I’m always interested in how far the AFL clubs go in deducting fines from a player’s salary for lawful actions that break the club’s ‘guidelines’. If 8 players were out contrary to the guidelines, then the guidelines were either unclear to the players, too onerous so compliance was unlikely, or there is a cultural issue at the club (or some combination therein). It's hard to believe there were just 8 'bad apples'.
Nissy coming out and throwing the players under the bus couldn’t be more on brand for him. Telling them they'll 'have to cop that sweet' to me sounds like someone who understands that a fine is pushing the limits of what was agreed in the Collective Bargaining Agreement.