AFL Tribunal
Encyclopedia
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal
of the Australian Football League
(an Australian rules football
competition).
Prior to 2005, any player who was reported would face a hearing at the AFL Tribunal. This process had become problematic, and in 2005, a new system (similar to that used by the NRL
Judiciary at the time) was adopted. The changes were primarily made to reduce the number of tribunal hearings, and to improve the consistency of penalties.
The current tribunal process is as follows:
The activation points from all three categories are added together to give the total activation points points for the incident. It is important to note that an incident involving accidental/incidental conduct, or negligible impact, will be rejected and the player will receive no penalty, even if the activation points in the other categories are high.
Next, activation points are converted into an offence level:
Next, the player is given a number of base demerit points, based on the type and level of his offence. The base demerit point totals are standardised in the Table of Offences. As an example, any player charged by the Match Review Panel with a Level 4 Kicking offence receives 550 base demerit points. This is where the Match Review Panel's role in the Tribunal process ends.
Because the penalty is standardised and pre-announced by the Match Review Panel, the player has the option to plead guilty to the charge and receive his penalty without the need to attend a Tribunal hearing; he receives a deduction for doing this (see next section). Alternatively, a player may choose to appeal the findings of the Match Review Panel, and attend a Tribunal hearing to argue the case. Players may appeal to try to have their entire charge withdrawn, or may argue for a reduction in one of the three factors; e.g. a player could try to have the conduct factor reduced from reckless to negligent.
If an incident is ungraded (i.e. has nine activation points), the player is required to attend a tribunal hearing.
Additions (sometimes called "loading") are additional penalties applied to players with a poor tribunal record. To calculate the addition, an additional 10% of the base demerit points are added for every match for which the player was suspended over the previous three years, with a maximum of 50%; e.g. a player suspended for three matches will receive a 30% loading, while one suspended for seven matches will receive a 50% loading.
Any player with more than five years experience who has not been found guilty of an offence attracting demerit points over the previous five years receives a 25% deduction.
Any reportable offence that occurs during a Grand Final
match will receive an addition equal to the offence's original base score as determined by the Match Review Panel. This addition is applied after the additions and deductions previously mentioned.
Finally, players will receive a 25% deduction by accepting the Match Review Panel's finding without contest; this is typically known as an early guilty plea. As a result of this rule, players are often faced with the option of accepting a shorter suspension with an early plea, or contesting the charge and risking a longer suspension if unsuccessful. Note that if a player contests the match review panel's assessment at the Tribunal, and successfully has the number of base demerit points changed, he is then given the opportunity to accept that new sanction with the deduction for an early guilty plea, despite having appeared at a tribunal hearing.
The final offence score is thus calculated from this series of discrete steps:
Each addition or deduction is made to the final result of the previous calculation step.
, after several tribunal findings were appealed through the Victorian court system during the mid-1990s.
Members: Peter Carey
; Paul Broderick
Former Members: Andrew McKay
(chairman) (2007–2010)
's Dean Solomon
for elbowing Geelong
's Cameron Ling
in round 15 of the 2008 season.
In Round 4, 2008 Barry Hall
of the Sydney Swans
was suspended for seven matches after striking West Coast's
Brent Staker
. In 2007, Steven Baker of St Kilda was suspended for seven matches for rough conduct on Jeff Farmer
(although the base suspension was only four weeks, with residual points and a loading for his poor record inflating the number to seven).
In June 2010, St Kilda's Steven Baker was suspended for a total of nine weeks after he pled guilty to three striking charges and was found guilty of a misconduct charge, all against Geelong
's Steve Johnson. He was the first person to be charged with misconduct for interfering with an injured opponent.
Qualification - 20 matches
1 Baxter was later exonerated on appeal due to mistaken identity.
2 Prior to 1926, some players found guilty of serious offences were given a lifetime suspension, but in each case the penalty was later commuted.
Tribunal
A tribunal in the general sense is any person or institution with the authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title....
of the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
competition).
Points system
Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook http://mm.afl.com.au/Portals/0/afl_docs/Development/AFL%20Tribunal%20Booklet%202011-1.pdfPrior to 2005, any player who was reported would face a hearing at the AFL Tribunal. This process had become problematic, and in 2005, a new system (similar to that used by the NRL
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
Judiciary at the time) was adopted. The changes were primarily made to reduce the number of tribunal hearings, and to improve the consistency of penalties.
The current tribunal process is as follows:
Match Review Panel
On-field umpires and certain off-field observers can report players for incidents which occur curing games. On the Monday after the round of football, each incident is then reviewed by the Match Review Panel, a small panel of former players and umpires. Within the review, the Match Review Panel grades the severity of the incident in three factors, and awards activation points depending upon the severity. The three factors are:- Conduct: the panel determines whether the player's actions were intentional (three activation points), reckless (two activation points), negligent (one activation point), or accidental/incidental (charge rejected).
- Impact: the panel determined how hard the player hit another player. This can be graded as severe (four activation points), high (three activation points), medium (two activation points), low (one activation point), or negligible (charge rejected). The Match Review Panel can consider injury reports when assessing impact.
- Contact: the panel determines whether contact was made to the head (two activation points), groin (two activation points) or body (one activation point).
The activation points from all three categories are added together to give the total activation points points for the incident. It is important to note that an incident involving accidental/incidental conduct, or negligible impact, will be rejected and the player will receive no penalty, even if the activation points in the other categories are high.
Next, activation points are converted into an offence level:
- 3-4 activation points = Level 1 offence
- 5 activation points = Level 2 offence
- 6 activation points = Level 3 offence
- 7 activation points = Level 4 offence
- 8 activation points = Level 5 offence
- 9 activation points = Ungraded offence
Next, the player is given a number of base demerit points, based on the type and level of his offence. The base demerit point totals are standardised in the Table of Offences. As an example, any player charged by the Match Review Panel with a Level 4 Kicking offence receives 550 base demerit points. This is where the Match Review Panel's role in the Tribunal process ends.
Player response
Following the Match Review Panel's findings, a player's base points are subjected to a series of additions and deductions (which are described in the next section) to arrive at a number of total demerit points. Each 100 total demerit points that a player finishes with then corresponds to a suspension for one match; e.g. a player who finished with 225 demerit points will receive a two-match suspension. If a player finishes with fewer than 100 demerit points, he is not suspended, but receives what is known as a reprimand.Because the penalty is standardised and pre-announced by the Match Review Panel, the player has the option to plead guilty to the charge and receive his penalty without the need to attend a Tribunal hearing; he receives a deduction for doing this (see next section). Alternatively, a player may choose to appeal the findings of the Match Review Panel, and attend a Tribunal hearing to argue the case. Players may appeal to try to have their entire charge withdrawn, or may argue for a reduction in one of the three factors; e.g. a player could try to have the conduct factor reduced from reckless to negligent.
If an incident is ungraded (i.e. has nine activation points), the player is required to attend a tribunal hearing.
Residuals, additions and deductions
Residuals (also called carry-over points) are the points "left over" after a suspension; e.g., a player with 225 demerit points is suspended for two weeks (equivalent to 200 points), and the remaining 25 are residual points; or, if a player receives a reprimand with 93.75 points, all of these points are residual. Residual points from a previous offence will be added to the base demerit points of the player's next offence if it occurs within one year; if one year elapses, a player's residual points are cancelled.Additions (sometimes called "loading") are additional penalties applied to players with a poor tribunal record. To calculate the addition, an additional 10% of the base demerit points are added for every match for which the player was suspended over the previous three years, with a maximum of 50%; e.g. a player suspended for three matches will receive a 30% loading, while one suspended for seven matches will receive a 50% loading.
Any player with more than five years experience who has not been found guilty of an offence attracting demerit points over the previous five years receives a 25% deduction.
Any reportable offence that occurs during a Grand Final
AFL Grand Final
The AFL Grand Final is an annual Australian rules football match, traditionally held on the final Saturday in September at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia to determine the Australian Football League premiership champions for that year...
match will receive an addition equal to the offence's original base score as determined by the Match Review Panel. This addition is applied after the additions and deductions previously mentioned.
Finally, players will receive a 25% deduction by accepting the Match Review Panel's finding without contest; this is typically known as an early guilty plea. As a result of this rule, players are often faced with the option of accepting a shorter suspension with an early plea, or contesting the charge and risking a longer suspension if unsuccessful. Note that if a player contests the match review panel's assessment at the Tribunal, and successfully has the number of base demerit points changed, he is then given the opportunity to accept that new sanction with the deduction for an early guilty plea, despite having appeared at a tribunal hearing.
The final offence score is thus calculated from this series of discrete steps:
- Residual from prior offence(s)
- Base score from Match Review Panel
- Addition for poor record
- Deduction for good record
- Addition for a Grand Final offence
- Deduction for an early plea
Each addition or deduction is made to the final result of the previous calculation step.
Offences attracting financial penalties
The Match Review Panel also assesses a variety of offences for which players are fined but not suspended, including wrestling, negligent contact with an umpire, making an obscene gesture, etc. As for physical offences, there is a standardised table of penalties, which depend upon the nature of the offence, and any prior similar offences; e.g. a player's second wrestling offence attracts double the penalty of his first. As for physical offences, a player can accept his penalty with an early guilty plea, receiving a 25% reduction in his fine, or he may contest it and risk the full penalty.Appeals Board
If a player wishes to appeal against a decision handed down in a tribunal hearing, he may take his case to the AFL Appeals Board. The board will re-hear the case, with a different set of panel members, and may uphold or change the Tribunal's original decision. The Appeals Board was established in 1998 following a recommendation from Justice John Hedigan of the Supreme Court of VictoriaSupreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
, after several tribunal findings were appealed through the Victorian court system during the mid-1990s.
AFL Tribunal
- Chairman: David Jones (replacing Brian Collis)
- Members:
- John HassettJohn HassettJohn J. Hassett was an Irish politician and farmer. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for the Tipperary constituency at the June 1927 general election. He was re-elected at the September 1927 and 1932 general elections. He did not contest the 1933 general...
- Will HoughtonWill HoughtonWill Houghton was an Australian rules footballer who played with University in the 1914 VFL season.-Sources:*Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim . The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing....
QC - Andrew Tinney
- Emmett DunneEmmett DunneEmmett Dunne is a former Australian rules football player who played in the Victorian Football League between 1976 and 1983 for the Richmond Football Club and then from 1984 until 1985 for the Footscray Football Club...
- Michael SextonMichael SextonMichael Sexton is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Blues between 1990 and 2000.A defender, Sexton was a member of Carlton's 1995 premiership team and an All Australian in both 1996 and 1997. He was recruited from the Sandhurst Dragons.Sexton is member of the AFL...
- Wayne SchimmelbuschWayne SchimmelbuschWayne Schimmelbusch is a former Australian Rules Footballer in the Victorian Football League .A courageous wingman and inspirational speedster who seemingly never knew when to give up, Schimmelbusch played in 306 games, including 29 finals games, for the North Melbourne Football Club...
- Richard LoveridgeRichard LoveridgeRichard Loveridge is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1980s.Playing as a rover who was handy near goals, Loveridge was a regular member of the Hawthorn side and was a premiership player in 1983 and 1986...
- David PittmanDavid PittmanDavid Pittman is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Pittman debuted with the Adelaide Football Club in 1992, playing as a ruckman. He is sometimes remembered for an incident early in the 1997 season where coach Malcolm Blight labelled his effort "Pathetic" in...
- John Hassett
AFL Appeals Board
- Chairman: Peter O'Callaghan
- Members:
- Brian Collis QC
- Brian BourkeBrian BourkeBriain Bourke is an Irish artist.Bourke studied at the National College of Art and Design and St. Martins School of Art, London. He held his first one man show in Dublin in 1964. The following year Bourke won an Arts Council prize for portraiture and was chosen to represent Ireland in the Biennale...
- John SchultzJohn SchultzJohn Schultz is a former Australian rules football player, who played for the Footscray Football Club in the Victorian Football League and is one of the club's greatest players....
- Michael Gree
AFL Grievance Tribunal
- Chairman: Jack Rush QC
- Members:
- Kevin PowerKevin PowerKevin Power is an Irish writer and academic. He is enrolled in the PhD programme at University College Dublin. His novel Bad Day in Blackrock was published by The Lilliput Press, Dublin, in 2008...
- Michael MoncrieffMichael MoncrieffMichael Moncrieff is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s....
- Darren BaxterDarren Baxter (Australian footballer)Darren Baxter is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and Hawthorn in the Australian Football League ....
- James Dowsley
- Roger Berryman
- Kevin Power
AFL Match Review Panel
Chairman: Mark FraserMark Fraser (footballer)
Mark Fraser is a former Australian rules footballer and umpire in the Australian Football League.-Playing career:Fraser, from Montmorency, Victoria, is the son of former Essendon Football Club champion Ken, who played 198 games over 11 seasons with them...
Members: Peter Carey
Peter Carey (umpire)
Peter Carey is a former Australian rules football umpire in the Australian Football League.Throughout his career at VFL/AFL level, Carey umpired 307 senior games. He was named the All-Australian umpire in 1992, and he umpired four Grand Finals....
; Paul Broderick
Paul Broderick
Paul Broderick is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the VFL/AFL between 1988 and 1993 for the Fitzroy Football Club and then from 1994 until 2001 for the Richmond Football Club. He won the Richmond Best and Fairest award in 1996-External links:...
Former Members: Andrew McKay
Andrew McKay
Dr Andrew Ian McKay is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.McKay grew up in eastern South Australia, and played junior football for Lucindale in the Kowree-Naracoorte Football League. He moved to Adelaide and played senior SANFL football for Glenelg between 1991...
(chairman) (2007–2010)
History
Since the overhaul, the heaviest suspension for a single offence has been an eight week suspension handed out to FremantleFremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
's Dean Solomon
Dean Solomon
Dean Solomon is retired Australian rules footballer. He played for the Fremantle Dockers and the Essendon Bombers in his 13 year, 209 games and a premiership career.-Early career:...
for elbowing Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
's Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
in round 15 of the 2008 season.
In Round 4, 2008 Barry Hall
Barry Hall
Barry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
of the Sydney Swans
Sydney Swans
The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
was suspended for seven matches after striking West Coast's
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
Brent Staker
Brent Staker
Brent Staker is an Australian rules footballer in the AFL, who plays for the Brisbane Lions.-Early life:Staker grew up in Broken Hill in remote country New South Wales....
. In 2007, Steven Baker of St Kilda was suspended for seven matches for rough conduct on Jeff Farmer
Jeff Farmer (footballer)
Jeff Farmer is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent. He was the first indigenous player to kick 400 goals in the Australian Football League .-Melbourne career:...
(although the base suspension was only four weeks, with residual points and a loading for his poor record inflating the number to seven).
In June 2010, St Kilda's Steven Baker was suspended for a total of nine weeks after he pled guilty to three striking charges and was found guilty of a misconduct charge, all against Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
's Steve Johnson. He was the first person to be charged with misconduct for interfering with an injured opponent.
VFL/AFL records
Longest suspensionQualification - 20 matches
| Player | Charges | Season | Matches suspended | Club |
| Doug Fraser Doug Fraser (Australian footballer) Doug Fraser was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League .A Yarraville premiership player, Fraser broke into a strong Carlton team in the 1910 VFL season and established a place in the side as a follower... |
Bribery | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
99 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Alex Lang Alex Lang Alex 'Bongo' Lang was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League... |
Bribery | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
99 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Fred Rutley Fred Rutley Fred Rutley was an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .... |
2 x kicking, 3 x striking and melee involvement | 1925 1925 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1925.-New Teams:In 1915, and from 1919 to 1924, there were nine teams in the VFL competition... |
892 | North Melbourne North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world... |
| Bill Burns Bill Burns (footballer) Bill 'Poet' Burns was an Australian rules footballer who played for Geelong and Richmond in the Victorian Football League .... |
Kicking | 1909 1909 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1909.-Premiership season:In 1909, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
462 | Richmond Richmond Football Club The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,... |
| George Topping George Topping George Topping was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League.Topping made his debut for the Carlton Football Club in Round 10 of the 1902 season. He retired as a result of World War I after playing 2 games in 1916.... |
Striking | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
35 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Bert Franks Bert Franks Bert Franks was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .Although born and bred in Victoria, Franks played initially in the Goldfields Football Association with Kalgoorlie Railways and then at North Fremantle in the Western Australian Football... |
Abusing and threatening umpire | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
332 | South Melbourne Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... |
| Tommy Downs Tommy Downs Tommy Downs was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League .Downs was a Recorder Cup winner at Northcote in 1925, having previously played with Preston.... |
Kicking | 1931 1931 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1931.-Premiership season:In 1931, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man... |
29 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Percy Sheehan Percy Sheehan Percy Sheehan was an Australian rules footballer who played with Fitzroy, Carlton and Richmond in the VFL.Sheehan was a member of Fitzroy premiership teams in his first two seasons. He played in a variety of positions during his career but was used mostly as a half back flanker... |
Striking and melee involvement | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
28 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Jack Shorten Jack Shorten John 'Jack' Shorten was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood in the Victorian Football League .Shorten was the centre half back in Collingwood's 1910 premiership team... |
Striking and melee involvement | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
28 | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
| Arthur Coghlan Arthur Coghlan Arthur 'Bull' Coghlan was an Australian rules footballer who played for and coached Geelong in the VFL.Geelong's Toora recruit was a tough and hard hitting ruckman but could also play in key positions... |
Striking and melee involvement | 1925 1925 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1925.-New Teams:In 1915, and from 1919 to 1924, there were nine teams in the VFL competition... |
26 | Geelong Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also... |
| Stan Thomas Stan Thomas (Australian footballer) Stan 'Dasher' Thomas was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong in the VFL during the late 1910s and early 1920s.... |
Elbowing, striking and melee involvement | 1925 1925 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1925.-New Teams:In 1915, and from 1919 to 1924, there were nine teams in the VFL competition... |
26 | Geelong Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also... |
| Dan Keily Dan Keily Mortimer 'Dan' Keily was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League .Keily, a Brighton junior and former Havelock player, struggled to cement a place in a strong Carlton team which made the finals in every season that he was at the club... |
Sustained abuse of umpire | 1917 1917 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1917.-Premiership season:In 1917, the VFL competition consisted of six teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
24 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Ben Cousins Ben Cousins Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League .... |
Bringing the game into disrepute | 2007 2007 AFL season The 2007 AFL Season was the 111th season of the Australian Football League, the highest-level professional Australian rules football league in Australia... |
24 | West Coast West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval... |
| Arthur Ford Arthur Ford (footballer) Arthur 'Shooter' Ford was an Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton in the Victorian Football League .A defender, Ford make his league debut in 1903 but after just one season, left Carlton for Western Australia... |
Abusing and threatening umpire | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
23 | Carlton Carlton Football Club The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897... |
| Wally Warden Wally Warden Wally 'Pug' Warden was an Australian rules footballer who played forFootscray in the Victorian Football League .... |
Kicking | 1928 1928 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1928.-Premiership season:In 1928, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume... |
22 | Footscray Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based at the Whitten Oval in West Footscray, an inner-western suburb of Melbourne... |
| Tom Baxter Tom Baxter (Australian footballer) Thomas 'Tom' Baxter was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League .... |
Striking and melee involvement | 1910 1910 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1910.-Premiership season:In 1910, the VFL competition comprised ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
211 | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
| Ted Whitfield Ted Whitfield Edward Carlyle "Ted" Whitfield was a former Australian rules footballer, playing with South Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League .... |
Attempting to strike umpire, abusing umpire, and 2 x other misconduct | 1945 1945 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1945.-Premiership season:In 1945, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man... |
21 | South Melbourne Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... |
| Dick Condon Dick Condon Richard 'Dick' Condon was a highly controversial, exceptionally brilliant champion Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football Association and the Victorian Football League from 1894 to 1909.... |
Sustained abuse of umpire | 1900 1900 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1900.-Premiership season:In 1900, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume... |
202 | Collingwood Collingwood Football Club The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
| Billy Gent Billy Gent William 'Billy' Gent was an Australian rules footballer who played for South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League .A rover from Essendon Association, Gent was noted for his bad behaviour on the field... |
3 x striking | 1904 1904 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1904.-Premiership season:In 1904, the VFL competition consisted of eight teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume... |
20 | South Melbourne Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... |
| George Holden George Holden George Holden was an Australian rules footballer who played for Fitzroy in the Victorian Football League .... |
Striking | 1911 1911 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1911.-Premiership season:In 1911, the VFL competition consisted of ten teams of 18 on-the-field players each, with no "reserves", although any of the 18 players who had left the playing field for any reason could later resume their... |
20 | Fitzroy Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897... |
| Peter Reville Peter Reville Peter Reville , Christened "Henry James", but adopted his fathers Christian name, was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and Fitzroy in the VFL.... |
3 x striking | 1934 1934 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1934.-Premiership season:In 1934, the VFL competition consisted of twelve teams of 18 on-the-field players each, plus one substitute player, known as the 19th man... |
20 | South Melbourne Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney... |
| Phil Carman Phil Carman Phil Carman is a former Australian rules footballer who played in the Victorian Football League .Carman had a difficult time in the VFL, with clearances and submissions being delayed causing controversy. Collingwood had shown plenty of interest in him, but Carman didn't like the football lifestyle... |
Striking and headbutting umpire | 1980 1980 VFL season Results and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1980.-Grand final:Richmond defeated Collingwood 23.21 to 9.24 , in front of a crowd of 113,461 people... |
20 | Essendon Essendon Football Club The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League... |
| Chris Appleton | Gambling on AFL matches | 2010 2010 AFL season -Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22... |
20 | Goal umpire |
| Wayne Siekman | Gambling on AFL matches | 2010 2010 AFL season -Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22... |
20 | Interchange steward |
| John Wise | Gambling on AFL matches | 2010 2010 AFL season -Premiership season:The draw for the 2010 AFL Premiership Season is not a random selection of matches, but rather is planned by the AFL. It is intended to produce a balanced draw while also providing the fans and television networks with blockbuster games. In a competition with 16 teams and 22... |
20 | Interchange steward |
1 Baxter was later exonerated on appeal due to mistaken identity.
2 Prior to 1926, some players found guilty of serious offences were given a lifetime suspension, but in each case the penalty was later commuted.