Yesterday,
Crikey sports correspondent Jeff Wall asked where the money from
player fines goes in the NRL. It seems the issue of where the money goes is
easier for some to answer than others.

For
their part, the Cronulla Sharks were able to provide a swift explanation of
where the $10,000 generated by Hutch Maiava punching one of his team mates will
end up.

Cronulla
Sharks media manager Rob Willis said: “In the instance of a major fine, such as
the recent one to Hutch Maiava, the Sharks, who support a number of local
charities, give that money to one or more of those charities. Those charities
are subject to change from year to year. Last year some of our charities were
the Breakfree Foundation, Care Australia, Sylvanvale Handicapped Children’s
Centre and Sutherland Hospital. At this stage we have not yet nominated a
charity for the Hutch fine to go to.”

Interestingly,
the NRL itself was much less clear on where the money goes when it fines
players. John Brady, the NRL’s Director of Media and Communications, stated the
NRL has no clear policy on the distribution of those funds, and that what the
NRL chooses to do with that money is no-one’s business but their own.

“I
stress, at the heart of it all, we’ve got the right to do with the money
whatever we choose,” Brady said. “We don’t account each year for where it goes
but I know the NRL keeps it in a separate hole and keeps an eye on where it’s
going.”

The
NRL does, of course, support local charities but chooses not to publicise the
fact when it does so. While some of the money generated from player fines goes
to those charities, the same money is just as likely to be spent on junior
development or facilities or “however the League sees fit.”

This
is in stark contrast to the AFL’s position.

The AFL Foundation, an independent body established
by the AFL, distributes anywhere between
$40,000 to $130,000 a year generated from players biffing one another. Fines
levied against clubs for, say, salary cap breaches, goes back into consolidated
revenue for game development and so forth, but all money generated from melees
is given to charity.

So,
next time you see players tugging one another’s jumpers or shaping up, feel
free to cheer loudly. A worthy cause is about to receive a windfall.