This week was a fairly busy week for AFL Match Review Officer Michael Christian. In total, thirteen incidents were closely reviewed, with two of these resulting in suspensions, one being dismissed and the remaining ten incurring financial sanctions.
Let's have a closer look at these fines shall we?
Tom Jonas, Port Adelaide - $1500 for misconduct
Sam Frost, Melbourne - $2000 for rough conduct
Scott Thompson, North Melbourne - $2000 for striking
Mitch Crowden, Fremantle -$2000 for rough conduct
Bailey Banfield, Fremantle - $1000 for making contact with an injured player
Aaron Sandilands, Fremantle - $2000 for rough conduct
Dylan Grimes, Richmond - $1000 for engaging in a melee
Cyril Rioli, Hawthorn - $1000 for engaging in a melee
Nick Vlastuin, Richmond - $2000 for rough conduct
Alex Rance, Richmond - $2000 striking
On the surface, there's nothing too far wrong with that list. It all seems fairly consistent, that is until you run down the list of names.
Fremantle's Mitch Crowden is a first year player, taken in the fourth round of the 2017 (Pick 59) and by no means a household name. It's fair to assume he would be likely to be on the minimum contract for drafted players.
Mitch Crowden
At the other end of the scale, we have Alex Rance. Premiership Player and arguably one of the best defenders in the game. In Richmond circles, he is talked about in the same breath as Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt in terms of his value to the club, and as such, we can assume his most recent contract negotiations would have been fairly substantial.
Alex Rance
Both of these men received fines of $2000. Who is that going to hit harder? The first year player, or the experienced star earning a six-figure income a year? That kind of fine is a drop in the ocean to Rance, and hardly figures as a deterrent against future incidents.
Perhaps it's time for the AFL to have a look at the model used by the ICC (International Cricket Council) when issuing fines for player indiscretions. These fines are reported as a percentage of their match fee, which means that highly paid stars of the game, are fined a higher amount than players from countries where cricketers are not paid as generously. Surely this makes more sense.
I'd love to read your thoughts on this.....
I always thought that the player's wage was a factor in determining the amount of fine.
In addition, different infringements and severity of those infringements should also play a part in determining what the fine is
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Currently the wage is not a factor. The incident is, as well as the history of the player, but if Scott Pendlebury and Darcy Moore were both before the tribunal for the same first offence, they could expect the same fine, which would be much harsher on Moore
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yeah, on the surface that is ridiculous, but it is indicative of the rest of life.
If i run a red light I get a $396 fine.
If James Packer runs a red light, he also gets a $396 fine.
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i guess that's why we have a demerit points system for drivers too. AFL turfed a similar system a while ago, trying to simplify the process.
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This is true, but the AFL take great pride in running a very controlled environment.
And I also suspect lawmakers would love to be able to issue fines on a sliding scale based on income.
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To the question in your title, my Magic 8-Ball says:
Hi! I'm a bot, and this answer was posted automatically. Check this post out for more information.
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Hmm. It's a good point you make and a worthy debate for sure but I don't think they should change the fines system.
In the real world if a millionaire is caught 20 k's over the speed limit their fine is the same as a pensioner caught doing the same.
One rule for all is more consistent and clear.
It's murky waters once you start adopting a fine system that goes up or down depending on what the players net worth is.
It could start integrity conversations like are the top $ players targeted more for fines than others due to their lucrative fine value.
The match payment % thing is complicated to.
Often clubs have the same match payment for all 22 that take the field.
It's their yearly wage that differs greatly.
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It's certainly a tough one. You're probably right in that such a system may prove to be a bit too complex for ex-footballers to comprehend and apply.
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