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Still bleary eyed after watching the Socceroos? So are we. But that’s not all that’s been happening in the world of sport and business with the players to cash in big time from their success. But first, we’ve got an exclusive on the AFL’s new magic round, so let’s get stuck in to it.

IN THIS WEEK’S WRAP OF THE BIG DEALS

• SA doubles down on Magic Round

• Dumped Crow sends mid-season draft warning

• World Cup payday for Socceroos

• Socceroos put themselves in shop window

• A-League clubs set to benefit

• SBS score ratings goal

• Adelaide put to test after lamentable Perth attendance

• River of cash for Women’s IPL

• Crikey Moses! Mitchell says ‘no deal’

• Judge chasing nine-year deal

• Investment firm bets on basketball in UK

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EXCLUSIVE - SA DOUBLES DOWN ON MAGIC ROUND

The AFL’s inaugural magic round will almost certainly be held in Adelaide for a second straight year in 2024.

The Big Deal has learned the SA Government has an option for 2024 which it will surely execute unless the unthinkable happens and the round fails to deliver the economic gold it promises.

SA Premier Peter Malinauskas has aggressively chased major sporting events since coming to power in May, immediately reinstating the Adelaide 500, which had been dumped by the previous Liberal government.

That race was deemed an outstanding success after 258,200 spectators watched the four days of racing.

The Big Deal also broke news on his plans to bring LIV golf to Adelaide on October 24 with confirmation on November 14 that the event would be held at the Grange Golf Club between April 21-23 next year.

The AFL’s magic round, which is set to be given its own name, will be offered around the country in future seasons with NSW narrowly beaten to the punch by SA for 2023.

But the SA government drove a hard bargain in securing the event, giving itself the opportunity to double down on its commitment and host the round again in 2024.

The full AFL fixture including that for the magic round will be known later this week.

DUMPED CROW SENDS MID-SEASON DRAFT WARNING

Dumped Adelaide Crow Brett Turner has told News Ltd players nominating for the AFL mid-season draft should demand an 18-month contract rather than leaving themselves vulnerable with a minimum six-month deal.

Turner joined the Crows from SANFL club Glenelg in May while injured and recovered to play in the club’s SANFL side, including its ill-fated finals tilt.

But he never played an AFL game.

“I was led down the garden path a bit, I feel,” said Turner, who claimed the club kept changing its narrative toward him, telling him his fate first depended on his finals form, then the trade period and ultimately the draft.

“I don’t blame (list manager) Justin Reid or (recruiting boss) Hamish Ogilvie, I blame the idea of the system.

“Anyone who asks me about the mid-season draft, do not do it unless you’re nominating 18 months.

“If clubs want you bad enough, they’ll get you at the end of the year.”

Delisted Cat Zane Williams echoed Turner’s thoughts in October after similarly lasting only four months on Geelong’s list.

“Three months isn’t long enough to prove yourself, I think I had eight games to prove myself,” the 21-year-old told SEN SA in October.

“I had to learn 60 different names and a different game style and had to move away from home, that all adds up.”

Despite criticism from state league clubs and now players, the AFL seems destined to continue with the controversial draft.

WORLD CUP PAYDAY FOR SOCCEROOS

The Socceroos will share in a World Cup bonus of almost A$20 million for their surprise appearance in the round of 16 in Qatar.

FIFA prize money for teams eliminated in the first knockout stage was US$13 million (A$19.2 million) - 44% more than what the Socceroos’ kitty would have been had they failed to make it out of the group stage.

The Socceroos’ collective bargaining agreement stipulates that players share 40% of any prize money earned for reaching the group stage as well as half of any additional prize money won beyond that.

That equates to a very tidy A$408,846 per player in the 26-man squad.

A shock win against Argentina would have been worth an additional A$5.9 million or $113,461 per player.

The World Cup winners will take home a very tasty US$42 million (A$61.95 million).

SOCCEROOS PUT THEMSELVES IN SHOP WINDOW

But it’s not just an immediate cash reward that Socceroos players will benefit from with many putting their names up in lights on the world’s biggest football stage.

Last week, we pondered how long Stoke City will be able to hold on to the likes of lanky defender Harry Souttar.

But its Scotland’s Hearts of Midlothian that could be hardest hit - or benefit the most depending on which way you look at it.

Hearts have no fewer than three Socceroos in their ranks including Souttar’s defensive allies Kye Rowels and Nathaniel Atkinson as well as midfielder Cameron Devlin who didn’t make an appearance.

Hearts currently sit fifth of 12 teams in the Scottish premiership.

Socceroos captain Mat Ryan had an impressive tournament, save for the bungle that led to Argentina’s second goal.

The 30-year-old has struggled for regular first team football after 121 appearances for Brighton, failing to find his groove firstly at Real Sociedad and presently with FC Copenhagen.

Another move could soon be on the cards.

Mitch Duke, whose sublime header helped see off Tunisia, is plying his trade in Japan’s second division with Fagiano Okayama and could also attract attention along with Adelaide United captain Craig Goodwin who scored against France and was unfortunate not to be credited with the Socceroos’ goal against Argentina.

A-LEAGUE CLUBS SET TO BENEFIT

A-League clubs will also bathe in World Cup cash.

FIFA’s ‘club benefits programme’ pays clubs approximately US$10,000 (A$14,600) per day while they are on World Cup duty, regardless of whether they play.

With the Socceroos reaching the round of 16, that adds up to around A$323,000 per player.

Melbourne City stand to be the biggest local winners from the scheme with Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren and Marco Tilio netting them nearly A$1,000,000.

The Central Coast Mariners are likely to run a close second with three players of their own - Garang Kuol, Danny Vukovic and Jason Cummings.

But the Mariners will have to split Vukovic’s fee with his two previous Dutch clubs because he joined them as recently as August.

City may also lose a third of Leckie’s fee to Hertha Berlin while Tilio’s late call-up could see his fee reduced.

But it’s still a big pay day for cash-strapped local clubs with Sydney FC and Adelaide United also to rake in payments for their lone players of around A$323,000.

SBS SCORE RATINGS GOAL

SBS has scored another ratings goal with a total 2.15 million Australians watching the Socceroos-Argentina match in the early hours of Sunday morning - SBS’s second-highest figure this year.

There was an average audience of 1.7 million people across TV and digital services with 424,000 streaming the match.

It’s a massive win for the multicultural broadcaster which punted a reported $20 million on broadcasting rights, before Australia was even assured of taking its place in Qatar.

“Football is gaining momentum in Australia and audiences can’t seem to get enough, particularly on our digital platform,” SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp said.

The return was a significant lift from the 618,000 who tuned in across all platforms for the win against Denmark which started at the even more unfriendly time of 2am (EDST).

Sunday morning’s loss to Argentina fell shy of the 2.28 million viewers who watched the Socceroos’ defeat by Italy at the 2006 World Cup.

ADELAIDE PUT TO TEST AFTER LAMENTABLE PERTH ATTENDANCE

Adelaide’s passion for day-night Test cricket will this week be put sternly to the test after a predictably woefully attended First Test in Perth.

Only 42,517 fans saw the five days of action which included double centuries from Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith as well as a match-winning six-wicket haul in the fourth innings from Nathan Lyon.

Only 10,929 people watched Wednesday’s opening day action.

The need to squeeze back-to-back Test matches into two weeks dictated the bizarre programming.

Friday’s third-day crowd of 11,272 was a match high before falling to just 5124 for the Saturday.

Covid-19 cost Perth its previous two Test matches with its last one, against New Zealand in December 2019, attracting 65,000 fans across four day-nights.

A noticeable lack of advertising for the West Indies series is likely to have also impacted attendances along with the side’s growing political position which might be on the nose with fans if social media comments are any guide.

Australia and the West Indies haven’t met in Adelaide since 2009.

Last year’s Ashes Test still drew more than 110,000 fans to Adelaide Oval despite Covid restrictions being in place.

The record single day Adelaide Oval attendance since its refit was during the 2017 Ashes match when 55,317 fans attended on the Saturday.

RIVER OF CASH FOR WOMEN’S IPL

The new Women’s Indian Premier League is promising to be a similar cash cow for the women’s game as it is for the men’s.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has reportedly set a base price of US$49.1 million (A$72 million) to buy a team with that cost to be paid back over a five-year period.

It’s been done on the belief that the five franchises will be worth between US$122.9-$184.3 million at auction.

Media rights for the tournament will be decided at a closed auction next month with the action getting underway in March.

It’s still just a drop in the ocean compared to the men’s rights which returned a record US$6.02 billion (A$8.83 billion) for streaming and TV rights in June.

CRIKEY MOSES! MITCHELL SAYS ‘NO DEAL’

Parramatta Eels star halfback Mitchell Moses has reportedly refused a $1 million per year extension.

According to News Corp’s Phil Rothfield, the Bulldogs and Wests Tigers are both circling and the Eels have the fight of their lives on their hands to keep their man.

Moses and partner-in-crime Dylan Brown played a big role in the Eels this year reaching their first grand final since 2009.

But his reluctance to re-sign, despite having yet to win a premiership with the club, has raised eyebrows about off-field matters at CommBank Stadium.

The 28-year-old will enter the final year of his contract with the Eels next season before becoming a free agent.

JUDGE CHASING NINE-YEAR DEAL

The man with the golden bat, Yankee Aaron Judge, is chasing a nine-year deal worth in excess of US$300 million (A$440 million).

Judge famously hit an American League record 62 home runs this season with the record-breaking ball heading to auction and expected to fetch in the order of $3 million.

But that is a pittance compared to the rewards the 30-year-old is demanding, having already turned down an eight-year extension with the Yankees worth US$300 million.

The Dodgers and Judge’s home town team the Giants are both keeping a close eye on developments although one doubts whether the Yankees will fold and let Judge walk at the peak of his powers.

If Judge’s average yearly salary exceeds US$35.5 million, it would set a new record for position players, exceeding the 12-year US$426.5 million deal Mike Trout signed with the LA Angels.

INVESTMENT FIRM BETS ON BASKETBALL IN UK

Investment firm 777 Partners will stake “hundreds of millions” of dollars on the rise of basketball in England.

A glance through the annals of history suggests this is very much a gamble rather than an investment but 777 is bullish about the sport’s prospects in the United Kingdom.

Great Britain’s men’s team has only twice qualified for the Olympic basketball tournament finishing 12th in 1948 and ninth in 2012 - both when hosting the Games.

It has never qualified for the FIBA World Cup.

777 Partners purchased the British Basketball League’s London Lions in 2020 but now stands to vastly increase its stake, betting on the NBA’s exposure and growth in Europe and ethnic demographics, particularly in London.

A lack of government funding has also been at play with boxing, canoeing, cycling, and equestrian among sports that saw up to 10 times more investment from Downing St than basketball.

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