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

[southern_crusher]

Wish it was the tv show that was going instead.

 

[jpmelb7]

I'm awaiting the backlash but here goes..

Typical woke AFL in citing reasons to abandon the bounce:

​

• Umpire health & safety.
• "We have got some terrific female umpires who struggle physically to get the ball up as high as they need"

How about they stick to umpiring AFLW then?

I'm a lifelong Australian Rules supporter but Rugby is so far more a man's game than AFL will ever be again. AFL is becoming more akin to netball, especially 'keepings off' component than a football code.

Each year the game becomes more and more sterilised. No wonder the Storm are so popular now. AFL would be a hard watch for any Rugby supporters.

 

[RCAB]

I'm awaiting the backlash but here goes..

Typical woke AFL in citing reasons to abandon the bounce:

​

• Umpire health & safety.
• "We have got some terrific female umpires who struggle physically to get the ball up as high as they need"

How about they stick to umpiring AFLW then?

I'm a lifelong Australian Rules supporter but Rugby is so far more a man's game than AFL will ever be again. AFL is becoming more akin to netball, especially 'keepings off' component than a football code.

Each year the game becomes more and more sterilised. No wonder the Storm are so popular now. AFL would be a hard watch for any Rugby supporters.

Too right mate, and you can add five on the bench is the wokest thing yet. Back in the good old days real men just keeled over on the wing and we played around their corpse. Now we’ve basically got a supervised daycare on the sideline with five blokes sipping Gatorade and popping pills waiting to “rotate.” Rugby lads must be laughing their heads off.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

I'm glad the bounce is gone, sick of seeing umpires call it back to throw it up because it's difficult to do properly. Less time wasted and perhaps more umpires will be hired for their ability to get the call right rather than their ability to bounce the ball.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Hooray, less time wasting from failed bounces.

 

[MF]

Wish it was the tv show that was going instead.

Glad I'm not the only one that made that mistake initially.

 

[JackFlash]

So the bounce gets the flick which was unique to Australian Rules and the Sub rule gets the khyber which was never popular with coaches as well in 2026. All we need now is the removal of WTC?

 

[RCAB]

So the bounce gets the flick which was unique to Australian Rules and the Sub rule gets the khyber which was never popular with coaches as well in 2026. All we need now is the removal of WTC?

Sure .. as soon as useless white British are removed.

 

[JackFlash]

Sure .. as soon as useless white British are removed.

Who might they be?

 

[kalex6251]

can they ditch the centre square marking as well ...... with the 6 6 6 rule the centre square only affects wingers (4 players)

scrap the square and let wingers structure up as part of centre square ball-up formation

 

[Silkie]

The problem with keeping the bounce and letting it go no matter what direction it goes is that you could theoretically have a final decided by a completely ****ed bounce. Not to mention the possibility of umpires intentionally rigging it...

 

[Handsuper47]

Getting rid of the sub is good, but the centre bounce.. it's part of the game. An iconic part of the game. And their reason is "health and safety", give me a break, before you know it they'll get rid of the specky too and the game won't be recognizable anymore.

 

[jpmelb7]

People from overseas used to be more interested in the funny men in white coats waving flags than the actual game when viewing it for the first time. It's these unique/iconic components that make the game. Now another is gone.

 

[nineteen eighty]

Some 15 years ago, players got injured in games and coaches complained of the disadvantage of having one less rotation available.

Sub rule first came in, reducing the intechange to 3, with one sub.

Everybody hated it. The AFL removed it and went back to 4 interchange players.

Players got injured in games and coaches complained of the disadvantage of having one less rotation available.

Sub rule came back, this time with 4 and 1. Apparently everybody had forgotten how much they hated the sub rule.

Everybody remembers how much they hate the sub rule. The AFL removes it and now has 5 interchange players.

How long until coaches start complaining that in-game injuries put them at a disadvantage and something needs to be done?

You’d probably give it 12 months before there’s a call for a sub on top of the 5 interchange, to even things up. Totally predictable.

Agree on the timing. Some time next year.

Real question is…which coach will be the first to have a sook?

Anyone keen to run a book on which coach will be first?

 

[Blackhawk42]

I'm awaiting the backlash but here goes..

Typical woke AFL in citing reasons to abandon the bounce:

​

• Umpire health & safety.
• "We have got some terrific female umpires who struggle physically to get the ball up as high as they need"

How about they stick to umpiring AFLW then?

I'm a lifelong Australian Rules supporter but Rugby is so far more a man's game than AFL will ever be again. AFL is becoming more akin to netball, especially 'keepings off' component than a football code.

Each year the game becomes more and more sterilised. No wonder the Storm are so popular now. AFL would be a hard watch for any Rugby supporters.

You're missing a major point here.

The bounce is fun and unique, but it isn't vital.

What IS vital, are correct umpiring decisions.
If there are potentially elite decision makers in the VFL umpiring ranks who are being held back because of their inability to bounce the footy, then removing the bounce may actually result in an improvement in umpiring.

Also, NRL is fine, but it only takes an IQ below that of a kindergarten student to both play at the elite level and understand the sport on a deep level.
Using it in your example isn't the flex you think it is.

 

[DazalenkoUBewty]

Good and good.
Definitely a bit sad to see the bounce go, but won't miss poor bounces and the time they waste from the clock.

if anything, they probably could've started quarters with a bounce.

 

[shaqsuns]

Not to discredit the Lions in any way, but two pivotal goals came from a shit bounce that didn't get called back.
One was the Rayner tackle on Blicavs which basically ended the game. Had that got called back maybe Geelongs heads would not have dropped.

 

[Dazzler9]

An entire generation and beyond will now grow up never knowing the sheer terror of attempting the bounce as a kid and hoping not to have it rebound directly into their bonce.

 

[revo333]

No trialling, no investigation into the ramifications, just making significant changes on a whim. They talk about wanting to reduce congestion yet they make rule changes that assist in creating it.

Amateur hour.

But the coaches know what's best apparently.

And of course they are only looking after the games interest and not their own.

 

[ozzz]

Umpire Razor Ray demonstrates the bounce down.....and the throw up

 

[Elite Master]

The removal of the bounce probably has more to do with the future. Not a lot of kids want to be umpires, or can be umpires, because they simply can't bounce the ball

 

[Rotayjay]

The removal of the bounce probably has more to do with the future. Not a lot of kids want to be umpires, or can be umpires, because they simply can't bounce the ball

Becoming an umpire isn't exactly an attractive prospect as it is. I certainly wouldn't do it. If this makes umpiring more attractive to better decision-makers, so be it.

 

[brutus76]

10m ruck circle is also supposed to be getting ar$ed to allow ruckman more space to run and jump and hit the ball to a team mate or open space to lessen the contested stoppages

 

[Ralll]

Sub rule is gone great. The more players on the bench the less injuries will impact the result, so being 5 now should suffice.
Don't like the center bounce change. It had the randomness to which the players had to adjust on the fly which I liked.

 

[Golumless]

Those are some strangely sensible decisions from the AFL considering the state of the game.