how quickly the offers had risen but was not taken aback by the figure presented to Wanganeen-Miler.
“I’m not surprised, but what I am surprised at is how the economy’s jumped so quickly,” Williams told SEN.
“So people like Nas now who are around that rumoured mark – let’s say it’s around that mark – marquee players were on a lot less literally a year ago.
“It’s amazing how quickly it’s jumped, and I think people might be thinking about Tasmania (coming in) and TPP going up, numbers about other players being bandied around, and it’s just given clubs more confidence to go, ‘You know what, we rate this player and we’re gonna pay them X amount of dollars’.
“Am I surprised? No, not really, but I’m surprised how quickly it’s gone up.”
Williams said St Kilda pitched two, four and 10-year deals.
The 22-year-old elected for the shortest of options so he could reassess how he and the club were tracking in two years.
“It just gives him a bit more opportunity to grow as a player and as a person, and clearly it doesn’t affect him being on short-term deals,” Williams said.
“So he just wanted to do that and to see how he’s going, see how the club’s going, and then reassess and hopefully extend in the future again.”
Wanganeen-Milera could have one of the game’s most dynamic ruckmen tapping the ball to him next year if Tom De Koning departs Carlton for St Kilda.
De Koning has also been offered a monstrous contract, upwards of $1.7 million per year across 10 seasons.
Williams said the offer tabled to De Koning was playing a role in forcing clubs to be more comfortable in huge money offers.
“With extensive media in the industry at the moment, you’re hearing so much,” he said.
“If you’re not central to a deal or not in a deal, you don’t know the exact mechanics of it.
“But you do hear figures like that, and I was aware of reportedly what ‘TDK’ was being offered.
“So that sort of stimulates the market again by clubs then being more confident to offer those larger amounts with their own players.”
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