AFL Tribunal

Disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League

The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League (AFL), an Australian rules football competition. The Tribunal regulates the conduct of players, umpires, and other officials associated with the AFL and its clubs.

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, they are 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; they receive 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 Players may appeal to try to have their entire charge withdrawn, or may argue for a reduction in one of the three factors; e. g. a player could try to have the conduct factor reduced from reckless to negligent.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 their 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.

Any reportable offence that occurs during a Grand Final 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 between Alastair Lynch and Darryl Wakelin, 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.

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.

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, after several tribunal findings were appealed through the Victorian court system during the mid 1990s.

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.

The AFL Tribunal administration consists of the tribunal itself, an appeals board, and a match review panel.

Since the overhaul, the heaviest suspension for a single offence has been eight weeks, handed out to Fremantle's Dean Solomon for elbowing Geelong's Cameron Ling in round 15 of the 2008 season, and to 's Andrew Gaff for striking 's Andrew Brayshaw in round 20 of the 2018 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 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'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 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 options other than 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 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. 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 Malcolm Turnbull and media personality Waleed Aly. 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 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 player Harris Andrews and suspended for five matches. He had previously been sent straight to the tribunal after breaking Rhys Mathieson'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 and suspended for one match.

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 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.