The Gold Coast Suns have been issued a $20,000 fine by the AFL following the club's fifth instance of a player making contact with an umpire during the current season.
Rioli's careless contact triggers penalty
Suns veteran Daniel Rioli was found guilty of careless contact with an umpire during the team's defeat to Geelong last weekend. The AFL tribunal upheld the charge against Rioli on Tuesday night, leading to the league imposing the $20,000 penalty on the club the following day.
AFL's warning and repeat offences
The AFL had cautioned all clubs before the season began, and again in May, regarding the sanctions for repeated incidents of careless umpire contact. The league set a threshold of five such incidents before financial penalties would be applied.
Gold Coast's Daniel Rioli's contact with an umpire has triggered a $20,000 fine for his club. Credit: AAP
"This season we have continued to observe a high number of umpire contact incidents across the league," AFL football boss Greg Swann said in a statement. "Amongst these instances of umpire contact, a number have resulted in significant injuries to the affected umpires. This is a trend in the game which we do not want to see continue."
Swann added that if any more Suns players are found guilty of careless contact with an umpire, further fines would be imposed at the AFL's discretion.
