Essendon has been fined $20,000 – half of which is suspended – for trialling players without the required paperwork ahead of last month's AFL rookie draft.
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The Bombers had informed the AFL they had invited a dozen players to train with their VFL squad, but they failed to lodge the consent form for the first of those players before he took to the field.
Clubs are allowed to invite players who missed out on selection at the national draft to train, but official paperwork must be delivered beforehand to league headquarters.
AFL general counsel Andrew Dillon said the Bombers had co-operated in the investigation and this had been taken into account when handing down the penalty, half of which has been suspended until December 31, 2014.