AFL fines Adelaide Crows players, club for metal studs after 'multiple warnings'
Updated . First published at
The AFL has fined the Adelaide Crows $7,500 after players were discovered repeatedly wearing metal studs on their boots.
Crows players Ben Keays and Josh Rachele were also fined $5,000 and $2,500, respectively, for sporting the hardware on multiple occasions.
Adelaide's sanction was handed down after the club was issued a please explain letter following warnings for players wearing metal studs on their boots.
LIVE UPDATES: Follow State of Origin game three
IN PICTURES: History tells us who will dominate the State of Origin decider
READ MORE: Real reason Tigers were happy to let young star leave
Ben Keays celebrates a goal with Adelaide Crows teammate Josh Rachele. Mark Brake via Getty Images
This was also after a memo was sent to all clubs last month as a reminder that metal stops are prohibited in AFL matches.
Following the warnings, both Keays and Rachele wore boots with metal studs, with Keays choosing to wear them on four more occasions and Rachele twice.
"Player health and safety is paramount to the AFL and the wearing of metal stops poses a significant injury risk to other players," AFL football operations boss Laura Kane said in a statement.
"Disappointedly, despite multiple warnings, the players elected to wear the incorrect football boots."
The club's $7,500 fine will not be included in its soft cap.
AFL Regulation 4.6 (Other Apparel) explicitly states that exposed metal stops on boots are not permitted to be worn during matches to minimise the risk to player health and safety caused by sharp metal studs.
The AFL's strict stance on metal studs stems from previous serious injuries, most notably an incident in 2020 where Collingwood's Isaac Quaynor suffered a severe gash to his shin from contact with a boot bearing non-compliant aluminium studs.
