THE AFL has completed its annual tribunal review with the League approving three minor changes to the judicial process.
The changes relate to striking and behind the play incidents, rough conduct in tackles and staging.
AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said the changes followed feedback from all 17 clubs, the AFL Players' Association and the AFL Umpires' Association.
"The conduct of the players and clubs across the 2011 premiership season was a credit to all clubs and players," Mr Anderson said.
"The annual review of the tribunal and the match review process identified a number of key areas that were addressed in the recommendations put to the AFL Commission.
"The AFL examines its Tribunal system every year and we will continue to do so, to see if we can continue to improve it."
For 2012, the Commission approved the following recommendations:
Striking and Behind Play Incidents
- Change to Tribunal guidelines around impact to ensure that any reckless or intentional strikes which are inherently dangerous and / or have the potential to cause serious injury will not be classified as ‘low’ impact and will be given a higher impact rating than other offences
- Change to Tribunal guidelines around intent to ensure that any striking action with a raised forearm or elbow will be classified as intentional, unless there is clear evidence the strike was not intentional;
- Changes to Tribunal guidelines around intent to ensure that any striking action that occurs behind play, off the ball or during a break in play will be classified as intentional, unless there is clear evidence the strike was not intentional.
- Amend the guidelines to better distinguish between negligent and reckless dangerous tackles by including relevant factors such as lifting a player off the ground and using a double action in the tackle.
- MRP instructed to be more stringent on staging, with excessive exaggeration of contact in an unsportsmanlike manner to be a reportable offence in addition to feigning contact.
- 92 per cent of players accepted Match Review Panel charges - the highest percentage since the system was introduced for the 2005 season.
- Only 15 Tribunal hearings compared with 123 in the last year of the previous system (2004).
- Three cases not sustained at tribunal - 40 in 2004
- 47 players suspended - 57 in 2004
- 72 matched lost through suspension - 117 in 2004
- $92,600 in fines - $223,100 in 2004
