Ralph Carr Management fined $10,000 following AFLPA audit

The management company that looks after Dustin Martin, run by Ralph Carr, has been whacked with a fine after an audit conducted by the AFL Players’ Association and other auditors.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 25: Dustin Martin of the Tigers poses with his manager Ralph Carr after winning the 2017 Brownlow Medal at the 2017 Brownlow Medal at Crown Entertainment Complex on September 25, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

The management company that looks after Dustin Martin has been fined $10,000 following an audit conducted by the AFL Players’ Association in conjunction with external auditors.

Ralph Carr Management was not alone in the sanctions handed down by the Agent Accreditation Board on Friday as TLA was also punished for gifting AFL tickets to draft prospects.

The AAB said the RCM Sport audit showed breaches of regulations but that those regulations had been misunderstood in the set-up and day-to-day handling of accounts.

It is understood that some of those breaches related to trust accounts, player ledgers, royalty payments and ongoing auditing.

The $10,000 fine will be used for further auditing of RCM Sport accounts as it faces targeted auditing for 2023-24 and 2024-25 accreditation years.

Ralph Carr, of Ralph Carr Management, declined to comment on Friday night. Martin is the sole AFL player currently on their books.

TLA had received a formal warming and suspended fine in July 2022 for similar conduct to this year’s offence.

Dustin Martin with his manager Ralph Carr. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

That $1500 fine has now been imposed as well as another $1500 fine for what took place this year.

“TLA has been found to have breached Regulations relating to the provision of inducements to prospective players before signing with an Accredited Agent,” the AAB said in its statement.

“The AAB found that TLA had provided AFL match tickets to Talent Pathway Players on these two occasions.

“Those Talent Pathway Players were above the age of approach, but not of an age where they were able to sign with an Accredited Agent.

“The Agent Regulations prohibit an Accredited Agent from providing goods, benefits or any items of value to a player or member of a player’s family, in return for, or in anticipation of, the player signing with the Agent or company.

“The AAB noted that TLA had followed the correct process under the Regulations when making approaches to the players and their families.

“It was also noted that TLA and the Agents involved had taken full responsibility for the breaches, has committed to improved conduct in future and has co-operated with the AAB’s enquiries.”

Ralph Carr, of Ralph Carr Management. (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)

A third management company – Elevation Sports Agency, which mostly has AFLW players as well as Gold Coast teenager Bailet Humphrey – was also slapped for breaching regulations when approaching prospective players in August.

Players need to be both eligible for the next draft and at least 17 years old to be approached by an accredited agent.

“The AAB found that ESA had made approaches to Talent Pathway Players outside of the approved Approaching Players process outlined within the Regulations,” the AAB said.

“The process outlined under the Regulations prohibits an Accredited Agent or Associate (non-accredited employee) from contacting a player or their family without having submitted a written letter of introduction via the AFLPA Agent Portal or the Player’s Talent Pathway Club.

“The AFLPA has established an Approaching Players Portal to provide appropriate processes and to enable prospective players and their families to control when and how they are approached; it is essential that all Accredited Agents respect that process.

“As a result, ESA has been issued with a $6000 financial sanction, with 50 per cent of the financial sanction being suspended for a 24-month period.”