McGuire backs Blues over Judd

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has waded into the Chris Judd/Visy deal affair, saying he doesn't agree with the AFL's decision to now include third-party payments to Judd under the Blues' salary cap.

The AFL reported on Friday that Judd's deal with Visy, believed to be worth about $200,000, would now have to be included under the salary cap, despite the third-party payment being allowed by the league for the last five seasons since Judd's switch from West Coast in 2007.

The AFL's move came as the league sought to tighten controls on third-party payments in the wake of Kurt Tippett and several senior Adelaide officials being charged for allegedly breaching the salary cap.

But McGuire, a staunch critic of the Judd deal from the outset, doesn't believe the AFL can simply change the goalposts in such a manner, saying such a move simply created more confusion.

"The Carlton one is a straightforward one," McGuire said on ''TripleM'' on Monday morning.

"The rule says you can't do it and (former Carlton president) Dick Pratt did a deal with his own company to get Juddy.

"The simple fact of the matter is, it was a flawed (decision) ... they should be doing cartwheels they got away with this for five years at Carlton, because you can't do it.

"It shouldn't have been (approved by the AFL), but two wrongs don't make a right in this situation.

"I agree with what the Carlton blokes are saying now (about it being unfair to suddenly disallow the payments).

He added: "So let's get this right, this is not me fighting Carlton or anything else.

"I'm fighting for equality, I'm fighting for one rule that everyone can work out and do the deals with their players.

"We want the players to make as much money as they can, we want to be able to get third party deals, because it's ridiculous that you can't go and make a quid outside of your football career.

"But what we have to do is do it in the best possible way so it's not cheating because that's what defeats the whole idea of a salary cap."

McGuire said he wasn't surprised new Carlton coach Mick Malthouse went in to bat for Judd on the weekend, despite Malthouse previously sharing McGuire's annoyance at the deal when he was in charge of Collingwood.

"I'm sick to death of looking down the road and seeing Carlton have a $200,000 head start every year for the last five years," McGuire said.

"It's interesting Mick's mind's changed because two years ago he was as angry about the Judd deal as anybody else.

"(But) let's sort it out so that players can make the money and clubs can compete equally, it's as simple as that.