[3] While the VFL was officially amateur until 1911, in practice, the league's star players had been covertly paid for years, with the earliest reports of this dating back to 1886 in the VFA.
[4] The first test of the Coulter Law came in 1930, when superstar Haydn Bunton Sr. from Ovens and Murray Football League club West Albury was barred from VFL football until December 31, 1930, for breaches of the Coulter Law over allegations Bunton signed a contract with Fitzroy for £200 per year (equivalent to A$18,613 in 2022), well in excess of the possible maximum of £90 per year (equivalent to A$8,376 in 2022).
"[7] In 1944, several clubs were urging a rise in the maximum payments, arguing that New South Wales Rugby League players were paid up to £10 per game (equivalent to A$810 in 2022).
[3][9] In 1967, commentator Harry Beitzel claimed "it was common knowledge that most of the star players were under contracts that paid them many times more than the Coulter Law limit.
Transfer and signing-on fees were prohibited (along with playing coaches) to prevent wealthier clubs from evading the restrictions of the salary cap and floor.