Palmerston Football Club fined $10,000 and docked four competition points for breaching the NTFL’s fly-in rules

A Territory football club has copped a massive fine for breaching the league’s fly-in rules. But how do they work?

Palmerston Football Club was slugged $10,000 and docked four competition points for breaching fly-in rules.

In a crushing blow for the Magpies, the AFLNT declared the club’s Round 8 and 9 matches against St Mary’s and Southern Districts as forfeits for exceeding the limit of three fly-in players per game.

It caused the Magpies, who had beaten the Crocs at Freds Pass on the back of Eddie Betts’ five goals, to slip to fifth on the Men’s Premier League ladder.

However, they weren’t the first in recent times to commit the cardinal sin unique to the Top End, with St Mary’s and Nightcliff handed suspended fines in January this year following a Division 1 match.

Palmerston coach Josh Heath addresses his players in Round 8. Picture: Celina Whan /AFLNT Media.

The Saints were also fined $11,500 and docked four competition points in March, 2021 for breaching the rules in a qualifying final against Wanderers.

So how did it come to this?

Well, as Palmerston said in its statement on Friday: “It is difficult to manage a dynamic situation when players’ circumstances can suddenly change.”

So what is a fly-in player and how does their living situation provide complexities for clubs?

What is a fly-in player?

A fly-in player is defined as a player who has not established permanent residence in the Territory before December 31 in the year the competition commences.

Any player that relocates to the Territory must meet the league’s Residency Test prior to participating in a Men’s Premier League game.

If a player participates in an MPL or Reserves match without meeting Residency Test requirements, that player will be deemed a fly-in, regardless of the date of the game.

How many fly-in players can you have?

NTFL clubs may not play more than three fly-in players per game, and each club cannot play more than eight per season.

Once a player is added to the fly-in list, they cannot be removed from for the remainder of the season.

When a player relocates during the course of the NTFL season and no longer meets the Residency Test requirements, that player will be deemed a fly-in.

When a club submits their fly-in player list in respect to each round, the club is deemed to have made a declaration that all other players selected for that match reside in the Territory and meet the Residency Rest requirements.

Are there any exemptions?

All NTFL clubs have two, full season exemptions for players who would ordinarily reside in the Territory but are attending secondary school outside the NT.

The boarder must be able to demonstrate that his parents or guardians have met the requirements of the Reisdency Test, provide a letter from the school confirming their enrolment and they have played at least 50 games with the club.

What kind of players are there in the NTFL?

Local

Elite defender from Southern Districts, Michael Bowden, has come through the junior ranks at Freds Pass, while also playing for NT Thunder.

Michael Bowden has become one of the Territory’s premier defenders. Picture: Tymunna Clements / AFLNT Media.

New local

Dylan Collis has played a role in recruiting players to Waratah. Picture: Courtney McCabe / AFLNT Media.

Waratah’s Dylan Collis has decided to be permanently relocate to the Territory after enjoying his time so much at Gardens Oval in previous seasons.

Fly-in

Gary Ablett Jr made his NTFL debut in Round 8 against St Mary’s. Picture: Glenn Campbell.

AFL legend Gary Ablett Jr is the perfect example of a fly-in player, who made his NTFL debut in Round 8 against St Mary’s, the first match Palmerston were found to have breached fly-in rules.

Relocated interstate players

Darcy Hope has flourished in the Territory after moving north from southeast Victoria. Picture: Patch Clapp / AFLNT Media.

Waratah’s Darcy Hope temporarily relocated to the Territory after two Covid-impacted seasons back in Victoria.

The club has hopes he will permanently make the Territory his home beyond the 2022-23 season.

One NTFL president told the NT News the fly-in player rules are a way of tempting players to relocate to the Territory and contribute to the economy and help address worker shortages.

However, in a competition with an abundance of volunteers, it appears some clubs are having trouble managing the rules.