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Essendon midfielder David Zaharakis says the delayed collective bargaining agreement with the AFL – not his desire to test free agency – is behind his failure to sign a new deal with the Bombers.
And in further developments at the club, former skipper Jobe Watson will decide if he will play on next year in the coming weeks.
Zaharakis, a best-and-fairest winner at Essendon, will be a restricted free agent when he comes out of contract at the end of the season.
“The reason why I haven’t signed is more the fact the CBA hasn’t been done yet,” Zaharakis said on Channel 7’s AFL Game Day on Sunday.
“A lot of players are in the same boat where we’re still waiting for that to be finalised, and you still don’t know where all that – in terms of contracts and money and all that stuff – sits for next year.
“Once that gets sorted, then we can start moving on.
“No free agents have really signed yet, they just want to see what happens with that first.
“I’m an Essendon person, I love being at the footy club. I’ve been there nine years now and I’ve been a supporter since I was a kid.”
The occasionally acrimonious negotiations between the AFL and the Players Association on a new pay deal have dragged on longer than expected.
The players have been steadfast in their desire to receive a set percentage of the league’s revenue streams and even refused to rule out the possibility of a strike.
But talks have progressed well in recent weeks with an announcement expected later this month or early next.
Watson, 32, has averaged 25 possessions a match since returning to AFL action after serving a season-long doping ban last year.
Coach John Worsfold said he would discuss the triple best-and-fairest winner’s future with him soon.
“It will be something that I will talk to Jobe about in the coming weeks,” Worsfold told 3AW on Sunday.
“(It will be) about really how he’s feeling at this point of the year, physically and mentally.
“One of the things I said in October last year was that one of the big aims for us as a club and me as his coach was to see Jobe Watson smiling and enjoying his footy.
“I’m pretty sure that’s happening but I will sit down and make sure that I get that from him directly.
“Once we do that we’ll talk a little bit about what his ambition is moving forward.”
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