They don’t know what they will do, when they will go back to work or how their families will survive in the meantime.  

But no AFL player is waking up at 3.00 am trying to register on Centrelink and staying awake until they do. 

While only a select group of AFL players are in the top echelons of the million-dollar salary bracket, their “sacrifice” in dollar terms will be more than many Australians earn in a year.  

The 18 senior coaches immediately volunteered to take a 20 per cent pay cut.