‘Fans will lose their minds’: Rule change under fire after practice match
All-Australian selector Jude Bolton described what he has seen so far of the man on the mark rule change as “really poor,” predicting the controversial amendment will create unnecessary angst among AFL fans this season.
An incident during a practice match between West Coast and Fremantle on the weekend starkly illustrated how the rule change could influence the course of a match and drive spectators to distraction. Vision of the incident went viral on social media, drawing comments from a host of former and current players.
The moment in question occurred when Dockers defender Brennan Cox – standing the mark to a set shot from Eagle Oscar Allen – turned his back and took one step to the side. The field umpire blew his whistle, calling for a 50-metre penalty and taking Allen to the top of the goal square where he popped through an easy goal.
Commenting on the video of the incident posted by Channel Seven on Instagram, Cox wrote “stiff”.
Former Adelaide and Carlton player Sam Kerridge commented that it was “horrible, hard to watch”.
Dual Sydney premiership player and AFL life member Bolton, added to the All-Australian panel this year, said that while he understood the rationale behind the new rule it appeared bound to cause chaos.
“From my perspective, it’s such a small sample size at the moment, it’s hard to make a real judgment on how it’s going to impact the season moving forward. However of that sample size, it’s been really poor from my perspective. I feel like we’re just making it one of the hardest games to adjudicate, which puts undue pressure on the umpires, which creates unnecessary angst in the crowd,” Bolton said on Sunday.
The rule was implemented during the off-season under the imprimatur of AFL football operations chief Steve Hocking, who is aiming to open up the game amid declining scoring rates. Scoring fell to a 52-year low in 2019. It plummeted considerably last year but matches were played with shorter quarters.
Bolton accepted the jury was out on the new rule but didn’t seem optimistic.
“I’m happy to see how it changes the flow of the game,” Bolton said.
“Speaking to some of the players, they know that it’s opened up that 45-degree kick ... it’s going to be high-scoring. Obviously, that’s the way the AFL want the game. But those little frustrating tiggy-touchwood free kicks that create angst.
“It’ll rear its head like the deliberate out of bounds and things like that. It only needs one a game that cause headlines on a Monday morning. I feel for the umpires because they might get the game right for the whole time and have one incident that fans are just going to lose their minds over. It’s a little bit of ‘suck it and see’ for the moment, but from what I’ve seen thus far in just the trial games, it’s frustrating.
“It’s going to be pretty frustrating for defenders when it’s coming in so fast.”
Under the terms of the new rule announced by the AFL in November: “The defending player will only be permitted minimal lateral movement on the mark. If the defending player moves off the mark in any direction prior to “play on” being called, a 50-metre penalty will apply. The defensive team is unable to substitute the player on the mark.”
“The evolution of the game has seen an increase in defensive structures and these changes combined are designed to provide a better balance between attack and defence while encouraging more open ball movement,” Hocking said at the time.
One senior club official - speaking on the condition of anonymity - said on Sunday that the rule had been brought in to speed up play around the ground but should not apply for set shots inside 50.