Rule Change- Rucks....

[smooth mover]

it should also be noted that, unless my memory is tricking me, paddy ryder has never really been one for wrestling anyway. not at throw ins anyway. my memory of the typical paddy ryder ruck contest from a throw in is that he starts a fair way behind the other ruckman and tries to make sure no wrestling takes place at all. so this won't affect him much at all really.

This is why I dont think it will affect Paddy at all. For me it's guna be interesting to see how all the coaches react with their associated ruckmen & see if like every rule change they try to find the grey area around the rule! I can see early in the year this rule will be talked about alot as some ruckmen adapt & some don't & every coach, player, commentator & sports columnist is asking for the "correct interpretation"....

 

[Rack Watts]

It's good news for Paddy Ryder, that's for sure! AA INCOMING!

 

[Eleven 38]

I don't think it will make a huge difference at thrown ins, as the ball is in the air for a long time which will allow the ruckman to wrestle, or ruckmen try to get a run and jump at the ball anyway.

I'm more interested in whether teams will continue with the third man up, which several teams use often. If the ruckmen are looking at getting a couple of steps and a jump at ball ups around the ground, it should make it harder for a 3rd man to come over the top.

 

[JapanFootball]

I don't understand this at all. As others have said, how do they decide who initiated contact? If the ruckman is caught behind in the ruck contest and makes an effort to get to the front, and the guy in front pretends to not see the other ruckman coming and moves slightly to the side the other guy is coming from, does he milk a free kick? I can see both ruckmen starting on the boundary and running backwards with the hope of making contact with the other ruckman or a range of other stupid scenarios. This rule change is very vague, and has so many grey areas.

We have a hard enough time explaining the game to Japanese players as it is, but when we don't even understand the rules of the AFL, how are we supposed to teach others? What a joke. Personally, I have played ruck for 10 years. I have had a knee reco, hip arthroscopies, torn menisci and bits of floating bone chopped out of my knees. Thanks for destroying my future in the game AFL.

 

[monty1104]

I honestly don't think its hard to understand at all. Don't initiate contact with the other ruckman until the ball has left the umpires' hand. Once it has left the umpires hand, make contact as long as the contact constitutes legal contact, i.e. not above shoulders.

 

[Slattery_20]

I, for one, like the rule change/lack of change/reversion.
Look back at 70s & 80s games and there was just so little off-the-ball holding, so little scragging & grabbing & blocking (marking contests & rucks) - all about contesting the ball in the air. Cleaner, better looking game.
This change, hopefully*, goes some way towards bringing that back.

Conspiracy theory time: are they trying to encourage clubs to bring back 2 ruckmen?
*Depending on how they interpret it, and how consistently.

 

[Pweter]

Now understanding that the rule is no contact until the ball has left the umps hand (rather than pretty much no contact), I don't mind it nearly as much, and I agree with the sentiment above that it could revive the art of ruckwork rather than have a negative effect.

My only wish is that they trialled it in the NAB cup and then make a judgement for 2014 so we can see how not only the players react but also the umps.

 

[yaco55]

Think there are two components to the role - DOubt there will be little change in boundary throw ins - BUt with throw ups around the ground, i suspect there will be contests between non-ruckmen.

 

[Phone]

My only wish is that they trialled it in the NAB cup and then make a judgement for 2014 so we can see how not only the players react but also the umps.

they did though. and then darren jolly complained about it, which presumably was enough to give it the green light

 

[Pweter]

they did though. and then darren jolly complained about it, which presumably was enough to give it the green light

Really? My mistake then, goes to show how much I take out of the preseason comp.