Former Australian Cricketers' Association CEO Paul Marsh said that "Cricket Australia's proposal to abandon the long-existing percentage-of-revenue pay model is 'based on pure greed' and believes players will not let it happen," according to Chris Barrett of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. The "stage will be set" for a lengthy "industrial relations showdown" between CA and players on Monday, with "the governing body expected to outline its strategy for an alternative pay system in the first of two days of meetings" with the ACA. The two parties will come together in Melbourne amid negotiations for a new five-year memorandum of understanding. The ACA has been "in the dark about CA's intentions" around the pay structure for players but "has suspected that it would seek to determine the size of the player payment pool itself rather than have it automatically devised by a percentage of cricket revenue," as has been the case since '97. CA's position is exactly that, believing that "the existing model is not sustainable for the organisation to pour as much money as it would like into areas such as grassroots cricket, game development, pathways, the women's game and club cricket." That argument will be "staunchly opposed" by the ACA, whose negotiating team is headed by Marsh's successor Alistair Nicholson and which is "determined to retain the status quo" and have the player pool tied to CA revenue. Marsh posted on Twitter, "CA's attempts to move away from a model that has been so successful are based on pure greed. Players are not silly enough to let it happen" (SMH, 12/11).
