Geelong Football Club Expects Multiple AFL Fines Over Third-Party Payment Discrepancies

The Geelong Football Club is expected to face multiple fines from the AFL following an extensive salary cap audit that uncovered administrative discrepancies related to third-party player payments. Despite the club's insistence that no deliberate wrongdoing occurred and the AFL accepting there was no attempt to hide payments, several lodgement issues, including a failure to report a car provided to a senior AFLW player, have been identified. The fines are anticipated to be in the five-figure range, similar to past penalties such as the Brisbane Lions' fines for comparable breaches. The audit process was delayed due to the absence of Geelong's COO, Marcus King, who was studying at Harvard. AFL officials have noted a broader issue of weakened management controls across clubs, with warnings expected to be issued league-wide. Geelong coach Chris Scott, also associated with sponsor Morris Finance, has been under scrutiny, but no individuals are expected to be personally sanctioned.