The AFL has announced a complete overhaul of its tribunal system and match review panel, simplifying what was a complicated and inconsistent process.
The league has scrapped the use of demerit points and subsequent carryover points and will instead hand players fines for all low-level offences and only suspend a player if three low-grade indiscretions are committed within the space of a season. Players were handed one-week suspensions for level-one penalties under the previous system.
More serious offences issued with two- or three-week suspensions can now be reduced to a single game with an early guilty plea. Offences will also now be ruled as intentional or careless, rather than negligent, reckless of intentional under the previous rules, in place since 2005.
“We’ve worked hard to deliver a system that was going to be simpler and deliver more appropriate outcomes,” AFL football operations manager Mark Evans told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.
“So getting rid of carryover points and percentage loading helps incidents to be assessed on the merit of that particular event.
“Given the way we now scrutinise the game with multiple angles and the Match Review Panel, we thought it was more appropriate to treat those (minor incidents) as financial sanctions while still retaining the ability to send bigger incidents directly to the Tribunal or to upgrade them to more serious suspensions.
“I think fans will regard the system as simpler. I’m sure there will still be debate around comparing certain incidents from games or the way it’s been graded.”
Key tribunal changes:
– All offences to now be categorised as fines or weeks of suspension, no longer using any reference to base demerit points;
– The elimination of carry over points on any offence;
– Conduct now to be graded in two categories only – intentional or careless;
– The MRP to issue fines, two-game and three-game suspensions, with more serious offences referred to the Tribunal;
– Simplification of the Bad Record provisions, with a maximum addition of a one extra week’s suspension on a penalty;
– Retention of discounts for early pleas (lowering of fines or one-match suspension reduction), but removal of automatic good record provision;
– Brownlow Medal eligibility to be based around whether a player was suspended / not suspended for a match in any particular home and away season;
– Introduction of fines for low level offences, but with suspensions available to repeat third-offenders within a season;
– MRP retains the capacity to upgrade impact where there is the potential to cause injury.
Photo: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.
