ST KILDA and Carlton have each been fined $10,000 by the AFL for the melee that resulted from the sledging of Marc Murphy in their ugly clash in round eight.

Under Match Review Panel guidelines introduced in 2017, the AFL can penalise clubs – rather than individual players – for large or repeated melees.

Football operations manager Simon Lethlean wrote to the Blues and Saints early last week and gave them seven days to respond in writing before a penalty was set.

The clubs could respond to the AFL recommending that they shoulder the fine themselves, or suggesting individual players who instigate or are involved in the melee be fined.

Sydney and North Melbourne have each been fined $5000 under the same system, with $2500 of that suspended until the end of the season, from their clash in round eight.

The Saints acknowledged their sledging of Murphy, which led to the melee with the Blues at Etihad Stadium, had crossed the line.

The fines handed down by the AFL were specific to the clubs' melee involvement and not a penalty for either clubs' sledging of opposition players.