Clubs fined for breach of Covid protocols

[Taylor]

There's no way of proving, after the fact, that anyone played while positive, so I don't know how they can categorically say nobody was advantaged.

Any false test result should be considered a positive test. The same a dodging a drug tester.

The rules were the same for everyone, other teams lost games because their players were missing from following the rules.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Especially if they had housemates who were going to be required to also be out if there was a positive test, but should the fake negative get through then just the playing with "illness" misses the game.

It's not how regular society works but it is how sport works that when there has been potential systematic manipulation the onus is on the party that has broken the rules to show there hasn't been an advantage - not for the investigator to have to show a material advantage to their cheating.

They punish cheaters as though it's made winners out of them.

Don't kid yourself every club going for finals would do the same thing, and honestly who cares, the pandemic is so over, everyone is getting on with life as a new normal so to speak. Next year there won't even be protocols imo, well there shouldn't be. The top players aint missing a game for COVID. I mean I know many on here don't follow but we had Tayla McGrath play in a Gold Medal Commonwealth Games match with a positive test, everyone just had a laugh at the celebrations but honestly made little difference.

 

[Chief]

the pandemic is so over

In what respect? That you want it to be over, or in actual fact?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

In what respect? That you want it to be over, or in actual fact?

It's over very little people even care about it now, everyone has had COVID in some way shape or form. You had plenty of chances to protect yourself via vaccinations. It's done, we are in a new normal. Sydney even more so, we were done 8 months ago or whatever. Honestly can't remember the last time I even took at test voluntarily, maybe last year sometime. Did have to take one when I got back from Paris but that was for work reasons.

 

[JackFlash]

The Swans copped a $100,000 fine, that's not a slap on the wrist? It's far greather than any other club. What exactly did they do to warrant the largest fine? The AFL says penalties were given for breaches including not undertaking a rapid antigen test (RAT) within specified time periods, and uploading an image taken of a previous RAT undertaken by that person or someone else. You have to question why points are not involved in the sanctioning?

Sydney chief executive officer Tom Harley apologised to the AFL and the wider community for his club's breaches.

"It is disappointing that our club has not fully adhered to these important AFL protocols,” Harley said in a statement.

“This behaviour falls well short of the standards we expect."

Somebody at the Swans should get the boot for it, i scratch my head at the severity of their fine which leads me to believe their breaches of AFL protocals were more than just an oversight? Yet, the Swans will now probably get two home finals in the next few weeks?

The pandemic is far from over: NSW has 117,163 Active cases as of August 16th with 2115 admitted to hospital and 26 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Have we become that complacent? The Swans are getting off lucky here.

 

[Upstart Swan]

Blatant cheating

So Swans blatant cheating, C'wood just cheating?

 

[VicBased]

Don't kid yourself every club going for finals would do the same thing, and honestly who cares, the pandemic is so over, everyone is getting on with life as a new normal so to speak. Next year there won't even be protocols imo, well there shouldn't be. The top players aint missing a game for COVID. I mean I know many on here don't follow but we had Tayla McGrath play in a Gold Medal Commonwealth Games match with a positive test, everyone just had a laugh at the celebrations but honestly made little difference.

Covid has become Australia's 3rd largest death rate and does not look like slowing down.

 

[Geelong_Bisons_#36]

Just a joke that this is even a thing now.
Stop the madness with Covid.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Covid has become Australia's 3rd largest death rate and does not look like slowing down.

With the majority having other medical things as well you know, there are always another medical issues.

 

[Taylor]

Don't kid yourself every club going for finals would do the same thing, and honestly who cares, the pandemic is so over, everyone is getting on with life as a new normal so to speak. Next year there won't even be protocols imo, well there shouldn't be. The top players aint missing a game for COVID. I mean I know many on here don't follow but we had Tayla McGrath play in a Gold Medal Commonwealth Games match with a positive test, everyone just had a laugh at the celebrations but honestly made little difference.

The rules are still the same for every club. The rules in the UK and cricket were clearly different.

 

[VicBased]

With the majority having other medical things as well you know, there are always another medical issues.

Oh ...well, i guess that makes everything alright then.

 

[CakeEater]

They should strip all the teams above us of points, the rest I dont care about.

 

[Taylor]

Those will be the rules worldwide next year just that AFL is slow. It makes little difference. It's done. The UK have shown the way.

If the AFL was going to make using testosterone boosters legal next season they aren't ok to use this year.

The rules are clear this year.

And I agree that the rules are over the top for what it is now within the group of athletes discussed - but those are the rules everyone else has to follow.

Sydney and the other clubs don't get 7 points for kicking a goal when everyone else only gets 6. The rules are the same for everyone.

 

[Taylor]

The AFL should be treating false test submissions the same as cheating a drug test with a week or two week period after impacted. Having your mate send in a pee sample because you don't want to miss a game and don't want your housemates missing a game isn't in the spirit of fairness here.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

If the AFL was going to make using testosterone boosters legal next season they aren't ok to use this year.

The rules are clear this year.

And I agree that the rules are over the top for what it is now within the group of athletes discussed - but those are the rules everyone else has to follow.

Sydney and the other clubs don't get 7 points for kicking a goal when everyone else only gets 6. The rules are the same for everyone.

Well if the rules are OTT, and yes they are don't blame fully fit athletes to not care as much as they should especially in Sydney where we were over it months ago lol. Hopefully we go the UK system next year, it's more than reasonable.

 

[Chief]

It's over very little people even care about it now

Just the dying ones, I suppose. Screw them, hey?

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Just the dying ones, I suppose. Screw them, hey?

Who for the vast majority have underlining medical issues. In general that is the case. A fit 20 year old bloke playing AFL ain't going to hurt anyone. You may not agree, that's fine, but I've been over it for months, I'm not planning to take tests unless I'm required to it for work. That's where I stand, you may be different and that's okay.

 

[Taylor]

Well if the rules are OTT, and yes they are don't blame fully fit athletes to not care as much as they should especially in Sydney where we were over it months ago lol. Hopefully we go the UK system next year, it's more than reasonable.

I am not suggesting the players should be punished, I'm saying the clubs that facilitated their players cheating the system and gained benefit from it at the expense of other teams following the same rules should pay the performance price.

It wouldn't be difficult to isolate the examples of players submitting false tests. All false tests should be treated as positive in line with existing worldwide policy on athlete testing. All housemates of positive players should be considered also positive for that time and any who played during their positive period should have the points stripped from the teams total.

Not the whole season, just the games in which a player was selected where they may have not been eligible.

 

[Taylor]

This isn't a covid-19 issue. This is a deliberate manipulation of the system to avoid missing games under rules other teams lost players for by following.

 

[Chief]

Who for the vast majority have underlining medical issues.

This means they should die?

MANY people have underlying medical issues they don't even know about. Many others have them managed with treatments and live normal lives. In the UK, the vast majority of elderly Covid deaths were people who were living decent lives at home unassisted.

This eugenicist view is appalling.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I am not suggesting the players should be punished, I'm saying the clubs that facilitated their players cheating the system and gained benefit from it at the expense of other teams following the same rules should pay the performance price.

It wouldn't be difficult to isolate the examples of players submitting false tests. All false tests should be treated as positive in line with existing worldwide policy on athlete testing. All housemates of positive players should be considered also positive for that time and any who played during their positive period should have the points stripped from the teams total.

Not the whole season, just the games in which a player was selected where they may have not been eligible.

You have got to be kidding right as it is a fine is OTT. Should just be all reprimanded, but meh a soft cap fine is more than enough. UK system please next season, as it should have been this season.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

This means they should die?

MANY people have underlying medical issues they don't even know about. Many others have them managed with treatments and live normal lives. In the UK, the vast majority of elderly Covid deaths were people who were living decent lives at home unassisted.

This eugenicist view is appalling.

Where did I say that, but come off it we can't be robots sitting at home for a decade. It's enough now. People have had their chance to be protected. Players are the same, let them get on with playing footy

 

[Taylor]

You have got to be kidding right as it is a fine is OTT. Should just be all reprimanded, but meh a soft cap fine is more than enough. UK system please next season, as it should have been this season.

Fielding an ineligible player forfeits the points scored after they took the field. It's entirely consistent.

Submitting multiple false tests = multiple positive tests inferred which is consistent with worldwide sports practices
If positive test means ineligible = multiple ineligible players took the field

Hence, those games points are wiped. But just those games.

It would be easy to determine which games didn't have players that featured after submitting a false test or being a close contact of a player who did.

 

[AstonSouffle]

Gee everyone saying 'whatever Covid's over' are missing the point - there's others clubs out there that did the right thing and tested, one club in particular has been absolutely trolleyed by it and their season completely derailed. So surely it's a matter of integrity if these rules aren't followed?

 

[fnerd]

Do you think the AFL would just fine the clubs if they felt the clubs lied like that?

Lololol

Yes of course the AFL would never play down/manipulate a scenario in which it would reflect badly on the integrity of their competiton!!

Likewise I’m sure all the betting agencies wouldnt be interested in certain teams potentially gaining an advantage over others by not adhering to clear rules put in place for all clubs