The threat of a considerable financial sanction looms over a myriad of clubs, with the AFL promising to collect at least $20,000 in fines from clubs whose players make contact, however negligible, with its umpires five or more times in a given season.
Last month, the Gold Coast Suns became the first club to pay up, and will be counting their lucky stars that the league asked for only $20,000, as opposed to the $50,000 that was initially threatened in an email sent to clubs in May.
Essendon joined the Suns on five infractions on Monday, after Sullivan Robey and Angus Clarke were cited for brushes with those in yellow during Sunday's almighty loss at the hands of the Lions. Lion Jarrod Berry's infraction of the same kind, in the same match, moved the back-to-back premiers within one infringement of the fine, too.
Six clubs find themselves just one instance away from also footing the substantial bill, with premiership fancies Fremantle, Sydney and Brisbane among them.
Carlton, in Round 13 (two offences) and Essendon and Sydney in Round 18 (two and three offences, respectively) are the three clubs to have two or more offences of this nature in one game. By extension, that suggests only the lowly Port Adelaide Power and West Coast Eagles (one offence each, this season) are more than one game away from the fine.
AFL UMPIRE CONTACT LADDER:
| NUMBER OF OFFENCES | CLUBS |
| 5 | Essendon Bombers, Gold Coast Suns |
| 4 | |
| 3 | Adelaide Crows, Geelong Cats, GWS Giants, Richmond Tigers |
| 2 | Carlton Blues, Hawthorn Hawks, Melbourne Demons, St Kilda Saints |
| 1 | Port Adelaide Power, West Coast Eagles |
| 0 | N/A |
