AFL Victoria: Inside country footy’s ‘beefed up’ salary cap scrutiny

Omeo District and Upper Murray grand finalists will soon be the first to be subjected to tougher salary cap rules introduced this year.

Salary cap checks of every team that makes a grand final this season are about to start with two leagues less than a fortnight away from having premierships decided.

AFL Victoria pledged to widen its examination of player payments this season and has been working with former AFL salary cap cop Ken Wood on “beefed up” cap compliance processes in preparation for additional audits after grand finals are held in 50-plus leagues.

Revised rules on monitoring salary cap compliance on all clubs to be enforced from next season will be carried out on the premier and runner-up teams this year.

Former AFL salary cap cop Ken Wood has been working on tougher measures for community football. Picture: Michael Klein.

Under the changes, the onus initially will be on leagues to ensure clubs have correctly lodged player payment paperwork including budgets and individual player declarations.

If any issues arise from stage 1 of checks, timelines will be put in place to guarantee compliance to head off the need to go to a full-on review of a club’s books.

“The integrity of it will be beefed up and to do that we will beef-up the associated support,” AFL Victoria community football manager John O’Donohue said.

“What we’ve seen this year as an industry, everybody is pretty serious about adhering to (the salary cap and player points).

“Clubs have been found in breach and penalised.

“Some have been more significant than others and others can judge whether one is right or wrong. But in fairness to everybody we need to ensure the same approach is applied across the state.”

AFL Victoria community football manager John O’Donohue.

AFL Victoria will shortly appoint an integrity co-ordinator to oversee the additional checks about to take place.

The Omeo District and Upper Murray grand finals will be played on August 26.

Wangaratta was found in breach of the salary cap last year and fined and lost player points before the Ovens and Murray league stripped the club of the flag.

Swan Reach went from top to bottom of the Omeo District ladder when four players were found to be playing with incorrect player points allocations.

Later this month AFL Victoria will announce salary caps for every league in the state for the 2024 season.

“There is not a huge appetite to increase the salary caps,” O’Donohue said.

“There will be some movement, but it won’t be excessive I wouldn’t have thought.”