Review Malcolm Blight - Last Touch Rule, Interchange Cut, 20m Goal Square

[Bicks]

Blighty's ideas to stop congestion and improve the spectacle of the modern game.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...uch-rule-interchange-cut-20180606-p4zjwt.html

AFL legend Malcolm Blight will propose that the AFL seriously look at the ‘‘last touch’’ out of bounds rule and a reduction in interchange, among other ideas, when he and fellow greats Leigh Matthews and Gerard Healy meet with the AFL over the state of the game.

Blight confirmed he would raise the ‘‘last touch’’ rule and a limit to 60 interchanges, down from 90. Both have been used in the SANFL and Blight believes they would improve the AFL spectacle – which he, Matthews and Healy agree is an issue, due to numbers around the ball. Blight also favours enlarging the goal square to 20 metres, to enable the team kicking in to clear the zone and give the defending team (with the ball) more options to counter-attack.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

These make more sense than introducing zones.

 

[SaltPeter]

Blighty's ideas to stop congestion and improve the spectacle of the modern game.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl...uch-rule-interchange-cut-20180606-p4zjwt.html

AFL legend Malcolm Blight will propose that the AFL seriously look at the ‘‘last touch’’ out of bounds rule and a reduction in interchange, among other ideas, when he and fellow greats Leigh Matthews and Gerard Healy meet with the AFL over the state of the game.

Blight confirmed he would raise the ‘‘last touch’’ rule and a limit to 60 interchanges, down from 90. Both have been used in the SANFL and Blight believes they would improve the AFL spectacle – which he, Matthews and Healy agree is an issue, due to numbers around the ball. Blight also favours enlarging the goal square to 20 metres, to enable the team kicking in to clear the zone and give the defending team (with the ball) more options to counter-attack.

I was surprised when a cap on interchanges was introduced they didn't go a bit harder. I'd be ok if they trialled dropping it further.

Last touch is working ok in the SANFL. I'd be inclined to see reductions in interchanges first though.

 

[Crowman32]

I still like the idea of a certain amount of players must be inside your half of the ground at all times. They could start with 4 players and see how that goes.

I also like the idea of players are not allowed to enter the centre square until the ball is cleared out of there.

Something definitely has to be done about this adult version of mini league. It would be great if one day we could see the return of one on one battles between players and maybe one day the return of the full forward.

 

[dylan123]

Is there really anything so bad about watching the game we currently have?

 

[mattymac]

Is there really anything so bad about watching the game we currently have?

Unless you've grown up with it and it's slowly caught up on you without you noticing it's a fairly putrid game to watch. I've taken heaps of visitors from OS to games. None of them like it. So many mangled stoppages one after the other. So many free kicks for things that aren't readily visible to the crowd. It's a bit of a confusing mess for newcomers

 

[footy4ever]

I was surprised when a cap on interchanges was introduced they didn't go a bit harder. I'd be ok if they trialled dropping it further.

Last touch is working ok in the SANFL. I'd be inclined to see reductions in interchanges first though.

Last touch works fine...until one of your backmen has the ball knocked into his legs and it ricochets out only to give the opposition a free shot on goal. That part of it sucks balls, and is the very reason why it should never be introduced.

 

[AusTerran]

Last touch works fine...until one of your backmen has the ball knocked into his legs and it ricochets out only to give the opposition a free shot on goal. That part of it sucks balls, and is the very reason why it should never be introduced.

Can make the F50 exempt from the last touch rule?

 

[lincsPJ]

Last touch works fine...until one of your backmen has the ball knocked into his legs and it ricochets out only to give the opposition a free shot on goal. That part of it sucks balls, and is the very reason why it should never be introduced.

Isn’t last touch only penalised when it’s a clean possession?

 

[radiojake]

Isn’t last touch only penalised when it’s a clean possession?

Haven't watched SANFL so not sure about there, but the AFLW played it like that

ofcourse, there were times when it comes down to umpire interpretation

 

[kulak]

Soften the penalty for a defender tapping it out.

Eg the attacking team gets a kick from that boundary but 50m out.

Or it’s a handball in rather than a kick in.

 

[kulak]

Is there really anything so bad about watching the game we currently have?

A lot of people seem to think so. The AFL will be getting revenue from TV than they planned. They won’t like that.

“...OzTam ratings figures that said compared to 2017 AFL TV ratings are down 13.9 percent to the end of round 9.”

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-fans-have-the-friday-night-blues-again-20180529-p4zi51.html

 

[spenze]

Yep, TV ratings are down because of the game itself, not because there are a bunch of douchebags calling the game

 

[1990crow]

I don’t mind the idea of a 20m goal square to clear the zone.

How about at each centre bounce no one is allowed inside the forward fifty but have to start in the goal square (still allowed to be between the fifty and centre square).
Players wouldn’t be able to flood the back fifty and players would be forced to lead towards the ball which is something missing from the game.

 

[footy4ever]

Isn’t last touch only penalised when it’s a clean possession?

Yeah not sure. Thought it was from anything deemed as a kick like a ball coming off the lower leg.

 

[I Lost My Keays]

I reckon there should be no tackling, and to get an holding the ball you must hip and shoulder the player twice (just what I had to do in Auskick)

 

[SugarShane]

Last touch works fine...until one of your backmen has the ball knocked into his legs and it ricochets out only to give the opposition a free shot on goal. That part of it sucks balls, and is the very reason why it should never be introduced.

Pretty sure it's clean possession, so surely the odd occasion an umpire would call that would still be better than the current deliberate interpretations that change from month to week to round to game to quarter to minute.

 

[SugarShane]

Blight also favours enlarging the goal square to 20 metres, to enable the team kicking in to clear the zone and give the defending team (with the ball) more options to counter-attack.

Does the zone not then just move 10m back?

 

[Large 1]

I don’t like the decrease in rotations as I think it will have the opposite effect to what is desired.

Tired players will make more errors and less chance of breaking through a zone, and teams will slow down ball movement to rest on the field.

Just take two players from each team off the field.

 

[mattymac]

Soften the penalty for a defender tapping it out...

Or it’s a handball in rather than a kick in.

Now I want it to be a handball in just so I can see what Tex can do with a handball from the boundary.

In seriousness, doesn't sound like a bad option... less punishing than a kick in yet quicker than a throw in

 

[Large 1]

Also a left of field idea.

Get rid of the need to bounce the ball when running with it.

It is literally the only rule designed to slow the game down.

Personally, I love seeing a player stream down the wing bouncing the ball, but I wonder what would happen if it was removed.

 

[HarryCrow]

Are there any other games in the world so reactionary with their rules? Why keep making changes to b@sterdise the sport? Makes it a bit of a joke to be honest.

 

[CrowinNT]

Also a left of field idea.

Get rid of the need to bounce the ball when running with it.

It is literally the only rule designed to slow the game down.

Personally, I love seeing a player stream down the wing bouncing the ball, but I wonder what would happen if it was removed.

This already exists. The Buddy Franklin rule 2017

 

[slice]

Bloke was senile in 1998, he's absolutely cooked now.

 

[Interloperer]

I don't understand this obsession with letting senile old men ruin the game.