The GWS Giants have been criticised for handing long-term deals to co-captains Stephen Coniglio and Josh Kelly after stuttering to an 0-2 start to the season.
Coniglio and Kelly are two of a three-man captaincy group which includes the suspended Toby Greene for the 2022 season.
After retaining Coniglio on a seven-year, $7 million deal at the end of 2019, the Giants re-signed Kelly to an eight-year deal worth a reported $8 million midway through last season.
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According to Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes, who has been a vocal critic of long-term contracts at a number of clubs, both deals were list-management blunders from the AFL’s youngest franchise.
“They’ve made the same mistake with Kelly, nine years,” he told Nine’s Footy Classified.
“Guarantee you in six years’ time we’re having the same discussion about Josh Kelly’s contract.
“Clubs continually fall into this trap, you’ve got to let them go at times, you have to be not afraid to lose them.”
Cornes was backed up by Footy Classified co-panellist Sam McClure.
“I thought it was the wrong decision at the time, I still think it’s the wrong decision,” McClure said of the Coniglio contract.
“That’s nothing against Stephen, who’s been a wonderful servant of that footy club for a long time, (but) I think they had to let him go.
“They’ve got so many midfielders coming through. I personally think that decision has really backed them into a corner for the next few years. It has absolutely destroyed that footy club financially.”
The Giants’ inability to win a premiership despite a number of repeated finals runs has placed senior coach Leon Cameron under immense pressure in recent years.
However, according to McClure, the 49-year-old should not be the only one at the club in the firing line.
“If he goes, other people have to follow him out the door from that footy club,” McClure said.
“They’ve had misguided list decisions for too many years, picking up too many midfielders year after year after year.
“You’ve got too many people in high places making contract decisions that have ultimately come back to haunt the club.
“I think personally if the footy department had their way, if Coniglio had left they would’ve been able to cover it.”