Rules The new man on the mark rule is utterly ridiculous.

[1990crow]

Watching the Port game yesterday and port players were consistently changing players who manned the mark (handover) and moving sideways.
Also players running through the protected area not a rule this year?

If we are going to have a rule at least pay it

 

[FlowersByIrene]

There are signifcant changes in the tackle count and a few other stats as well compared to the preseason last year, so it is having an effect.

Could be to do with the fact we've had about a month less of pre season as well.

 

[mxett]

Thats a little phenomenon called "pre season". It's this magical type of footy where the result doesn't matter and players don't defensively run as hard.

foxtel's Jonathon Brown was saying yesterday that the rule had freed up play. Not sure he used the term "self-evident" though

 

[Wavvey]

I think that it is ridiculous that you can just run around the man on the mark who has to stand there like an idiot, but the rule is doing exactly what they wanted it to. Through all the games I watched this weekend, the big positive to take from it was that teams no longer got stuck on the boundry of the wings. With the man on the mark unable to cover all the space and angles of a potential pass, teams were able to move it on much quicker in a sitatuon where the ball would usually get stuck.

 

[HPKS]

it appears to have helped open up play a bit more. Imo though it’s not the end of change it’s the beginning. They’re not trialling zones in the VFL for the fun of it. Imo it’s a long term strategy. I’m not sure about the 3 in the fifty but I like the idea of at least one for the fast break from the back half. It would be nice to have someone there to kick to. Instead of having to chip to allow time for players to get back or the sprint to the ball like rugby. I don’t think though it would be the old school FF but your more mobile forward like de Goey for example.

I’d expect more reductions in the interchange. No matter how much the coaches squeal like pigs. For to long they go their own way and look what weve been stuck with, a congested slog fest that would be more at home in the old school Moorabbin days not a dry prestine ground like we’ve got now.

 

[mxett]

I think that it is ridiculous that you can just run around the man on the mark who has to stand there like an idiot

thats not the rule. Once the player with the ball moves off their line it's called play on

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

I think that it is ridiculous that you can just run around the man on the mark who has to stand there like an idiot, but the rule is doing exactly what they wanted it to. Through all the games I watched this weekend, the big positive to take from it was that teams no longer got stuck on the boundry of the wings. With the man on the mark unable to cover all the space and angles of a potential pass, teams were able to move it on much quicker in a sitatuon where the ball would usually get stuck.

I don't think it's ridiculous. It's certainly a change from what we're accustomed to though.
But really, the advantage should always be with the team with the ball.
I reckon in modern footy, due to large % of goals coming from turnover, the pressure is wrongly stacked on the team with the ball rather than the defending team.

It's a good thing in my opinion that subtle changes can help swing it back the other way.


Now I guess we just wait to see how the coaches will **** it up and find other ways to clog the game up again.

 

[Ok Boomer]

I'm willing to give this a chance because lets face it, the quality and entertainment value of the footy over the last couple of years especially has been appalling.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

I don’t want zones in the future.

 

[1990crow]

I'm willing to give this a chance because lets face it, the quality and entertainment value of the footy over the last couple of years especially has been appalling.

Yep willing to give it a go but needs to be applied all the time not just sometimes

 

[greatwhiteshark]

foxtel's Jonathon Brown was saying yesterday that the rule had freed up play. Not sure he used the term "self-evident" though

You have to remember they are paid to say that everything the AFL do is right. We don't have independent sports media anymore.

 

[mxett]

You have to remember they are paid to say that everything the AFL do is right. We don't have independent sports media anymore.

he didnt say it was a good thing, he only commented on the effect of the change. Really, the effect is pretty self-evident

 

[FlowersByIrene]

he didnt say it was a good thing, he only commented on the effect of the change. Really, the effect is pretty self-evident

the 'effect' of the rule change is 'self-evident' from a handful of pre season games with no intensity... sure.

 

[YeOldTiger]

I'm willing to give this a chance because lets face it, the quality and entertainment value of the footy over the last couple of years especially has been appalling.

Try watching some more Richmond games. Fast, exciting, turnover/break neck speed footy. The only clogging is when teams like Sydney have no hope and flood one half of the ground turning it into a slog where only one team is trying to score.

 

[HPKS]

I don’t want zones in the future.

I’ll judge it when we see it in the VFL. Btw we already have zones. It’s the centre square which started out a diamond. I’ve got no doubt when they were talking about it decades ago people were carrying on about the fabric of the game stuff just like now and it’s turned out a roaring success. I’m neither for or against it. I’ll make my judgement when I see it just like this rule.

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Try watching some more Richmond games. Fast, exciting, turnover/break neck speed footy. The only clogging is when teams like Sydney have no hope and flood one half of the ground turning it into a slog where only one team is trying to score.

Nonsense. Richmond are putrid to watch.

They are the worst offenders when it comes to clogging up the game and slowing it up.

It becomes a skillless mess. Fortunately for them and the general public, they have Dusty and Edwards to add some polish and interest.

 

[Ok Boomer]

Try watching some more Richmond games. Fast, exciting, turnover/break neck speed footy. The only clogging is when teams like Sydney have no hope and flood one half of the ground turning it into a slog where only one team is trying to score.

Part of the problem is that the Richmond style encourages that sort of defence. The forward handball is hard to stop so it is easier just to flood and clog the backline. Makes it tough to score, as Sydney found last year, but it keeps them in the game, as it did last year.

 

[HPKS]

Nonsense. Richmond are putrid to watch.

They are the worst offenders when it comes to clogging up the game and slowing it up.

It becomes a skillless mess. Fortunately for them and the general public, they have Dusty and Edwards to add some polish and interest.

It’s boring as batshit to watch apart from when Martin get off the leash. Congest it in the back half, put a forward in the midfield, open up the forward half and get it out as quick as possible.Union without the offside.

happy for them to win 3out of 4 as they are mums side and I thought she’d never get to see another premiership in here life but let’s not pretend they’re exciting to watch.

 

[YeOldTiger]

They put the umpires in a no win position because of the strict interpretation of the rule. It then becomes frustrating when the umpires miss a player moving on the mark in frenetic play compared to a clear and obvious half step that gets called 50m (Eg Daniel Howe yesterday for Hawthorn) that wouldn't have impacted play, and there's been more.

I don't understand why they don't give the umpires some leeway by instead of enforcing 'stand' where players have to be statues, allow players to move 1m/1-step either way of the mark. The problem wasn't players moving a metre either side of the mark. It was the players moving 3m+ either way. The rule change isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Just too big of an over correction that takes too much to manage for the umpires.

Yep. Suggested exactly this a few weeks ago. Making full grown men stand like a traffic cone whist the player with the ball can run right up to them and then balk around them is kids stuff. And not what the rule was brought in for. The rule was brought in to assist sides with the 45 degree kick to switch up and get the ball moving rather than dump kicks down the line. Ok that's fine but give the player on the mark a step either way to at least try to defend otherwise what the point of even having the man on the mark ? They're starting to change the fundamental structure of the game and before we know it the game we all love just becomes a sponsors high scoring basketball match. I suspect that by the end of the season the rule will be relaxed so that the man on the mark won't have to stand there like alan Auskick nuffie, when it's actually supposed to be a professional sport. Personally I hate the rule but I could appreciate it more if it wasn't so stupid. You're dead right, the problem was the times the man on the mark went so far sideways 3m or more to cut off the kick that would open up play. There's a compromise there that won't look so bloody kindergarten.

 

[YeOldTiger]

Nonsense. Richmond are putrid to watch.

They are the worst offenders when it comes to clogging up the game and slowing it up.

It becomes a skillless mess. Fortunately for them and the general public, they have Dusty and Edwards to add some polish and interest.

Geez mate, how wrong could you be. What you know about football would fill the back of a postage stamp. What's more, anyone who knows about the game, ex players, coaches, media all agree with me. Richmond have been fantastically exciting and successful. Go take a bath, you will float in your own salt.

 

[mxett]

Try watching some more Richmond games. Fast, exciting, turnover/break neck speed footy. The only clogging is when teams like Sydney have no hope and flood one half of the ground turning it into a slog where only one team is trying to score.

Richmond defend like all other clubs. So when the opposition are attacking it's as boring as any other game. When the tigers attack they have the skill and style to get ahead of, or through, most club's zone defense.

 

[YeOldTiger]

Part of the problem is that the Richmond style encourages that sort of defence. The forward handball is hard to stop so it is easier just to flood and clog the backline. Makes it tough to score, as Sydney found last year, but it keeps them in the game, as it did last year.

Richmond just play football. Maximum pressure. Create a turn over and then take the ball forward fast and score. I'm 54 and thats how the game has been played forever. Get the ball, take it forward and score. It's not Richmond's fault, other clubs just need to work out how to stop it without ruining the game as a spectacle. If they applied the same principle you'd have two teams using high pressure to get the ball, then attack and score which is the exact spectacle we want to see. Not teams crapping their dacks and flooding their backline because they don't know what else to do except turn it into a low scoring slog.

 

[mxett]

I’ll judge it when we see it in the VFL. Btw we already have zones. It’s the centre square which started out a diamond. I’ve got no doubt when they were talking about it decades ago people were carrying on about the fabric of the game stuff just like now and it’s turned out a roaring success. I’m neither for or against it. I’ll make my judgement when I see it just like this rule.

I'm not tally against requiring 3 players from each team in the forward and defensive 50's at all times. Would be interesting to see the effect on the game

 

[Lavender Bushranger]

Geez mate, how wrong could you be. What you know about football would fill the back of a postage stamp. What's more, anyone who knows about the game, ex players, coaches, media all agree with me. Richmond have been fantastically exciting and successful. Go take a bath, you will float in your own salt.

They've been fantastically successful, but not exciting at all.

It's literally the most boring football you could ever imagine.

It's like watching an MMA fight when a good wrestler just lies on top of a dude for 3 rounds.

It's 90 minutes of pressure, suffocating and scrambling - with about 10 minutes of Martin doing exciting stuff.

 

[YeOldTiger]

They've been fantastically successful, but not exciting at all.

It's literally the most boring football you could ever imagine.

It's like watching an MMA fight when a good wrestler just lies on top of a dude for 3 rounds.

It's 90 minutes of pressure, suffocating and scrambling - with about 10 minutes of Martin doing exciting stuff.

Yeh go back and read the bit about the postage stamp. You're on a small island. I get that people hate a team being dominant, I've hated that in the past too and that's fine, hate away but to say Richmond's style isn't an exciting spectacle shows you have no idea what you're talking about imo.

What you're seeing as boring is only one team trying to clog the game up and it ain't Richmond. Richmond try to score at every opportunity. Even deep in defence they just take off seeing every time they get the ball as a scoring opportunity. I don't know what you're watching.