The AFL has banned GWS player Josh Fahey for four matches and GIants forward Jake Riccardi is among his teammates who will miss the first two games of next season.

They are among bans and fines handed out by the league after a joint investigation with the Giants into a player’s season-ending role last month.

Joe Fonti, Toby McMullin, Harvey Thomas and Cooper Hamilton were also suspended for two matches.

Captain Toby Greene and fellow senior players Lachie Whitfield, Connor Idun, Tom Green, Sam Taylor and Lachie Keeffe were fined $5,000 each.

In announcing the sanctions on Thursday afternoon, AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said the players involved had made “terrible choices”.

He confirmed an anonymous complaint was made to the AFL integrity portal the day after the September 18 event, where players had a “controversial couples” themed costume.

“What happened there was completely unacceptable…I’m really disappointed,” Dillon said.

Fahey played seven senior games for GWS last year and none this year for the Giants.

Riccardi, a key forward, played 69 games and is the most significant of the suspended players.

The sanctioned players had until Thursday morning to respond to the AFL, which punished them under the league’s unbecoming conduct rule.

“As part of this theme, players dressed in themed pairs and many performed skits related to their costumes,” the league said in a statement.

“In the view of the AFL and the club, some of the skits were completely unacceptable and completely at odds with the values ​​of the code.”

On Thursday morning, Greene’s manager Paul Connors told SEN that Greene “needs to be better” following the job debacle.

After losing a lead in their qualifying final against Sydney, GWS were 44 points ahead at home to eventual premiers Brisbane before losing that match as well, effectively ending their season.