Runners

Horace

Horace

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Dec 2, 2001
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As usual the media are trying to incite the AFL into doing something that does not have to happen, and get rid of the team Runners, following Nick Maxwell's recent on field activities. Of course the AFL is ever ready to get involved in something like this, because , well because they are a useless bunch of dimwitted individuals.

Yes, Maxwell does his stuff to try to assist the Giants; and is pretty good at it; but the AFL does not need to do anything more than tell the umpires to do what they are supposed to do and pay a free kick(s) against Maxwell and any other runner who does the same.

If that won't work, then report him and have him suspended or fined, but please don't get rid of the runners. I'm with Bevo on this. We need runners to get all sorts of messages out to players and as he so rightly pointed out, the role of a runner in junior football is key to the development of kids.
 
I was thinking about this the other day.

I have a question:

In what other sport is a coach allowed on the field of play?
 
Nick Davis at the Cola's revolutionised this practice of runners acting as an extra player/coach onfield 90+% of the time.
 
Only Forwards said:
I was thinking about this the other day.

I have a question:

In what other sport is a coach allowed on the field of play?
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Why is there a need to be like any other sport?
 
Only Forwards said:
There's not.

I was just interested if it happened.
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Rugby League. Matt King and other ex players like him sit out behind the defensive line holding a water bottle but spend the entire time organising the defensive setup, watching the opposition players and making sure they have everyone covered off. He was talking about it on Bill and Boz during the week after Maxwell's exploits had been highlighted.
 
Twinkletoes said:
Rugby League. Matt King and other ex players like him sit out behind the defensive line holding a water bottle but spend the entire time organising the defensive setup, watching the opposition players and making sure they have everyone covered off. He was talking about it on Bill and Boz during the week after Maxwell's exploits had been highlighted.
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Thanks.

I think Brad had the solution to any issue.

Cap the amount of times a runner is allowed out there, along with a capped amount of time.
 
Only Forwards said:
Thanks.

I think Brad had the solution to any issue.

Cap the amount of times a runner is allowed out there, along with a capped amount of time.
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Yep and, like the AFL, the NRL are trying to clamp down on it.
 
Horace said:
As usual the media are trying to incite the AFL into doing something that does not have to happen, and get rid of the team Runners, following Nick Maxwell's recent on field activities. Of course the AFL is ever ready to get involved in something like this, because , well because they are a useless bunch of dimwitted individuals.

Yes, Maxwell does his stuff to try to assist the Giants; and is pretty good at it; but the AFL does not need to do anything more than tell the umpires to do what they are supposed to do and pay a free kick(s) against Maxwell and any other runner who does the same.

If that won't work, then report him and have him suspended or fined, but please don't get rid of the runners. I'm with Bevo on this. We need runners to get all sorts of messages out to players and as he so rightly pointed out, the role of a runner in junior football is key to the development of kids.
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Found this handy link on the bottom of the afl site. http://www.afl.com.au/afl-hq/laws-of-the-game
There should be something on runners there.
I know that locally that the runner can get into some serious trouble for being on the field for longer than they should. They aren't allowed to coach anyone at all when they are on there.
 
We do need the runners, but some of them stay on the field far too long. The umpires should tell them to deliver their message and then get the hell off. I hate the way they hang around when a player's having a shot for goal, and then about half a dozen waterboys/girls rush on with drink bottles. Do the players really dehydrate so much when shooting for goal? Most of them just have a mouthful and spit it out. there should be a limit to the number of runners on the ground as well as the time they stay on. A couple of free kicks or 50 metre penalties should solve the problem. Also they should be reported and fined or suspended.
 
kangaroo7 said:
We do need the runners, but some of them stay on the field far too long. The umpires should tell them to deliver their message and then get the hell off. I hate the way they hang around when a player's having a shot for goal, and then about half a dozen waterboys/girls rush on with drink bottles. Do the players really dehydrate so much when shooting for goal? Most of them just have a mouthful and spit it out. there should be a limit to the number of runners on the ground as well as the time they stay on. A couple of free kicks or 50 metre penalties should solve the problem. Also they should be reported and fined or suspended.
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1 runner allowed X amount of times for X duration.

Surely this could be monitored via a device worn on their wrist.

When a team exceeds either time or amount of messages a free against is paid.

Simples.
 
If they are found to have been using runners illegally reduce their allocation of runners for x amount of weeks. If they do it again they lose all runners for a game. And so on.
 
Only Forwards said:
There's not.

I was just interested if it happened.
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I was watching a bike race the other day and the commentators were talking about cyclists being miked up to team managers as a matter of course. Thinking back (in the old days pre mobile and wireless coms being everywhere,) they used to scream instructions from support vehicles all the time.

Gymnasts spend time between events with coaches and given the nature of what they do it would be impossible to coach them during their specific performances.

Neither of those are specifically the "field of play" but they are "communication systems" between the coaches and the players. And really that is all runners are. If they were doing anything other than communicating what the coach wants communicated they wouldn't last a game.

Dunno how appropriate it is for runners to spend ages directing play or place themselves in positions where they interfere with play.*

But getting rid of them would be a bit much. There are already pprovisions to deal with this stuff as Horace mentioned.



* The other week we were over analysing in minute detail a bit of play with Shaun Atley.

There is one point where several runners trainers or water carriers and a few opposition players are around a disposal option for Atley. So one player is surrounded (within 5 - 10 metres - a second or so of movement) by at least 7 people, maybe three actually playing.

Atley was criticised for not choosing that player (Higgo maybe?) as an option but if he briefly glanced upfield while assessing what was going on a round him he would have seen one North player surrounded by non north people who he would have to assume are playing for the opposition if he was making a very brief, almost instantaneous assessment. I think one of those people were umps 3 were opposition players and another 3 or 4 were runners or trainers. When you are making instantaneous assessments you're as likely to write off Higgo (or anyone) as an option in that situation cos you see one teammate - one player with our jumper in a very crowded area. So that is one way training staff can be used to interfere with the game.

On a similar note ... yesterday Maj, while playing for Werribee in the 4th, kicked the ball ootf while running toward goal/the forward line. I remember thinking wtf as he kicked it.

A split second after he kicks it a boundary umpire appears running flat out to exactly the spot the ball is going. The umps outfits weren't that different to Werribee's, both yellow or flouro green/yellow. There is no way two teams would play with that sort of potential colour clash these days. As I started wonder why Maj kicked so stupidly the ump came into view and I actually wondered if he'd seen the yellowish green jumper's movement with his peripheral vision and kicked to it instinctively.

I actually thought there were a few times North players confused umps with Adelaide players during the game in Hobart this year too.

Sorry to go slightly off topic Horace.
 
I seriously don't see the need for runners, they're an anachronism from simpler times when interchange players couldn't come back on to the field.

There's ample opportunity for players to receive coaches' instructions and pass them on to other players during breaks and during rotations.


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Harris 10 said:
What do runners actually do that can't be said to a player or players during their regular rotations.
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Nothing anymore.

They're on field to set up players now. It's fairly obvious.

They're not necessary in the modern game.
 
Does every player come off for a break during the game at appropriate times to get messages?
 
blackshadow said:
I seriously don't see the need for runners, they're an anachronism from simpler times when interchange players couldn't come back on to the field.

There's ample opportunity for players to receive coaches' instructions and pass them on to other players during breaks and during rotations.


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I wouldn't want to rely on players to do that tbh.

I'd much prefer runners having limited time on field to deliver messages then get off.
 
Suzanne olsen said:
That can't happen.
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We haven't employed a runner for about 8 years. At least, that's the last time I remember a North Melbourne team being able to adjust tactics or positioning in the middle of a quarter, so I assume we don't have a runner to deliver obvious messages that every spectator in the stadium can see is needed.
 
That is a situation where I think it should be a free kick in front of goal regardless where the runner is. Pay that once and watch everyone smarten up
 
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