Essendon is fuming after being fined $20,000 by the AFL because its players wore yellow armbands in a game as a show of support for teammate Adam Ramanauskas, who is battling cancer.

The Bombers plan on checking the league's own rules to determine whether they can be hit with such a heavy fine given the gesture was intended as a show of support for Ramanauskas, who is fighting a third bout of cancer.

The AFL denied Essendon permission for its players to wear the armbands in Sunday's round 12 game against Melbourne at Telstra Dome, but the Bombers defied the directive and went ahead with the plan.

Essendon's gesture coincided with Daffodil Day, which is designed to raise awareness of cancer.

"It's just really disappointing," Bombers spokesman Simon Matthews said.

"We're being fined $20,000 and the AFL has endorsed a $5,000 fine imposed on a player for breaking the nose of a member of the general public," he added in reference to the recent penalty imposed on Port Adelaide ruckman Dean Brogan for his altercation with a fan.

"We're not sure how that works."

Matthews said the Bombers had hoped the AFL would have made an exception when the club first raised the issue.

"We hoped common sense would have prevailed on this, it's a different issue," he said.

"This is about showing a bit of support to a teammate and a friend who is going through a tough time, and the players wanted to show their support in a different way.

"We'd hoped the decision makers in there would have understood that and made a bit of an allowance."

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