Geelong rorting the system

[Mitchell Madness]

exactly when negotiating with Charlie Curnow

oh yeah we forgot to mention that that farm you brought
comes with 400 head of cattle, a massive shed with built-in gymnasium and heated pool, and 2 state of the art Massey Ferguson Tractors and a stable of Fords the Everest, the Bronco and Mustang. a helicopter with a landing pad and full-time pilot are also available at the southern end of the farm for your personal use anytime you feel like a quick surf down Torquay way.

You forgot for 150k sale on a interest free loan

 

[Bont the Lord]

Getting silly? It's been silly the whole time

This aged well

 

[Art Vandelay_]

The Blood Moon has stirred the lunatics.

Where'd today's lunatics come from.

Been a funny afternoon watching grown men get themselves in a tizzy over a giant nothing sandwich.

Probably been over punished given the miniscule nature of the transgressions.

 

[Bont the Lord]

Where'd today's lunatics come from.

Been a funny afternoon watching grown men get themselves in a tizzy over a giant nothing sandwich.

Probably been over punished given the miniscule nature of the transgressions.

 

[FootyLad0]

Piss taking aside i think public perception will hurt Geelong more than the actual penalty.

People look to them as a standard of professionalism in the AFL along with the negative reactions of Bailey Smith/Mad Monday its not been a good year for them.

Worpel and Marshall joining.
No one leaving…

Oh dear, what a horrible outcome

 

[FootyLad0]

The fines are not for breaching the cap.

“The Extended Audit found, on the basis of the information obtained and reviewed by the AFL, that the Club did not breach the AFL TPP Limit nor the AFL player movement rules in any season within the timeframe assessed.“

Keep bumping this till they get it

 

[callmeX]

Has geelong been fined for nick daicos not getting the brownlow

 

[Wojcinski]

funny that when the Crows didn't declare Tippet's extra Balfours money (even though it would have been allowable and not over the cap) we lost 2 first round draft picks

we even copped more draft sanctions than ****ing Essendon for their doping programme, and then they got rewarded with pick #1 after their players were banned for the season

Paying players $200k outside the cap & draft tampering are different to forgetting to report a night camping out at Jezza's farm

 

[Wojcinski]

2022 AFL premiership *

still more legit than 2020's lightning carnival

 

[CatToTheFuture]

This aged well

It's still silly

 

[Wojcinski]

Admin errors, not ‘breaches’: How wine and a short vacation led to Geelong’s AFL fine

The AFL interviewed Cats officials, and conducted an exhaustive audit of club records, including phones, laptops and emails, before fining the club.

www.theage.com.au

“The extended audit found, on the basis of the information obtained and reviewed by the AFL, that the club did not breach the AFL TPP limit nor the AFL player movement rules in any season within the timeframe assessed,” the statement said.

“In respect of the AFLW program, the non-disclosures identified were found to be administrative errors and do not amount to material breaches of the TPP rules or player movement rules,” the AFL said.


tickles my hibiscus to see that the non-disclosures we're related to the AFLW program and people are really comparing it to the Carlton brown paper bags or Adelaide systematic cheating

 

[Mr Meow]

“The Extended Audit found, on the basis of the information obtained and reviewed by the AFL, that the Club did not breach the AFL TPP Limit nor the AFL player movement rules in any season within the timeframe assessed.“

 

[Mr Meow]

Admin errors, not ‘breaches’: How wine and a short vacation led to Geelong’s AFL fine

The AFL interviewed Cats officials, and conducted an exhaustive audit of club records, including phones, laptops and emails, before fining the club.

www.theage.com.au

“The extended audit found, on the basis of the information obtained and reviewed by the AFL, that the club did not breach the AFL TPP limit nor the AFL player movement rules in any season within the timeframe assessed,” the statement said.

“In respect of the AFLW program, the non-disclosures identified were found to be administrative errors and do not amount to material breaches of the TPP rules or player movement rules,” the AFL said.


tickles my hibiscus to see that the non-disclosures we're related to the AFLW program and people are really comparing it to the Carlton brown paper bags or Adelaide systematic cheating

Seems like the breaches amounted to:

-A female Geelong players car paperwork not being lodged.
-A few mobiles, laptops and bottles of wine not being recorded.
-Players staying at a bloke's farm was overlooked in the admin report.

A forensic investigation of 6 years of business amounted to... this. The only thing even slightly eyebrow-raising being in the AFLW team is the most amusing bit.

 

[Satan]

Seems like the breaches amounted to:

-A female Geelong players car paperwork not being lodged.
-A few mobiles, laptops and bottles of wine not being recorded.
-Players staying at a bloke's farm was overlooked in the admin report.

A forensic investigation of 6 years of business amounted to... this. The only thing even slightly eyebrow-raising being in the AFLW team is the most amusing bit.

A bottle of wine cost a nsw premier his job

 

[Mr Meow]

A bottle of wine cost a nsw premier his job

We should keep it to AFL only. This is the biggest outrage since the Bulldogs and Lions were fined for similar things.

I'm keen to see what comparable bombshells might lurk within the rest of the clubs over the past 6 years. Maybe Essendon bought Zach Merret some hairspray or Sydney purchased Heeney's Christmas jumpers.

 

[Erakor]

still more legit than 2020's lightning carnival

Yeah true, we only beat a C. Scott team in a granny. Basically anyone can do that

 

[bungalow_bill]

Yeah true, we only beat a C. Scott team in a granny. Basically anyone can do that

Anyone except the Swans.

Seems like the 2025 GF humiliation was sweet karma. Crime does not pay.

 

[VL3OJ]

Nope



The AFL press release, is as expected, omitting nuance in a few key areas. Let me break it down.


What they're saying (and not saying)

Saying:
Fines$77.5k fine ($40k suspended)

What's missing:
Suspended amount signals AFL's confidence in it not being "systemic" but also gives them an accountability lever.

Saying:
Audit Scope2019–2024, done with EY

Missing:
This was broader than usual... more like a forensic sweep. EY involvement means flagged patterns triggered a deeper review.

Said:
No TPP breachConfirmed

Not said:
but TPP is only one dimension... the “non-disclosure” part can still mask advantages (like retaining players via trusted intermediaries).

Said:
AFLW ProgramAdmin errors

Didn't say:
Likely minor but this mention insulates the AFL from appearing blind to women’s league governance.

Said:
Hocking's QuoteFull cooperation, no material breach

What it means:
Standard language. The fact they included it signals an effort to reaffirm trust post-fine, which is not nothing.



More importantly what's been ommited...

What kind of third-party deals?

They don't say if these were business introductions, endorsement setups, or informal career help for partners/family.

These “club associate” links may include real estate, hospitality, or sponsor-adjacent benefits.



Which players were involved?

Zero mention of which players were linked to the “non-disclosures.”

From what I know personally (take it out leave it, I'm sure you'll leave it) it involves 2–3 senior figures and 1 mid-tier retention case, the names are carefully obscured (this will come out eventually).



How was it discovered?

No detail. Someone at AFL audited this and raised the alarm.



AFL's game plan date is to treat it as a slap on the wrist, send a quiet warning to other clubs (especially those replicating third-party strategies).

Reassert control over the narrative by saying: “We did the job. There’s no systemic corruption.”

Avoid player name exposure to prevent CBA tension or public backlash.


This is what I've known for a while... not an explosive breach, but a material nudge to the grey zone with Geelong navigating third-party edges better than most.

Think of it like cap acupuncture, painless on the surface, but strategically stimulating the right pressure points.

AFL has closed the file for now, but it’s also marked the territory for other clubs. The next “associate arrangement” slip-up by anyone else will get harsher scrutiny.

You have summed this up exceedingly well RCAB. I would also suggest that small anomalies may have been proffered up to E&Y to allow them to write their critical review to make everyone happy that it was a worthwhile exercise. To do this forensically, you need to be starting at the other end and have powers of compelling witnesses and also to gather evidence outside the AFL . E&Y don't have these powers and so the AFL would be happy to take a butter knife to this gun fight.

With the number of home games a year, the fine is just the fee that the kebab truck pays to park out front of Kashdinia stadium.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

I always think of this.

View attachment 2450125

I kmow its a hard one to work out after what reid just did, but some players just genuinely love their club and will play for less.

 

[sleep]

Depends on how you look at it. From your point of view maybe not, but from mine it's 10x funnier now that we've gotten away with it.

lulz.

That AFLW chick was the patsy, the decoy. The real rort will happen when we land Marshall, Curnow and Butters.

#Marshall2Butters2Curnow.

 

[geelong_crazy26]

Where'd today's lunatics come from.

Been a funny afternoon watching grown men get themselves in a tizzy over a giant nothing sandwich.

Probably been over punished given the miniscule nature of the transgressions.

Its not even the AFL team, its the AFLW team who didnt correctly file paperwork.

 

[sleep]

Where'd today's lunatics come from.

Been a funny afternoon watching grown men get themselves in a tizzy over a giant nothing sandwich.

Probably been over punished given the miniscule nature of the transgressions.

If you're not cheating you're not trying. I'd hate to support a clean-skin club, nice guys finish last. Suckers.

 

[RCAB]

Keep bumping this till they get it

Good idea .. Keep bumping the thread over years.

 

[Elixuh]

Didn’t Geelong get fined for 8 years of ‘admin errors’ in 2020. Now again in 2025.

Lot of admin errors down Geelong way. Seems odd.

Follow the admin errors.

 

[FootyLad0]

Didn’t Geelong get fined for 8 years of ‘admin errors’ in 2020. Now again in 2025.

Lot of admin errors down Geelong way. Seems odd.

Follow the admin errors.

Leads back 20 years to the original rort Kings

Just trying to emulate the best in the biz. Over 750k in 2004…even almost nailed the exact same amount in fines!

Lions shocked by huge fine

www.smh.com.au

Lions cop another big fine

The AFL has fined the Brisbane Lions a total of $500,000 for breaching the League's sponsorship rules at their Gabba home ground.

www.abc.net.au