Don’t stuff this up, Gill tells clubs

PLAYERS could be fined or suspended if they breach a raft of new league rules established to safeguard the game’s fragile return.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan yesterday confirmed that the league had established a set of AFL rules to incorporate coronavirus social-distancing infractions and breaches of the game’s returnto-play protocols.

In an effort to ensure that the game’s return is not jeopardised by any person undertaking what is deemed to be unnecessary liberties, any infraction could be punished with a financial hit, game suspensions or even referred to the AFL Commission depending on severity, with a similar structure to the match review system implemented to grade transgressions.

All players and officials will be bound by the new rules which will be finalised in coming days.

“[The penalties] are being worked through with the players’ association … protocols the players and officials will have to abide by were enshrined in the AFL rules. So a breach is now a breach of the AFL rules,” McLachlan said.

“They will be graded, in the drafts I’ve seen, as intentional, reckless and careless. There’ll be examples of specific ones with guide sanctions.”

The new rules will be overseen by league general counsel Andrew Dillon, and McLachlan warned that the league planned to be on breaches.

“We’re going to be really tough on that, now it’s been established that it’s part of the protocols and part of the rules, and we’ll be as transparent as we can about the accountability of those,” he said.

Players will also face assessments of their living environments before training and competition can begin, including any potential risks posed by housemates or family members who may be working in at-risk industries and coming and going from the home.

Strict visitation limits will also be in place, with some players even facing the prospect of having to move out of home in order to ensure they are not at risk.

“The environment they’re living in will have a risk assessment of every household,” McLachlan said.

“Broadly, visitation won’t be allowed, but it will be based on the risk assessment.”

Players will still be drug tested while in hubs and playing under the strict isolation model, McLachlan confirmed.

Western and South Australian clubs will move to the Gold Coast from this week and will be housed on the league’s dime, with families permitted to join players under strict conditions.

Players and officials involved in the game’s reboot will be subject to a raft of tough measures that extend beyond those inflicted upon the general public, but McLachlan said it was a small price to pay.

“really tough”