FINES are on track to hit record levels this season as the AFL's crackdown on low-level offences hits players in the hip pocket like never before. 

After 2018's first 11 rounds, the fines issued by Match Review Officer Michael Christian total $174,500 – already $35,000 more than was issued in the entire 2017 season.

If fines continued to be accrued at this pace, this year's final total will shatter the previous highest tally, $223,110, which was set in 2004, a year before the Tribunal system was replaced by the Match Review Panel. 

This result follows the Match Review system revamp led by AFL football operations manager Steve Hocking late last year, in which the set fines for low-level offences were doubled, the 'three-strike' rule was revoked and fines were introduced for first offences of staging.  

Hocking said at the time some of the minor offences that had crept into the AFL were "a blight on the game", expressing his hope that bigger fines would prompt players to show greater sportsmanship on the field.

Hocking indicated the League was prepared to keep on fining players for such misdemeanors until they got the message, confident that this approach would eventually work and was a better option than the automatic one-match suspension previously issued for three minor offences.  

Given this significant philosophical shift, the AFL fully expected a spike in fines this year.

That spike has not surprisingly coincided with fewer suspensions. After 11 rounds, the total games missed through suspension sits at 27, at an average of 2.45 games a round, which is down on last year (2.87 games, 66 in total).

In 2004, players missed 117 games through suspension, at an average 5.32 a round.     

Meanwhile, North Melbourne leadership group member Jamie Macmillan told the club's Players Podcast this year's fines spike had sparked "a bit of corridor chat" at Arden Street, saying some of the penalties being handed out were "ridiculous".

"'Higgo' (Shaun Higgins) got fined recently for a jumper punch. I'm not condoning what he is doing but to get fined $2000 for the smallest thing is ridiculous," Macmillan said.

"You can go out in the real world and you can do 40km over the speed limit and get two demerit points and a $180 fine.  

"Here he is on a footy field touching a bloke's chin (while) holding his jumper and he gets (fined) $2000 and that goes up to $3000 for the next [offence].  

"I just reckon it's a bit out of touch." 

MRO CHANGES HITTING PLAYERS IN HIP POCKET

*Player incurred one-match suspension. Received additional fine if they challenged at Tribunal and lost

PLAYER SANCTIONS SINCE 2010

*After round 11