2 rule changes under consideration for 2021

Oct 8, 2004
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After extensive consultation, foxfooty.com.au understands the league is weighing up whether to drop the interchange cap by 15 per-game, down to 75 rotations.

The AFL is continually exploring ways to balance defence with attack and is expected to resist radical reform that would change fundamental elements of the sport.

The league’s football operations department – led by Steve Hocking – is also considering bringing the man on the mark back by an extra five metres at kick-ins.

Currently the man on the mark stands 10 metres back from the goalsquare and extending it would allow the kicker to take more ground before booting the ball.


 

banzai

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,063
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What is the point of moving back an extra 5 meters? Means the player can carry the ball an extra 2.5 meters or so from a kick in, hardly gonna make a difference. Dropping the interchange cap should help a team like us, so I don't hate it.
 

falcons2

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Feb 19, 2009
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The two biggest delays in the game are the time between goals and the restart and boundary throw ins.
Goals and the restart. Just get the ball back to the centre as fast as possible and go. This will reduce interchange because teams won't have time. (the whole business on interchange slowing the game is untested and I'm calling rubbish)
Out of bounds - boundary ump runs 5 steps into the field of play and throws it in as far as possible. Controlling ump watches for third man up, other two watch for blocks.
These two keep the game moving without changing play as such.
 

hcd199

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Apr 29, 2009
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Both of these are just intensifications of rule changes that were made recently (man on the mark for kick-ins was moved back in 2019, interchange cap introduced in 2014 and reduced in 2016). That suggests they think what they've been doing for the last few years is working, but just not 'enough', which is a bizarre stance to take: recent rule changes have pretty consistently had either a meaningless or detrimental impact on the sport, and it's hard to see how doing effectively more of the same is going to make anything better.
 

banzai

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,063
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The two biggest delays in the game are the time between goals and the restart and boundary throw ins.
Goals and the restart. Just get the ball back to the centre as fast as possible and go. This will reduce interchange because teams won't have time. (the whole business on interchange slowing the game is untested and I'm calling rubbish)
Out of bounds - boundary ump runs 5 steps into the field of play and throws it in as far as possible. Controlling ump watches for third man up, other two watch for blocks.
These two keep the game moving without changing play as such.

The goal restart wont change cos they want the advertising $.
 
Feb 9, 2009
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Why don't they just cut the crap and have the kickouts from the 50m line, that's clearly what they want to happen. Fk me.

Don't want rolling mauls? Pay htb/incorrect disposal/holding the man/in the back like they should around the ball ups. Get rid of the making an attempt crap, if they don't dispose correctly pay a free and then the ball gets the chance to be kicked away. Don't have time to pick it up and dispose? The players can knock or kick it on clearing the congestion.

Oh, and blow the god damn whistle. Watching old games they call for the ball after a couple seconds, and throw it up immediately. Today they wait 15 seconds to see if the ball can be fumbled out and if it does, the whole cycle starts again. Then when they eventually do throw it up they check the ruckmen, mark their exit direction, check for wind, assess their taxes, philosophise, consider the meaning of life, have a chat with their favourite player, and then wait for the TV networks to be ready. No wonder there's a million players around the ball.
 

nick1408

Club Legend
Dec 12, 2010
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Both of these are just intensifications of rule changes that were made recently (man on the mark for kick-ins was moved back in 2019, interchange cap introduced in 2014 and reduced in 2016). That suggests they think what they've been doing for the last few years is working, but just not 'enough', which is a bizarre stance to take: recent rule changes have pretty consistently had either a meaningless or detrimental impact on the sport, and it's hard to see how doing effectively more of the same is going to make anything better.

It's funny - I was thinking the opposite. The rules they introduced haven't worked (scoring is down when the rules were meant to increase it etc) yet they are going back to the same well. My thinking is to reverse the rules that haven't worked (i.e. lowered scoring) and go back to rules similar to those in force before the interchange caps were introduced.
 
Sep 13, 2015
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Stupid to bring the cap down. Since 2014 when it was introduced the whinging has only gotten louder. Furthermore, at the end of the 'footy frenzy' this year there wasn't a whole lot of good football being played. Tired players can still cover the ground. They just can't kick.

To free up the game, decrease the time taken for stoppages to make it physically more difficult to set up (but teams that are fit and well drilled enough can still set up as they would), allow the third man up as they are most effective at clearing a contest, therefore incentivising teams to hold players slightly further from the contest, and umpires should go very touchy on frees for holds as the leniency allowed now means any player attempting to burst through a pack can be easily controlled with a quick hold regardless of how well they've read the play. We will be tearing our hair out for the first month of the season and free kicks will be through the roof with a couple of howlers, but players will adjust.
 
May 1, 2016
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It’s been said and we will say it again.. stop dancing around with the theatre.. make a decision. As soon as a tackle happens:

- Ball knocked loose, play on
- Ball locked in tackle (no prior), immediate whistle, ball up
- ball locked in tackle (w/ prior), immediate whistle, free kick
- Ball disposed of correctly, play on
- Ball incorrectly disposed of, free kick

They’re the only decisions and they should be decided immediately as the result of a tackle once the action is completed/player brought to ground/ball knocked loose. Why stand around and “hope the ball moves forward”... it encourages swarming, not movement!

And what about that stupid ruck nomination s**t... you don’t want third man up? Fine just infringe whatever team has more than 1 bloke in the contest... piss easy

Fix these two issues ball moves faster players have less time for swarming and rolling mauling. They just keep going deeper down the rabbit hole ....... the human condition.
 
Jun 27, 2010
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I agree with Leigh Matthews: if you really want to end congestion, you need to make big changes. Personally I'm not totally convinced that we are that stage, but his logic is right. The dozens of marginal rule changes have had little and sometimes zero effect. You want to open up the game, set some big new rules like 15 a side, limits on kicking backwards, limits on how many players in a zone or where players can run, etc. I'm not endorsing any of these, just saying AFL still has too many people with nothing else to do but come up with dumb ideas. Don't waste time with the small stuff.
 

wantok

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Jan 3, 2012
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Get fair dinkum with the interchange cap! No more than 40 per game and you will see results. The game will immediately be less congested and the forward press,flood,call it what you like will become less able to be utilised. The Spine will be back! The leading forward will return. There will be more scoring and more one on one contests. C'mon Mr. Hocking, Just imagine Jeremy on the lead in a one on one with Andrews. Please give us our glorious game back!

On CPH1920 using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

wantok

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Jan 3, 2012
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To be devils advocate, hasn't it been shown that scoring has actually reduced since they started capping interchange?
No. Average points for are in decline since interchange introduction. 20%
2005 94.6
2010. 90.2
2015. 86.4
2020. 75.7 adjusted for full game.

Congestion and defensive coaching are the culprits but interchange is the enabler.

On CPH1920 using BigFooty.com mobile app
 

scottyt2

Senior List
Aug 21, 2006
249
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Scoring dropped off immediately when the cap was introduced in 2014, and 666 has made it even worse the last two years. The rules committee are either too stubborn or stupid to acknowledge this and instead will keep tinkering where they shoudn't.

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Simon_Nesbit

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 26, 2001
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Why don't they just cut the crap and have the kickouts from the 50m line, that's clearly what they want to happen. Fk me.

Don't want rolling mauls? Pay htb/incorrect disposal/holding the man/in the back like they should around the ball ups. Get rid of the making an attempt crap, if they don't dispose correctly pay a free and then the ball gets the chance to be kicked away. Don't have time to pick it up and dispose? The players can knock or kick it on clearing the congestion.

Oh, and blow the god damn whistle. Watching old games they call for the ball after a couple seconds, and throw it up immediately. Today they wait 15 seconds to see if the ball can be fumbled out and if it does, the whole cycle starts again. Then when they eventually do throw it up they check the ruckmen, mark their exit direction, check for wind, assess their taxes, philosophise, consider the meaning of life, have a chat with their favourite player, and then wait for the TV networks to be ready. No wonder there's a million players around the ball.

Stupid to bring the cap down. Since 2014 when it was introduced the whinging has only gotten louder. Furthermore, at the end of the 'footy frenzy' this year there wasn't a whole lot of good football being played. Tired players can still cover the ground. They just can't kick.

To free up the game, decrease the time taken for stoppages to make it physically more difficult to set up (but teams that are fit and well drilled enough can still set up as they would), allow the third man up as they are most effective at clearing a contest, therefore incentivising teams to hold players slightly further from the contest, and umpires should go very touchy on frees for holds as the leniency allowed now means any player attempting to burst through a pack can be easily controlled with a quick hold regardless of how well they've read the play. We will be tearing our hair out for the first month of the season and free kicks will be through the roof with a couple of howlers, but players will adjust.

Two great posts. Want a better quality of football? Blow the whistle.

Basically every decision made about rules in the last decade has worked in reverse to the (stated) intention.

The thing is - if every fan with half a brain can see this, then the administrators clearly can too. No-one is that stupid.

So the question then becomes WHY - why do they want the game to go the way it is? The answer (as always) is $$$$

Sabotaging the product in these ways (arbitrary and conflicting rules) provides a method to more easily manipulate outcomes and increases the power of 'head office'. We've gone from Australian Football League to now be firmly in the realm of Australian Football Entertainment. WWF/WCW/WWE - scripted entertainment with physical skills.
 

hcd199

Club Legend
Apr 29, 2009
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So a rotations cut (which they already did in 2014 and 2016), a lengthening of the distance between the goalsquare and the man on the mark for kick-ins (which they already did in 2019), more traction on implementing full-on zones (also like 2019)... at what point do they sit back and recognise how their endless attempts to cudgel teams into using one specific, outdated mode of attack only fuels precisely the "sway towards defence" they constantly suggest is blighting the game? All they're doing at the moment is further strangling the life from the sport.

As for the 'lateral movement' thing, that's yet another needless bit of tinkering around the edges that nobody asked for or had a problem with but will now become a problem as a result of interpretation issues (how long do you have after the mark is taken to clear the area before you're considered the man on the mark and penalised for moving beyond the "level of tolerance", for example?). And the quotes about "more Dustin Martin moments"... well, it's no surprise that the morons behind these changes spruik them by reference to a game in which none of those rules were in place - these are, after all, the same kind of people who tell us more regimentation in the form of starting positions and ruck restrictions somehow retains a tradition in which those things didn't exist - but the predictability of it doesn't diminish its stupidity.
 

jjami15

Norm Smith Medallist
Jul 16, 2011
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AFL House - Let us look like we know what we are doing with making these huge changes to the rules.
AFL fan - You’re a bunch of w***ers!

90 to 75 substitutions, please, do they think we are mugs?!
 

HawkMongrel

Norm Smith Medallist
Jun 15, 2008
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Nothing will ever change until the current group of people running the AFL and making decisions for the AFL are wiped from the face of the earth.

More farcical destruction of our formerly great game so a few nobodies can put down on their future resumes that they helped implement something for the AFL.

I hate this competition.
 

Simon_Nesbit

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 26, 2001
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Nothing will ever change until the current group of people running the AFL and making decisions for the AFL are wiped from the face of the earth.

More farcical destruction of our formerly great game so a few nobodies can put down on their future resumes that they helped implement something for the AFL.

I hate this competition.

Aww...that's cute. You still think it's a competition.
 
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