The AFL has published a rule in their 2025 AFL Victoria Country Handbook that provides for the possibility of an extra penalty being added to what is determined as a “base sanction” under the rule.
Under the heading in Appendix 1 – Reportable offences:
Rule 7c – Reportable offences in a Grand Final (on page 109), it states:
The controlling body or Tribunal (as applicable) may apply (at its absolute discretion) a loading of up to 100% in relation to the base sanction for any reportable offence committed during a grand final.
Guidance note: For example, if the usual base sanction for an offence was 2 matches and the controlling body applied the full 100% loading, the base sanction would become 4 matches. An early guilty plea discount would then apply to the 4-match base sanction, i.e. 4 matches reduced to 3 matches if the plea is accepted.
The rule is aimed at trying to reduce the number of incidences where players attempt to injure opposition players to put them out of the game.
It is also aimed at stopping “all in” brawls occurring in grand finals.
A good example was in the Kyabram District League’s under-18 grand final last year when a nasty brawl occurred at the end of the game.
According to information received from the towns of the competing clubs, a total of 64 weeks’ penalties were handed out by the tribunal for the offences by using this rule by applying only 50 per cent extra penalties.
It would have been a more disastrous result if the tribunal had used the 100 per cent option.
Players in all grand finals should understand that the rule is available to be used in their competition this year.
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