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The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary
tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
of the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL), an
Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
competition. The Tribunal regulates the conduct of players,
umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...
, and other officials associated with the AFL and its clubs.


Points system

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 The NRL Judiciary is the disciplinary judiciary of the National Rugby League (NRL), a rugby league competition. The Judiciary regulates the on-field conduct of players from NRL clubs. Due to changes announced on the eve of the 2022 NRL season, th ...
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 during 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: The activation points from all three categories are added together to give the ''total activation 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. Because of this, any offence must rate at least three activation points to be considered further. 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.


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. Should a player reduce the severity of his infraction, the penalty is re-evaluated and the player is again given the choice to plead guilty or further contest the revised charge. 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 any points a player may still have below the 100 required for a suspension. For every 100 points accrued, the player is suspended one week and the 100 points are subtracted; ''e.g.'', a player with 225 demerit points is suspended for two weeks; 200 points are correspondingly subtracted, and the remaining 25 are residual points; or, if a player receives a reprimand with 93.75 points, all of these points are residual as they are not enough to draw a suspension. 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; a player's residual points are cancelled if a year elapses without a punishable offence. A player with prior suspensions over the past two years is subject to an additional penalty known as ''loading''. For each week in excess of two that a player has been suspended over the past two years, he receives an additional penalty of 10% of the current offence's original base score, up to a maximum penalty of 50%; ''e.g.'' a player suspended for three matches will receive a 10% loading, while one suspended for seven matches will receive a 50% loading. (Prior to 2013, the relevant period was three years, and loading began with the first match suspended.) Any player with more than six years (increased in 2013, previously five years) experience who has not been found guilty of a punishable offence over the previous five years receives a 25% deduction. 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 has the number of base demerit points changed, the penalty is re-evaluated, meaning the player, in spite of attending a hearing, can still take an early guilty plea on the revised charge. The final offence score is thus calculated from this series of discrete steps: * Residual (from prior offence(s)) * Base Score (from Match Review Panel); this is doubled for a Grand Final offence * Loading (for poor record) * Good Record Deduction * Early Guilty Plea Deduction Each addition or deduction is made to the final result of the previous calculation step.


Grand Final penalties

Any reportable offence that occurs during a
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final (sometimes colloquially abbreviated to "grannie") is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Sy ...
match will receive a ''double penalty'': the offence's original base score as determined by the Match Review Panel is doubled after the additions and deductions previously mentioned. This loading is meant to discourage excessively rough or violent play, as any penalties given as a result would not apply until the following season. This was instituted as a result of fighting in the
2004 AFL Grand Final The 2004 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Port Adelaide Football Club and the Brisbane Lions, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 25 September 2004. It was the 108th annual grand fi ...
between
Alastair Lynch Alastair Graeme Lynch (born 19 June 1968) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is best known as a three-time premiership full-forward for the Brisbane Lions. The Tasmania ...
and
Darryl Wakelin Darryl Wakelin (born 11 August 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League as a defender. AFL career Adelaide Wakelin was selected by Adelaide with the 11th pic ...
, and several brawls during the match, which resulted in the Tribunal handing down stiff penalties - Lynch was suspended for ten matches and fined $15,000 - and adding the double penalty rule.


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 or the AFL wishes to appeal against a decision handed down in a tribunal hearing, it may take the 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 Victoria The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state. The Supreme Court comprises ...
, after several tribunal findings were appealed through the Victorian court system during the mid-1990s.


Deregistration

Under the official AFL Deregistration Policy first implemented in May 2011, any player who accumulates a total of at least 10 weeks of suspensions over the course of their football career (both inside and outside the AFL) receives a formal notice that further suspensions can result in their automatic deregistration from the league. Any player who accumulates a total of 16 weeks or more of suspensions over the course of their career will be automatically deregistered and barred from any further participation. Any previous suspensions within the AFL are carried over at 75% of their original length (e.g. a previous suspension of four weeks will only count as three weeks under this policy), but any immediate suspension is to be considered at its full length. If any player receives an immediate first suspension of 16 weeks or more, deregistration is left at the discretion of the league. A deregistered player may apply for an exemption to re-register or appeal the deregistration under the appropriate laws of the league after 12 months. However, only one request can be made. Should a player be exempted and re-registered, any further suspension will result in permanent, irrevocable deregistration. Deregistration is only practiced in country and suburban football competitions; it is not practiced by the AFL as of 2022, since the deregistration policy was designed for serial aggressive offenders, not low-level repeat offenders: in the event, there has not been a serial aggressive offender issue at AFL level since the mid-1990s.


Administration


AFL Tribunal

*Chairman: His Honour David Jones AM (replacing Brian Collis) *Members: **John Hassett ** Will Houghton QC ** Andrew Tinney **
Emmett Dunne Emmett Mark Dunne (born 11 June 1956) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club and the Footscray Football Club in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). He is also a former p ...
**
Michael Sexton Michael Sexton (born 5 March 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton between 1990 and 2000 in the Australian Football League. A defender, Sexton was a member of Carlton's 1995 premiership team and an All Austr ...
** Wayne Schimmelbusch **
Richard Loveridge Richard Loveridge (born 15 January 1963) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1980s. Playing as a rover who was handy near goals, Loveridge was a regular member of th ...
**
David Pittman David Pittman (born 23 February 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Adelaide Crows in the Australian Football League (AFL). Originally from South Australian National Football League (SANFL) club Norwood, Pittma ...


AFL Appeals Board

*Chairman: Peter O'Callaghan *Members: ** Brian Collis QC **
Brian Bourke Brian Bourke (born 1936 in Dublin) is an Irish people, Irish artist. Life Bourke was born in Dublin in 1936. His parents were Thomas Bourke (Tómas de Búrca) and Eileen (Eibhlín) Bourke (née Somers). Bourke left school early and got a job in ...
** John Schultz **
Michael Gree Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...


AFL Grievance Tribunal

*Chairman: Jack Rush QC *Members: **
Kevin Power Kevin Power (born 19 August 1981) is an Irish writer and academic. He currently teaches in the School of English at Trinity College Dublin. He writes regularly for The Sunday Business Post. His novel ''Bad Day in Blackrock'' was published by T ...
**
Michael Moncrieff Michael Moncrieff (born 19 August 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn in the VFL during the 1970s and early 80s. A tall full forward, Moncrieff was a prolific goalkicker for Hawthorn and topped their goalki ...
** Darren Baxter **
James Dowsley James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...
**
Roger Berryman Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...


AFL Match Review Panel

* Sole Officer:
Michael Christian Michael Christian (born 21 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer and media personality from Busselton, Western Australia who played for East Perth Football Club, East Perth in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and Coll ...


History

Since the overhaul, the heaviest suspension for a single offence has been eight weeks, handed out to
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...
's
Dean Solomon Dean Solomon (born 9 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Solomon served as caretaker senior coach ...
for elbowing
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
's
Cameron Ling Cameron Ling (born 27 February 1981) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A tagger at and , Ling is a premiership-winning captain at the club. He is now a c ...
in round 15 of the 2008 season, and to 's Andrew Gaff for striking 's
Andrew Brayshaw Andrew Brayshaw (born 8 November 1999) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early career After an impressive junior career for his school, Haileybury, ...
in round 20 of the 2018 season. In Round 4, 2008,
Barry Hall Barry Hall (born 8 February 1977) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is considered to be one of the be ...
of the
Sydney Swans The Sydney Swans are a professional Australian rules football club based in Sydney, New South Wales. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AFLW). The Swans also field a reser ...
was suspended for seven matches after striking West Coast's
Brent Staker Brent Allen Staker (born 23 May 1984) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles and in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Staker grew up in Broken Hill in remote country New Sou ...
. 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 significant loading due to his poor record his penalty increased to seven). The longest suspension was handed out in June 2010; St Kilda's Steven Baker was suspended for a total of nine weeks after he pleaded guilty to three striking charges and was found guilty of a misconduct charge, all against
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
's Steve Johnson. He was the first person to be charged with misconduct for interfering with an injured opponent. In May 2014, midfielder
Jack Viney Jack Viney (born 13 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Viney is capable of contributing as both an insid ...
was sent straight to the tribunal following a bump which resulted in forward Tom Lynch breaking his jaw. Viney was found guilty of rough conduct by the tribunal, and suspended for two matches, after it was ruled that he had alternate options rather than elect to bump Lynch. Melbourne subsequently appealed the suspension, which was overturned, making it just the second time since 2005 that an appeal against the AFL Tribunal's ruling was overruled. In June 2017, the AFL challenged the tribunal's verdict for the first time in history, following an off-the-ball incident involving player
Bachar Houli Bachar Houli ( ar, بشار حولي, born 12 May 1988) is a former Australian rules footballer who played 232 games over a 15-year career with and in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a three-time premiership player with Richmond ...
and 's Jed Lamb: Houli was originally given a two-week suspension for striking Lamb during the first quarter of the Round 14 match at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
. Houli was reported for the incident, which saw Lamb sit out the remainder of the match, and sent straight to the tribunal the following day. When his case went before the tribunal that week, he was given the two-week suspension, but part of the reason the penalty was low was due to character reference statements given by
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...
and media personality
Waleed Aly Waleed Aly (born 15 August 1978) is an Australian journalist, academic, and lawyer. Aly is a lecturer in politics at Monash University working in their Global Terrorism Research Centre, and a co-host of Network Ten's news and current affairs ...
. Following an announcement of the penalty, there was a public outcry about the length of the suspension. The following day the AFL announced they would challenge the decision, and the matter would be heard in front of the appeals tribunal. Following an extensive review hearing, Houli's suspension was doubled from two weeks to four weeks. In June 2018, player
Jeremy Cameron Jeremy Cameron (born 1 April 1993) is a professional footballer with the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants from 2012 to 2020. Cameron has kicked the mo ...
became the first player in AFL history to be referred directly to the tribunal more than once in his career, where he was found guilty of striking
Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of the Melbourne-based 1883 foundation VFL c ...
player
Harris Andrews Harris Michael Johnston Andrews (born 11 December 1996) is an Australian rules footballer and the co-captain of the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). Early life Andrews was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne in 1996. He moved to B ...
and suspended for five matches. He had previously been sent straight to the tribunal after breaking
Rhys Mathieson Rhys Mathieson (born 10 January 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 1.87 metres (6 ft 2 in) tall and weighing 84 kilograms (185 lb), he play ...
's jaw during a pre-season match in 2016, for which he was suspended for four matches. In February 2019, player Nicola Barr became the first player in AFL Women's history to be referred directly to the AFLW Tribunal, where she was found guilty of rough conduct against 's
Ashleigh Riddell Ashleigh Riddell (born 7 March 1996) is an Australian rules footballer playing for the North Melbourne Football Club in the AFL Women's (AFLW) competition. Riddell is a dual AFL Women's All-Australian and won the North Melbourne best and fa ...
and suspended for one match.


Suspensions


VFL/AFL records

Longest suspension
Qualification: 20+ matches 1 Prior to 1926, some players found guilty of serious offences were given a lifetime suspension, but in each case the penalty was later commuted.
2 Taylor was suspended for the rest of the 2020 season (six matches) for violating the AFL's COVID protocols. During this suspension, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend by police; Taylor pleaded guilty to the charges and was suspended for all of 2021. Since Sydney had deregistered him prior to his second suspension, Taylor was not officially listed as a player at the time of his second suspension.
3 Cousins was suspended for a period of twelve months for "bringing the game into disrepute", equating to 22 matches. Since had deregistered him prior to his suspension, Cousins was not officially listed as a player at the time of his suspension.
4 Stephenson's suspension was backdated, meaning he only missed ten matches, having been provisionally suspended.
5 Baxter was later exonerated on appeal due to mistaken identity.


Not listed above

One noteworthy suspension imposed by the VFL/AFL Tribunal was against John Bourke of the Collingwood Reserves: this is not listed above because Bourke was not a member of a senior team. In an outburst broadcast on Australia's
Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
on 28 April 1985, Bourke kicked Sydney Swans Reserves ruckman Patrick Foy in the groin in response to Foy tagging him throughout the game. When field umpire Phil Waight attempted to report Bourke for the incident, Bourke shoved Waight to the ground and kicked him, and also made contact with the Collingwood runner who was attempting to take him off the ground before running into the stands to attack a Swans fan. Bourke was found guilty at the Tribunal of kicking an umpire, kicking and assault, and was suspended for 10 years plus 16 matches (239 matches), which was commuted in 1992 to six years plus 16 matches (151 matches). It remains one of the most infamous suspensions in the modern history of the sport, and was covered by Australian media for some time afterward.


See also

*
NRL Judiciary The NRL Judiciary is the disciplinary judiciary of the National Rugby League (NRL), a rugby league competition. The Judiciary regulates the on-field conduct of players from NRL clubs. Due to changes announced on the eve of the 2022 NRL season, th ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Afl Tribunal
Tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
Tribunal A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a single ...
Australian tribunals Sports law