Rules Centre Bounce ditched; no more Subs: AFL announce rule changes for 2026

[Chief]

AFL announced this morning:

• Sub? Gone. 23 players in the lineup, including 5 on the interchange bench.
• Centre bounce? Gone. Games to start from the first throw-up?

Changes to Laws of the Game and AFL Regulations

The AFL Commission has approved two changes to the Laws of Australian Football and AFL Regulations which will see the discontinuation of the centre bounce and the removal of the substitute for the 2026 Toyota Premiership Season.

The decision to remove the centre bounce was made after careful consideration of several factors including, umpire health and safety, creating consistency across all competitions, expanding and diversifying elite umpire pathways and reducing the overall match length.

The removal of the substitute means Clubs will name 23 players, with five players named on the interchange bench from next season.

The changes follow extensive consultation with Clubs, umpires, players and the AFLPA.

AFL Executive General Manager Football Performance Greg Swann said the removal of the centre bounce will bring a number of benefits to the game.

“The centre bounce has long been a part of Australian Football tradition, but as the game has evolved, there are several areas which will benefit from allowing umpires to simply throw the ball up at the restart,” said Mr Swann.

“Currently, umpire pathways are being narrowed by the requirement of the bounce. It is a difficult skill to execute, and we believe is preventing some of our best umpiring prospects from progressing any further in the AFL pathway despite having elite decision-making skills.

“By removing the skill aspect of bouncing the ball, umpires can focus their energy on adjudicating the game and consistency of decision making.

“We also anticipate this decision will be safer for umpires and players at the contest and lessen the likelihood of umpire contact at the restart.

“The removal of the bounce we predict will also have a positive impact in the reduction of game length and produce a cleaner and fairer ruck contest, two areas we have been monitoring for the past two seasons.

“Additionally, it will also create consistency across national competitions.”

Swann said the removal of the substitute will extend the interchange bench.

“We have listened to the feedback from players, the Clubs and the AFLPA to remove the substitute in favour of a fifth interchange player with rotations to remain the same.”

Any additional changes to Laws of the Game will be communicated following the October Commission meeting.

 

[Golden_6]

Whilst I do like the bounce, there's next to no reason for it to remain if it is in fact a barrier for up and coming umpires.

 

[HairyO]

And by the end of 2026 there will be a call to have 5 on the bench plus a sub.

 

[Bald]

Sensible decisions that will be criticized by the "leave the game alone" crowd.

 

[flyinghi64]

I Approve

 

[getthefooty]

Both of these are sensible changes.

 

[LoungeLizard]

Did anyone not see that coming with the sub rule, in a few years time, guess what, we will trial a sub again, then 6 interchanges, and so on.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

And by the end of 2026 there will be a call to have 5 on the bench plus a sub.

We already know it’s coming, don’t we? It’s just laughable

 

[Quivorir]

Happy to see the end of the bounce. Indifferent about the sub.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Hallelujah, the bounce is dead. One of the most brain-dead things in football.

 

[MarcMaverick]

Allright if we're getting rid of tradition why not a Twilight GF then?

 

[SSSSSS]

I would have liked to have kept the centre bounce to open the game/quarter but I'm not too unhappy about it.

 

[Blue and Silver]

Bounce has a certain nostalgia to it. But the game will benefit from not having resets.

Should lead to more set plays from the centre you would think as there will be more consistency for the rucks to try and tap to areas

 

[Couch Coach]

Dissagree with getting rid of the bounce.
If the rucks and mids know exactly where the ball will land and will cause more congestion.
No bounce could also lead to more ruck PCL injuries.

I would rather let the ball bounce as it may (play on if leaves the circle) spread the players and allow for more fast breaks from the middle.

 

[Pusswah]

And by the end of 2026 there will be a call to have 5 on the bench plus a sub.

Cue the outrage the first time someone's forced off with a concussion.

Or don't get pulled from the ground despite it being obvious that they should be.

 

[LoungeLizard]

Cue the outrage the first time someone's forced off with a concussion.

Or don't get pulled from the ground despite it being obvious that they should be.

Of course it's going to happen, Scott will cry he was a player short for a % of the game.

 

[10571z]

Yep, now the coaches will exploit having 5 on the bench and soon they’ll be sooking 4 vs 5 rotations is unfair.

I thought the sub rule worked perfectly. Wait until 1 or 2 injuries and it’s 3 vs 5 rotations and teams get blitzed from hard running footy, then we’ll have a sub again.

 

[Golden_6]

And by the end of 2026 there will be a call to have 5 on the bench plus a sub.

Possibly but we have to admit the game has changed significantly since the AFL introduced 4 on the bench in 1998.

 

[HairyO]

Cue the outrage the first time someone's forced off with a concussion.

Or don't get pulled from the ground despite it being obvious that they should be.

One concussion will be fine. The AFL can ignore that. Its a concussion after someone is forced out due to a different injury which will trigger the calls for another fix.

American football they have about 40 guys on the bench. Maybe that is where we want to end up.

 

[HawkMongrel]

Dissagree with getting rid of the bounce.
If the rucks and mids know exactly where the ball will land and will cause more congestion.
No bounce could also lead to more ruck PCL injuries.

I would rather let the ball bounce as it may (play on if leaves the circle) spread the players and allow for more fast breaks from the middle.

nanana, can't have this.

If you take away the unexpected problem is causes later, then they won't have any rule changes to make later to justify their existence.

Just like all the other crap they've pulled in the last 15 years.

 

[LoungeLizard]

Possibly but we have to admit the game has changed significantly since the AFL introduced 4 on the bench in 1998.

You know what 1 reason is?

Players can now leave the ground for a rest, so they can run out the game like they started.

Go back to 19th and 20th man and I guarantee we will see teams running over teams in the last quarter a lot more.

 

[Golden_6]

You know what 1 reason is?

Players can now leave the ground for a rest, so they can run out the game like they started.

Go back to 19th and 20th man and I guarantee we will see teams running over teams in the last quarter a lot more.

And that's a good thing because?

Removing players off the interchange would be a disaster. Clubs would slow their game plans down and adopt a defensive mode to conserve energy. Not too mention where we'd have coaching instructions to play kick to kick for a few minutes in the middle of a quarter to give the players a quick break.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

I love the bounce, but the umps just weren't paying obvious blocks. The throw up eliminates the block

 

[LoungeLizard]

And that's a good thing because?

Removing players off the interchange would be a disaster. Clubs would slow their game plans down and adopt a defensive mode to conserve energy. Not too mention where we'd have coaching instructions to play kick to kick for a few minutes in the middle of a quarter to give the players a quick break.

And guess what, the game was played like that for years, forwards could dominate, you had to be an elite backman to stop them.

Now it's just 18 players running back to plug holes everywhere, so the forwards have no-where to run and have 2-3 or 4 players to contend with.

 

[Altum Volantes]

Nobody will miss either.

Positive moves.