FIVE clubs are in danger of receiving $50,000 fines after the AFL further put clubs on notice regarding umpire contact.

The League sent a memo to clubs on Wednesday relating to the rise in umpire contact incidents, which followed AFL.com.au's report on Tuesday that umpires had been directed to pay more free kicks in two scenarios to alleviate the spike in contact.

As part of the memo, the League reminded clubs that two key changes were implemented this season, including a $50,000 fine if a club's players transgress five or more times in the same season, and an automatic one-game ban for any individual player charged four or more times in the same season.

So far in 2026, there have been 31 charges issued by the Match Review Officer for careless contact with an umpire, with the majority (15) happening at a centre ball-up and another 14 at an around the ground ball-up, with two in general play.

The five clubs who have been particularly warned are Greater Western Sydney, Brisbane, the Western Bulldogs, Collingwood and Adelaide, who have all had three instances of players being charged with umpire contact.

Magpies forward Beau McCreery has been fined twice for umpire contact this season, the only player with multiple sanctions.

"The AFL Regulations were amended to include an ability to impose a sanction on the club on each occasion where the club's players are charged with the reportable offence of careless contact with an umpire more than four times in the same season, with a sanction of up to 50 units ($50,000); and the AFL Regulations and the Tribunal Guidelines were amended to provide that where a player is charged with Careless Contact with an Umpire for the fourth (or subsequent) time in the same season, the prescribed penalty will be a suspension of one match," the AFL memo read.

The memo said the 11 charges over the past two rounds of games had meant the AFL had to step in and remind clubs to tell players that "certain positioning and actions at stoppages increase the likelihood of contact and therefore a free kick and/or charge".

"Particular emphasis should be placed on setting up behind an umpire at a ball up or running around the back of an umpire in an attempt to gain separation from an opponent (i.e. using the umpire as a 'shield' from an opponent)," the memo said.

As AFL.com.au reported on Tuesday, from this weekend umpires have been given direction to pay a free kick against a player if they ignore instruction to move out of their path when retreating a contest.

Free kicks will continue to be paid for carless contact with an umpire that occurs at a centre ball up but not for umpire contact around the ground.