AFL players are “furious” about the increase in fines, and Butters is expected to make unwelcome history.
Players are allegedly “furious” about the 2024 increase in AFL financial sanctions, with Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters poised to become the league’s most-fined player ever.
With $35,600 in fines paid over the course of his career, Toby Greene, 30, currently holds the record; however, Butters, only 23, is quickly catching up with $29,375 in fines.
Furthermore, according to figures from Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, fines for 2024 ($282,500) have already surpassed those for last year ($197,500) by $85,000, and they are expected to be the highest for a season since 2020.
According to Sam Landsberger, a journalist for the Herald Sun, the increase was made “without consultation” with the AFL Players Association, which infuriated the players.
Landsberger stated on Midweek Tackle, “I’ve spoken to a lot of players, and they’re furious at the amount of fines the AFL is dishing out this year—it’sgonethrough the roof.”
“For unintentional tripping and contact that has always been a part of the game and doesn’t hurt other people.”
“Toby Greene is without a doubt the greatest player of all time, but 23-year-old Zak Butters is quickly going to pass him.
Zak Butters would have accrued fines totaling $60,000 by the time he turns 30. It’s utterly absurd and giving the playing fraternity a great deal of anxiety.
“Zak Butters will easily surpass Toby; he has six years and only $5,000 to make up.”
“That’s a couple of new cars,” joked fellow Herald Sun journalist Lauren Wood about Greene and Butters’ combined tab of just under $65,000.
Meanwhile, fellow teammate Scott Gullan contended that the AFL would only be instructing players to give up their costly habit.
“I’ll play devil’s advocate and represent the AFL. We’re trying to tell the boys to stop acting foolish. Gullan contended in Midweek Tackle, “These are the rules, you’re getting heavily fined, we’ll pull it back if you stop doing it.”
“But was it brought in to correct a particular behavior or raise revenue?” Landsberger asked in response.
Some players would prefer to forgo a week’s worth of match payments than risk receiving a fine for playing the following week. That is the absurdity of the situation at hand.
According to data from an AFL Media article published last month, Butters was fined 15 times in his 109 AFL games over the course of six seasons. This makes him the 11th player in AFL history to reach the $20,000 mark in fines, joining Greene, Jy Simpkin ($24,250), and Dustin Martin ($22,150) as the only other active players to have done so.
That report states that Greene, who has played in more games than Butters (230 appearances), is the only player in AFL history to have been fined $30,000 for 25 charges, including 15 games of suspension.
MOST FINED PLAYERS IN AFL HISTORY (with AFL Media) [* still active]
*Toby Greene ($35,600)
*Zak Butters ($29,375)
Nathan Jones ($27,750)
Ben Cunnington ($25,900)
Damien Hardwick ($24,700)
*Jy Simpkin ($24,250)
Mitch Robinson ($22,500)
Dale Thomas ($22,400)
*Dustin Martin ($22,150)
Alastair Lynch ($22,000)
Brendan Fevola ($21,600)
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