What rules would you change/fix to make the game more watchable?

[YeOldTiger]

It's not so much how much umpires are paid, but that they should be full time professionals like the players. That might be $200k a year and more as the experience goes up perhaps. But mainly that they are in a full time, elite environment, practicing skills and developing their craft as befits the environment that they're walking into.

Look it's a difficult game to umpire, we all know that, mainly because of the way the rules can be manipulated (hello Duckwood) and interpreted. Simplifying and clearly defining infringements, stopping tinkering with the rules and brining in new rules each season and putting umpires into a full time professional environment would go a long way to fixing some of the problems of the game. Less frees, simpler, clear interpretation, particularly of holding the ball/incorrect disposal.

The best games and the best performances by umpires are when we don't really notice them.

 

[Infamy]

- Minimum mark distance to now be 20 metres, no more chip chip footy or little sideways passes inside 50 to the midfielders who pushed up, keep the game moving.

Increase the minimum distance for a kick to be paid a mark from 15 metres to 25 metres at least, probbaly 30 metres.
This opens up the possibility of more kicking errors and a reluctance to chip sideways and an increase in kicking to a contest rather than keepings off.

I think the solution to this is that the kick must go 10-15 meters past the mark rather than where they kick it from. The player can go 15 meters back and kick it to exactly the same place the mark was and have it paid under the current rules.

 

[Dags2121]

Do away with th 15m kick rule altogether.. th umps can’t tell 17m from 9m. Make it easy to call, kick-mark, 2m or 200m doesn’t allow the umpires judgement


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[Dags2121]

There’s nothing wrong with the holding the ball rule.. but they won’t call drops or throws, to allow the game to continue. Th Dees and th Doggies have perfected it this year. Take on th tackle, drop or throw to your teammate, repeat


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[tiggywigs]

Okay, here's a quick summary of our gripes...
Holding the ball (16) wins the most mentions just ahead of the Stand rule (14).
The middle bunch is headed by 'high contact' (8), closely followed by problems with the 'not 15' rule (7), 'ruck nominations' rule (7), 'protected zone' (6), 'insufficient attempt' (5), 'push in the back' (5), 'lack of consistency' (4) and 'throws' (4).
'50 metre penalties' (3) headed up the rear with other issues including 'kick outs', 'touched ball', 'tiggy touchwood frees', '666', 'deliberate points', 'blocking',
'frontal contact', 'below the knees' and 'dragged ball in' (all 2).
A few one post stragglers (advantage rule, hitting the post) including, surprisingly for me, little discontent with 'ruck infringements' (1) and 'blocking' (1).
Plus more than one or two suggestions that seemed a bit beyond scope (e.g. no umpires got 2 post support).
Overall, roughly as expected (though I thought the 'protected zone' fiasco might run a clear third).
Thanks for playing.

 

[Hank Heavenly]

1- Stand rule - if it's not going to go, which it won't, you need to give the MOM 1m each side. if they accidently take one step, thats ok, if they take 2 steps, gone

2 - Nominate Rucks - they want the game to speed up, but we wait for an umpire for 5 secs every stoppage to ask who's going up. They are grown men, if they can't work out who's going up, their problem. As soon as a second man goes up, it's a free, pretty simple.

3 - HTB - just pay as many as you can, it will look horrible early few rounds, but players will adjust. Players now know it's nearly a miracle to get done HTB so they take on the tackler, and run the risk, then get bailed out but a ball up. HTB becomes a two step decision making process
a) did they have a chance to dispose of the ball (what we consider prior) - IF yes, see b), IF no, ball up
b) did they dispose of it correctly - IF yes then play on, IF no it's HTB (no such thing as "they made an attempt", it's either a disposal or not)

3.1 - All holding the ball decisions should take the same amount of time. Tackle applied, count to 3, then apply logic in rule 3. None of this, 5-10 second crap, and the theatrics that go with the umpire hovering over the tackle, look at me look at me, im going to blow my whistle crap.

4 - Holding the man (After a tackle) - too often now, you see a good tackle, the player with the ball is allowed to just drop it without correct disposal, then the tackler gets punished for hanging on too long. Actually penalises a good tackle and rewards the wrong player

5 - "Make a genuine attempt" - It's bullsh!t to be honest. Flopping on the ground when three blokes are laying on you is not GENUINE at all, it's theatrics to appease the umpire, as I said it's Bullsh!t and not needed. Pretending isn't fooling anyone, so why bother with it!

6 - Protected area - I'm happy to leave it in, but with the addition that the player who is in the 'Protected area' actually effects play or hinders the person taking the kick. If it has NO IMPACT on the play, let it go. Players running past putting their hands up is pathetic.

7 - AN ADDITION - No ruck contact at stoppages until you have jumped at the ball. In essence, what you see at the centre bounce, you should see at every stoppage and throw in. The second a ruckman engages another ruckman BEFORE jumping for the ball, BANG, FREE KICK. you watch the space this will create at stoppages and genuine hitouts, rather than a wrestling show and 'maybe' someone gets a hand to it.

 

[Sir_Loin]

This is exactly why umpires with no feel for the game can ruin it, this video should be shown at AFL headquarters on how not to umpire and how dumb rules ruin games Of footy.
ps ill never forget that game. Add salt to the wound he paid a 50mtr penalty

the only time I’ve ever lost it at the footy. Umps were all over us that day as well. Another ****ing rule change

 

[Grrr]

More watchable... Bring back Helen D'Amico.... (figuratively)

 

[Simche]

There's one really simple thing they can do in my view which is start paying throws. A high proportion of inside, under pressure 'handballs' are throws. Read the rules and a handball requires a stationary bottom hand. None of this over the head, shovel nonsense. Second that happens it's a free kick.

Second, reward the tackler. If the ball is 'dislodged in the tackle' it's holding the ball. No ifs, no buts. If the a player fails to dispose of the footy by a legal handball or kick, holding the ball. If the ball is locked between two players or under a pack it is a ball up. Ball it up quickly and none of this 'who's up, is it you? I'm going this way, is everyone alright?'.

Remove the ridiculous exceptions that exist in the rules and basically ban ruck infringements. A ruckman can take the ball out of the ruck but I see no reason why they shouldn't have holding the ball paid against them if they do so.

Other ridiculous rules to go: Stand Rule, the ridiculous 'protected zone' and insufficient attempt.

I would also crack down on all holding off the ball and actually pay shepherding in a marking contest properly to prevent these lines of blokes just running for a contest to protect the space.

We really have destroyed the game over the last 20 years haven't we?

 

[juss]

1- Stand rule - if it's not going to go, which it won't, you need to give the MOM 1m each side. if they accidently take one step, thats ok, if they take 2 steps, gone

2 - Nominate Rucks - they want the game to speed up, but we wait for an umpire for 5 secs every stoppage to ask who's going up. They are grown men, if they can't work out who's going up, their problem. As soon as a second man goes up, it's a free, pretty simple.

3 - HTB - just pay as many as you can, it will look horrible early few rounds, but players will adjust. Players now know it's nearly a miracle to get done HTB so they take on the tackler, and run the risk, then get bailed out but a ball up. HTB becomes a two step decision making process
a) did they have a chance to dispose of the ball (what we consider prior) - IF yes, see b), IF no, ball up
b) did they dispose of it correctly - IF yes then play on, IF no it's HTB (no such thing as "they made an attempt", it's either a disposal or not)

3.1 - All holding the ball decisions should take the same amount of time. Tackle applied, count to 3, then apply logic in rule 3. None of this, 5-10 second crap, and the theatrics that go with the umpire hovering over the tackle, look at me look at me, im going to blow my whistle crap.

4 - Holding the man (After a tackle) - too often now, you see a good tackle, the player with the ball is allowed to just drop it without correct disposal, then the tackler gets punished for hanging on too long. Actually penalises a good tackle and rewards the wrong player

5 - "Make a genuine attempt" - It's bullsh!t to be honest. Flopping on the ground when three blokes are laying on you is not GENUINE at all, it's theatrics to appease the umpire, as I said it's Bullsh!t and not needed. Pretending isn't fooling anyone, so why bother with it!

6 - Protected area - I'm happy to leave it in, but with the addition that the player who is in the 'Protected area' actually effects play or hinders the person taking the kick. If it has NO IMPACT on the play, let it go. Players running past putting their hands up is pathetic.

7 - AN ADDITION - No ruck contact at stoppages until you have jumped at the ball. In essence, what you see at the centre bounce, you should see at every stoppage and throw in. The second a ruckman engages another ruckman BEFORE jumping for the ball, BANG, FREE KICK. you watch the space this will create at stoppages and genuine hitouts, rather than a wrestling show and 'maybe' someone gets a hand to it.

Yep nominating rucks is unnecessary. If you want a 1v1 ruck contest the easiest way is just to pay a free kick against the player who comes in third man up or against the team who has two players contest the ruck.

Easy solve, no need to nominate.

 

[RunningBounce]

For me, only one thing counts for making the game more watchable - Richmond being competitive.

I have one rule suggestion for 2022 - no new rules. None. Ever. Read the 72 pages of the Laws of the Game here. 71 pages too many, in my view.

I want to lower the number of pages in that ****ed-up, need-to-be-a-lawyer-to-umpire snorefest. If we need one new rule, we need to get rid of two existing rules so the net result is less rules.

Rugby league made it's competition a joke with rule changes this season. Sure, it's faster and "more entertaining" for neutrals and the people who don't care, but there was blow-out after blow-out. The true supporters who actually care all think the changes have gone too far. How long until we go too far?

Rugby union is basically unwatchable now (and for a few years), because the rules are too technical.

Changing the rules is not going to increase scoring. Stoppages, apparently a real problem for some, have gone from an average of 61.5 a game during 2016 to 2018 (the dark times when the game was "unwatchable) to 57.7. Wow.

Every rule change costs us something. If people who watch the game for decades and care enough to post on BF don't understand the rules, what chance does someone new to the game have? Aren't we trying to "grow the game"?

Make it simple. It's a sport, not theatre. It's more watchable when it's competitive, not when it's pretty. [/rant]

 

[tiggywigs]

There's one really simple thing they can do in my view which is start paying throws. A high proportion of inside, under pressure 'handballs' are throws. Read the rules and a handball requires a stationary bottom hand. None of this over the head, shovel nonsense. Second that happens it's a free kick.

Second, reward the tackler. If the ball is 'dislodged in the tackle' it's holding the ball. No ifs, no buts. If the a player fails to dispose of the footy by a legal handball or kick, holding the ball. If the ball is locked between two players or under a pack it is a ball up. Ball it up quickly and none of this 'who's up, is it you? I'm going this way, is everyone alright?'.

Remove the ridiculous exceptions that exist in the rules and basically ban ruck infringements. A ruckman can take the ball out of the ruck but I see no reason why they shouldn't have holding the ball paid against them if they do so.

Other ridiculous rules to go: Stand Rule, the ridiculous 'protected zone' and insufficient attempt.

I would also crack down on all holding off the ball and actually pay shepherding in a marking contest properly to prevent these lines of blokes just running for a contest to protect the space.

We really have destroyed the game over the last 20 years haven't we?

I've always understood this to be the rule, but I can't find an official mention of it anywhere. Can you provide a link?

Edit: Sorry, just found it in the definition section. You are absolutely correct.

https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2021/05/17/8ee25f9e-5aff-4813-9c5d-1addfa655470/2021-Laws-of-the-Game-.pdf

Pity the umpires aren't being told to implement the rule properly.

 

[Vassp]

the only time I’ve ever lost it at the footy. Umps were all over us that day as well. Another ******* rule change

I mean that was just stupid, l cant Remember if l was at that game, l used to go a lot back then.
i don’t normally lose it at the footy, used to lose it mostly just watching it on tv.
it was part of the tiger torchere back then, we would some how find a way to lose a game or got smashed by umps.