AFL 2020: Misbehaving WAGs must pay a heavier price

Eddie McGuire says footy players and their partners living in Queensland hubs should be the ones penalised for breaches, not clubs.

Brooke Cotchin went to a day spa when she shouldn’t have.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire has called for harsher penalties to be handed out to people who break quarantine restrictions in AFL hubs.

Four footy clubs have been fined this week for breaches, and in three of those instances it was because of the actions of players’ family members.

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Partners of North Melbourne stars went to a game without the proper clearance while Richmond captain Trent Cotchin’s wife cost the Tigers $45,000 (with $25,000 suspended) by venturing to a day spa.

McGuire acknowledged teams had a role to play but said those directly responsible for the breach should be fined, rather than the club itself.

“I think the people who breach the protocols should be fined personally, to be honest,” he said on Fox Footy last night.

“You can get to the clubs in due course, I think the AFL’s set it out, but I think it’s got to be a personal fine.

“There’s got to be personal responsibility.

“I understand the AFL, and I agree with the AFL, saying clubs have got to be in on this as well.”

McGuire said too many people are looking for loopholes in the rule book rather than adhering to the restrictions, and reiterated how costly future breaches could be if they threaten the AFL season.

“I think the point (AFL CEO) Gill McLachlan made during the week is 100 per cent right — we make a rule to keep the game going. From here to the grand final, there’s still about $250 million worth to be left on the table if this ends.

“It’d be a disaster, imagine if we don’t get to finish off the finals series now.

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“So he says, ‘Here’s the rules’, and then everyone, the great Australian tradition as we’re seeing right through society at the moment, is, ‘OK, there’s a rule, but it doesn’t apply to me’. He’s saying, ‘Right, OK, have you got it now?’ It applies to everyone.

“That rule book is not, ‘How do we get around every rule?’ That’s the rule book you live by and if you don’t like it, we’ll arrange for you to go home. I think that’s fair and reasonable.”

AFL legend Jonathan Brown also called for more “personal responsibility” among those in Queensland hubs, particularly because it’s a state where Aussie rules is not the No. 1 sport.

“The AFL citizens need to understand that because AFL is not the first sport up there, it is disdained by several higher-ups so you wouldn’t want to get them off-side for too long,” Brown said.

The AFL fined Hawthorn $50,000 after a group of players who weren’t taking part in last week’s loss to Sydney went to get hot chips during the game, while Carlton copped a $45,000 whack because a player’s children went to a theme park.

The Kangaroos and Tigers received the same punishment for their infringements.

However, each club had $25,000 of their fines suspended, pending any further breaches.

McGuire believes players and families should bear the brunt of costs for COVID-19 breaches.