It could have also saved the NSW Origin team exploiting a loophole in the judiciary rules to play Michael Ennis in place of the injured Robbie Farah last Wednesday night after he had served a one-match suspension for a grade-one careless high tackle with Cronulla the previous weekend. The Issac Luke tackle on Sonny Bill Williams that resulted in the South Sydney hooker missing out on the grand final. Credit:Channel Nine However, there are concerns about players being able to avoid suspension by paying a fine and the fairness of imposing a financial penalty for set offences as some players earn more than $1 million per season and others are on the minimum wage of $80,000. Members of the NRL match review committee met with their AFL counterparts during the off-season to discuss ways of improving their respective disciplinary systems. Martin Burns QC, who penned the code of conduct when the NRL competition began in 1998, was also in attendance and under new football operations manager Mark Evans, the AFL has appointed more former players to the tribunal panel and introduced fines for low-level offences.

Under the new AFL system, players receive fines ranging from $1000 for offences such as time wasting, interfering with a player kicking for goal or shaking a goal post, to $2500 for spitting at another player, instigating a melee or abusive language towards an umpire. Other offences such as attempting to kick, strike or trip an opponent, disputing a decision or careless contact with an umpire attract fines of $1500. The penalties increase by $1000 for a second offence and a further $2500 – up to $5000 – for a third offence, and players who plead guilty receive a discount, as they do under the NRL's demerit points system. The main reason for the AFL introducing fines instead of suspension was to prevent players becoming ineligible to win the Brownlow Medal over a minor offence. The AFL match review panel has the ability to impose a suspension instead of a fine for a third offence by a player in the same season.

Rugby League Players Association chief executive David Garnsey said the idea of introducing fines for judiciary offences had been raised in general discussions with the NRL, but without any specifics of how the current process might be modified. "We will discuss the concept with our members and, if there is substantial support in taking the discussion further, we'll work with the NRL to put together a detailed proposal that will enable a proper assessment of the options and the impact any changes might have on players," Garnsey said. An NRL spokesperson said the judiciary system was constantly being reviewed but no decision had been made to introduce financial penalties at this stage. "Any changes to the judicial process would need significant consultation with the RLPA," the spokesperson said. "So while we are constantly looking to enhance procedures and processes around the match review committee and the judiciary, there are no plans to introduce a fines element into our current gradings system. "We would also need to ensure the judicial system remains equitable because, clearly, a system of using fines would impact some players more than others."