The league has abandoned the use of base demerit points, with offences to be categorised as suspensions or fines.

There will also no longer be any carryover points for any offences.

Rather than rate conduct in any offence as negligent, reckless or intentional, the match review panel will now rule whether it is intentional or careless.

The current system had been in place since 2005 and was becoming increasingly unpopular because of inconsistent rulings and penalties.

The match review panel will now issue fines and two- or three-game suspensions.

More serious cases will be referred directly to the tribunal.

The bad record provision will be made more simple so a player will receive a maximum of an extra game on his penalty.

Players can still take discounts for early pleas, a key feature of the old system.

A player’s eligibility for the Brownlow Medal will now rely on whether he was suspended during the season.

There will also be more fines for low-level offences, but the match review panel can suspend repeat offenders in a season.

‘‘The AFL has been examining the MRP process for more than 12 months, and our focus has been to retain the excellent parts of the system while simplifying its operation and ensuring that appropriate penalties are in place for offences,’’ said AFL operations manager Mark Evans.