Sunraysia: Robinvale-Euston fined for salary cap rules breaches in 2023

A salary cap investigation into Sunraysia league reigning premiers Irymple and its 2023 player payments has been finalised.

Sunraysia league reigning premier Irymple has been fined $2000 for “administrative breaches” of the salary cap.

The penalty, of which $1000 has been suspended until June 30 next year, was confirmed by AFL Sunraysia on Wednesday with further confirmation that there was “no suggestion that (Irymple) have overspent their salary cap”.

A hearing of an AFL Sunraysia-appointed player payment disciplinary committee heard and sustained several charges including failure to lodge a budget in the correct format, failure to lodge a player declaration, and failure to endorse changes to player declarations correctly.

“The investigation into (Irymple) is now completed and acknowledgment is made that the club co-operated fully,” an AFL Sunraysia statement said.

The team it beat in the grand final, Robinvale-Euston, is still subject to a probe of its player payments in 2023 after being hit with an initial fine.

NEW COMPLIANCE DEADLINE SET

AFL Victoria is aiming to have all country footy clubs compliant with the salary cap by June 30 in a further backing of the policy.

Carrying out checks on all teams that played off in grand finals for the first time has dragged into the second month of the 2024 season in some cases.

Sunraysia league premiers Irymple and runner-up Robinvale-Euston are still under review after AFL Victoria confirmed in March that 96 per cent of 2023 grand final audits were completed.

Last week, Robinvale-Euston was hit with an initial $11,500 fine for breaches of salary cap rules last year.

Following an investigation that started in November, Robinvale-Euston was charged with not lodging a player declaration, not gaining signatures of non-declared players, failing to provide full and free access to records and not providing requested information within seven days.

But the probe isn’t over with an AFL Victoria-accredited integrity officer to resume their investigation after information and access to club documents were made possible.

There has been no deadline set on completing the Robinvale-Euston review.

The outcome of Irymple’s probe will be known this week.

AFL Victoria community football manager John O’Donohue.

In conjunction with finalising remaining audits on two clubs in the Outer-East competition, AFL Victoria is working with regions and leagues to fast-track the process of complying with cap rules.

“What the grand final reviews have shown us is that the due diligence done by regions and leagues has been inconsistent,” AFL Victoria community football manager John O’Donohue said.

“Yes they’ve lodged their declarations, yes they’ve lodged their budgets, but they haven’t gone in and cross-checked them to see if they are compliant.

“We will have compliance officers go in and do some work with the regions that haven’t got the resources.

“If there are any anomalies identified we’ve got time to correct them.

“When grand finals are played this year it should be a much simpler process.

“If a club doesn’t have 12 contracts lodged correctly, for example, we will actually pick it up in June and get it sorted.”

Goulburn Valley club Mooroopna, which didn’t play in the grand final last year, is also under review with a four-match ban on former player Chris Nield for not co-operating with salary cap investigators expiring.

In previous years, salary cap investigations have been completed and penalties handed down before the start of the following season.

Clubs still under review are nervous about losing premiership points earned this season.

Robinvale-Euston president Phil Lamattina declined to comment until the club’s review was fully completed.

“The process and outcome on this occasion is one 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 statement 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 built on a fifth-place finish in 2022 to finish minor premier last year, but lost the grand final to Irymple by 29 points.

Isaiah Johnson and Ricardo Liparota playing for Robinvale-Euston in the Sunraysia league last year.