The Western Bulldogs have been issued a $20,000 suspended fine by the AFL due to administrative errors discovered in their submission of player payments for the 2022 AFLW season. This fine pertains specifically to third-party agreements, and the club will only be required to pay it if further breaches are uncovered within AFL or AFLW programs until the conclusion of the 2024 seasons.
According to a statement released by the AFL, the errors were found during routine audit procedures and were deemed not to be significant. The statement emphasized that these errors were neither of significant value nor indicative of intentional wrongdoing.
The AFL’s statement did not specify whether the breach occurred during the sixth or seventh season of 2022. In the sixth season, the Bulldogs narrowly missed out on finals, finishing in seventh place. The following season saw an expansion of the AFLW from 14 clubs to 18, with the Bulldogs once again finishing seventh. However, they managed to make the finals this time around, only to be eliminated in a close match against Collingwood, who won by five points.
