Salary cap: Robinvale-Euston fine, loss of premiership and player points for salary cap breach in 2023

Robinvale-Euston has decided to appeal tough penalties for a salary cap beach that will be still felt next season. See the latest.

Robinvale-Euston has appealed against penalties handed down for busting the salary cap last year when it lost the Sunraysia league grand final to Irymple.

It has been fined $15,000 for the cap breach on top of an earlier fine of $11,500 fine, in part, for failing to co-operate with cap investigators.

Robinvale-Euston has also been stripped of 12 premiership points this season, which will see it slip one spot on the ladder to fifth, but remain a chance to play finals.

The fallout will be still felt in 2025 with the loss of six player points — the value of a player recruited straight out of the AFL.

Robinvale-Euston has 37 player points this year.

The penalties are the most severe handed down from audits of every club that made country football grand finals last year.

Late last week, a player payment disciplinary committee appointed by AFL Sunraysia sustained a charge of Robinvale-Euston breaking the salary cap by $9650 last year.

It was cleared of another charge of having a player payment declaration made with a wrong signature.

“The process and outcome is an example of the system working to assist clubs in being sustainable by addressing the issue of player payment demands while seeking to achieve evenly matched competitions with financially viable and sustainable clubs,” an AFL Victoria spokesman said.

“Football bodies are serious about addressing the burden of player payments and ensuring compliance.

“The integrity of competitions is of paramount importance at all levels of the game and all stakeholders, including leagues, clubs and players, have a responsibility to adhere to the rules put in place.”

Robinvale-Euston plays in the Sunraysia Football-Netball League.

In May, Robinvale-Euston was initially fined $11,500 for failing to lodge a player declaration, gain signatures of non-declared players and providing full and free access to records.

An amount of $5000 was suspended pending compliance with the salary cap until June 30 next year.

Sunraysia premier Irymple was fined $2000 for “administrative” breaches of the salary cap with $1000 suspended for 12 months.

AFL Victoria has confirmed Robinvale-Euston lodged an appeal on Friday before the deadline.

It can only appeal whether an error of law has been made or the penalty was “manifestly excessive”.

Clubs that have challenged salary cap penalties in the last two years haven’t a had a great strike rate.

Alexandra recently lost an appeal against the penalties it copped for a major salary cap bust last year.

It was fined $40,000 with $15,000 suspended for three years and also lost four premiership points this season.

Ovens & Murray league club Wangaratta also unsuccessfully appealed the decision by the league’s board to strip it of the 2022 premiership following a cap bust.