Josh Hunt 'secretly' did commentary for K-rock last year

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Some things in footy leave me scratching my head. The latest has been the media's on-going insistence that there are secret deals involving many players in the AFL.

The AFL last week said that 114 players have third party arrangements totaling around $2 million. That means on average those 114 players received an extra $17,543.86 per year.

Hardly the making of a scandal. Furthermore, each of those deals has been approved by the AFL. Geelong was thrust into the debate with the ‘revelation’ that Gary Ablett had a secret deal involving club president Frank Costa’s property group.

The fact that the reigning Brownlow medalist fronts a giant billboard that sits half way between Geelong and Melbourne promoting the property opportunities makes it one of the worst kept secrets in the state!

Just in the past year there have been a number of Cats that have been involved in very transparent arrangements with third parties. Last season Josh Hunt took on a commentary role with K-rock while he was sidelined with a ruptured ACL. James Kelly wrote a weekly column for the Geelong Advertiser. Joel Selwood fronts a campaign run by AFL sponsor NAB.

It would be a fair assumption that these players received some form of payment for there time and effort in each of these arrangements. Again, it hardly passes the test of secrecy.

Like just about any commercial arrangement, the parties involved have the right to keep the detail private. As long as the AFL is made aware of the details and approves the payments, there is and should be no problem.

With the start of the season still three weeks away, there is a need to fill up newspaper space and talkback time on radio. It is part and parcel of the game. But to insinuate that there has been any secret payment or wrongdoing is a black mark against the AFL, the clubs and the players, and none deserve to be tarred with the sentiment that bubbles below the surface - that there is widespread cheating throughout the league.