The AFL's cost of living allowance payment - or COLA as it is known as - created plenty of controversy since the introduction of the AFL's salary cap.
Sydney, GWS and Brisbane have benefited through the scheme, which allows extra room in the salary cap to pay players.
The Sporting News analyses the history of COLA and why it could be brought back for 2025.
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What is COLA - the AFL's cost of living allowance?
To help develop the AFL in Australia's northern states, a cost of living allowance (COLA) was given to both Sydney and Brisbane when salary caps were introduced for AFL teams in 1998.
Initially, this was 15 per cent for Sydney to cover the extra cost of living in Australia's most expensive city and 10 per cent to Brisbane to help retain players from interstate.
GWS also received COLA upon its introduction into the AFL in 2012 - which was set at the same percentage of Sydney's allowance at the time of 9.8 per cent of the salary cap.
When was the AFL's COLA abolished?
The axing of COLA was a gradual process over the years, led by Victoria's powerful clubs, that saw it completely eradicated from the AFL by the 2017 season.
After winning three consecutive premierships between 2001-2003 and playing in the 2004 grand final, Brisbane had its COLA completely cut in 2006.
However, Sydney was allowed to retain its COLA at the time, but it was reduced to 9.8 per cent.
This was also the concession given to GWS when they entered the AFL in 2012.
When the Swans won the premiership in 2012, and signed AFL superstars on multi-million dollar deals from other clubs, the AFL decided to scale down COLA in 2014 so that it wouldn't exist for any club by the start of the 2017 season.
Why was COLA axed for Sydney and GWS?
Sydney's success through the early 2000s, including premierships in 2005 and 2012, saw Victorian clubs lobby to end the COLA given to the club.
When Lance Franklin joined Sydney on a $10 million dollar deal in 2013 and Kurt Tippett signed on $900,000 a year in 2014, the outrage from the AFL's other clubs forced the COLA reforms that exist today.
There was a suggestion the Swans spent a large portion of their COLA allowance to sign both Franklin and Tippett.
GWS were caught up as collateral in the scrapping of COLA, with the fledgling club not accused of flouting the salary cap concession.
Will COLA be brought back into the AFL in 2025?
There is a strong possibility that COLA will be added to Sydney and GWS' salary cap next season - but in a different form than its previous iteration.
The new COLA would see the NSW AFL clubs given extra money in their salary cap, but only to pay assistant coaches and staff in the soft cap, according to Herald Sun journalist Sam Landsberger.
“I think Sydney and Greater Western Sydney are both massive chances to have their COLA restored,” Landsberger said on Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle in May.
“These were the dirtiest four letters in the game 10 years ago.
“My understanding is the AFL almost ticked this off a couple of years ago. Out of nowhere, it was kiboshed.
“Last time the clubs had 9.8 per cent extra in the salary cap. They’ve asked for more money in the salary cap and soft cap.
“My belief is the TPP (total player payments/salary cap) is long odds to get ticked off, but I think they’re a really good chance to get some relief in the soft cap.
“That would help them pay their assistant coaches more money. It’s a lot of work to not only recruit assistants to Sydney but also to retain them.”
