Rules AFL to propose introduction of last touch rule from 2026

[voorhees]

it has worked well in the SANFL.
support bringing in this new rule

 

[SellarStardom]

Am I the only one who thought the insufficient intent rule was actually one of the least controversial ones this year?

Unlike the ruck rules and holding the ball or incorrect disposal I could actually tell which way it was going to be paid 95% of the time.

Yep 95% of the time they ruled as if there was a last disposal rule on place already. So let's get rid of the 5% where the unpire is swayed by the crowd and make it black and white, that's what the last disposal rule will achieve

 

[Great8]

it has worked well in the SANFL.
support bringing in this new rule

Except in typical AFL fashion they want to make themselves a point of difference so instead of making it over the whole ground which works well in the SANFL they are going to make it just between the arcs so we will no see umpires stuffing up anything close or borderline and the rule won’t actually reduce throw ins by the amount they want

 

[Harris 10]

To simplify the rules the AFL want to go to the last disposal rule, so we'll be left with this:

In between the arcs:

• Out on the full, free kick.
• Last disposal, free kick.
• Throw in if touched over the boundary.
• insufficient intent to keep the ball in play, free kick.
• Ruckman punches the ball over boundary line on the full at a throw in, it's a free kick.
• Ruckman directly punches the ball out of bounds from a throw in and it hits the ground first, it's a throw in.
• In a marking contest a player is allowed to deliberately punch the ball out of bounds and it's a throw in.

Inside the arcs:

• Same as above, although you can dispose of the ball out of bounds unless you have insufficient intent to keep the ball in play.

AFL keeping it simple.

 

[Cookie]

Am I the only one who thought the insufficient intent rule was actually one of the least controversial ones this year?

Unlike the ruck rules and holding the ball or incorrect disposal I could actually tell which way it was going to be paid 95% of the time.

Get back to a basic. Deliberate out of bounds. This insufficient intent crap is a just a tweaking of deliberate.
The deliberate rule has been around for decades but the problem now is its interpretation and its application by the umpires and whoever is directing them.
So now the AFL is discussing a last touch rule. It's just an admission that they have it wrong and they will try to fix the wrong by introducing yet another latent problem.
There is not another organisation in Australia that seems to continually make problems for itself, many of which are avoidable.