The AFL is set to crack down on staging for free kicks with the act of staging now a reportable offence following the recommendations of the annual Tribunal Review.
In a move to cut down on the number of incidents where players deliberately exaggerate or simulate contact from an opposition player, such actions will now be called before the tribunal with financial penalties handed out for second and third offences.
The AFL says it sees staging as an offence as it may affect umpires' decision-making, may incite a melee and is not in the spirit of the game.
A first offence will see the player issued with a reprimand, while subsequent offences would draw a fine of up to $2400.
There will also be extra protection for the man on the mark, with players charged with rough conduct if the 'player being bumped is in a vulnerable position or could reasonably expect the contact'.
Bumping a player on the mark with excessive force will now be considered rough conduct and reportable.
The AFL will also crack down on dangerous tackles, which will be also made reportable under rough conduct where a tackle consists of more than one action, whether the player is in possession or not. Spear tackles and sling tackles have also been included under rough conduct.
The head-butting and eye-gouging laws have been clarified with headbutting now defined as 'Misconduct headbutt or contact using head' and eye gouging as 'Misconduct Eye Gouging or unreasonable and unnecessary contact to the eye region'. Both offences have been raised in their level of seriousness.
In other changes there has been a reduction in the financial penalty for negligent contact with umpires, negligent umpire contact will see an automatic fine, an increase in fines for abusive language, while first and second-year players can now only be fined 50 percent of their match payment for a first offence.
The AFL has also confirmed it will not refer matters from intra-club matches, such as the ugly confrontation between Carlton's Cameron Cloke and Setanta O'hAilpin, to the tribunal unless it involves an umpire.
"The AFL examines its Tribunal system every year and we will continue to do so, to see if we can continue to improve it," AFL General Manager of Football Operations Adrian Anderson said.
“The game is being played in a great spirit, which is the overall objective of the Tribunal System, and the 2009 Grand Final is a classic example of that. In 2009, there were only 68 matches lost through suspension - the lowest tally since 1985."