Former Australian netball captain Sharelle McMahon has joined the AFL Women's match review panel for its inaugural season, which starts on Friday night.
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McMahon is regarded as one of the greatest netballers to ever represent Australia, winning two world championships and two Commonwealth Games gold medals for her country.
Becoming just the sixth netballer to be inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame last year, McMahon played 118 Tests for her country.
The 39-year-old joins former Collingwood premiership players Michael Christian and Luke Ball on the AFLW MRP along with AFL staff Jennie Loughnan, Patrick Clifton and Ali Gronow.
The AFLW tribunal/jury will be chaired by AFL tribunal chair David Jones or deputy chairman Ross Howie, supported by the current AFL tribunal jury members.
The AFLW MRP will operate much like the AFL MRP, but there will be a few differences.
Women's players will not face fines for any offence committed due to the fact that the league is not yet fully professional with the minimum wage set at $8500 for the seven-match competition.
And for the AFLW, contact will be graded in two categories of either body or high/groin/chest.
Women's players who receive a second reprimand during the season for the same type of offence will face a one-game suspension.
AFL game and market development boss Simon Lethlean said the AFLW would operate with a full MRP/Tribunal system to ensure that any illegal play was acted upon, for the safety of all players.
"The key focus was to ensure that the implications for any illegal play are clearly understood by both players and clubs and the fans watching our games," Lethlean said.
Lethlean added that the competition didn't want to see players missing matches for low-level offences and also wished to avoid any confusion around carry-over points and poor records as had occurred previously within the AFL.
"In recent years, the AFL has simplified the MRP process so all players, coaches and fans can understand the offence and plea process, with an easier-to-understand table of offences and categories. It was important to us that this was also used in AFLW," he said.
The AFLW kicks off on Friday night when Carlton and Collingwood do battle at Princes Park in the historic first match.
