Adelaide’s Josh Jenkins backs the AFL’s call to trial new rules this season
ADELAIDE’S Josh Jenkins has given his support to the AFL to trial new rules to ease congestion this season, with teams who cannot make the finals to play games under the new rules first.
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ADELAIDE forward Josh Jenkins has backed the concept of trialling new rules to ease congestion this season — and would happily take part in it in Round 23 if the Crows are no longer a chance to play finals.
Jenkins says changes to the game are inevitable and wants to take a proactive role in improving the look of the game, with the congestion marring the game prompting the AFL to create a competition committee.
It is made up of club presidents, chief executives, football managers and players and include Crows chief executive Andrew Fagan, Port Adelaide football chief Chris Davies and legends Malcolm Blight and Leigh Matthews. The committee was scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon.
AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan has already flagged changing the rules during this year’s premiership season is an option.
“(We’re) certainly thinking about it,” McLachlan said. “I can tell you there is three fixtures on consecutive weekends that I don’t think will have any bearing on the eight as we stand today.
“I know enough to know there’s fixtures that are available where we could do it and we’re certainly discussing whether that’s appropriate and the emerging view is I think it is.
“I don’t think there’s any way there could be a risk to the integrity of the competition.”
Jenkins said he would be happy for the Crows to trial some of the anti-congestion rules during their Round 23 match against Carlton if they no longer had a chance to make the finals.
“100 per cent. Yes,” he said on social media when it was put to him.
He was also firm in his belief that the new committee, who is represented by the players by AFLPA president Patrick Dangerfield, would usher in some new rules.
“I’m not necessarily in favour of change, but it’s coming, so time to be a part of the solution and not the problem,” Jenkins said.
In his column on the ESPN website, Jenkins argued strongly for the competition committee and the AFL commission to try some anti-congestion rules — among the mooted ones have been forcing players to start in designated positions of the ground for centre bounces — in season.
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“We need to see these changes in real, live, meaningful AFL games, not from training sessions or pre-season matches,” Jenkins wrote. “As we stand here on the eve of Round 19, Carlton and Gold Coast will certainly miss finals while it’d be safe to assume Brisbane, St. Kilda and even the Western Bulldogs will find it very, very difficult to feature.
“That presents us with a unique and vital opportunity to trial the new rules in some rather meaningless games at the end of the year, such as the Suns vs. Lions and Carlton vs. Bulldogs clashes in Round 22 — should all four sides be eliminated from September action, then we simply have to enforce the trial rules for these games.
“We need to see how the rules stand up under the intensity of real AFL footy.
“Next year’s pre-season competition will not cut it, nor will match simulation at club training.
“We have a duty of care to the game to make sure we get this right.”
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