Malcolm Blight meets with Martin Mattner and Michael Godden ahead of AFL discussion on state of the game

FOOTBALL legend Malcolm Blight has met with SANFL coaches Michael Godden and Martin Mattner to discuss how the league has increased scoring and decreased stoppages ahead of an AFL roundtable discussion on the state of the game next week.

Malcolm Blight is on a panel to discuss the state of the game at AFL level. Picture: Tom Huntley.

• SANFL reverses record-high stoppages and low scoring

FOOTBALL legend Malcolm Blight has met with SANFL premiership coaches Michael Godden and Martin Mattner to discuss how the league has increased scoring and decreased stoppages ahead of an AFL roundtable on the state of the game next week.

Blight will take their views backed by SANFL data on dramatic improvement in congestion to a panel organised by AFL operations manager Steve Hocking on June 7.

The three main things he discussed with Godden and Mattner were the league’s last possession out of bounds rule, a stricter interpretation of holding the ball and capping interchange rotations at 60.

Those changes were implemented by the SANFL after the 2015 season when scoring was at a 40-year low and stoppage numbers at a record high.

According to data released last month in the three years since, stoppage numbers decreased from 72.2 to 52.7 per game, throw-ins from 32.9 to 20.7, while holding the ball decisions went up from 4.8 to 11 per game and scoring increased from 133.8 to 139.9.

Blight said it was important to note the last possession out of bounds rule was not last touch like in basketball and players were not allowed to block or shepherd the ball to deliberately allow it to go out of play.

Eagles premiership coach Godden is on the SANFL’s laws of the game committee and fought against the last possession out of bounds rule coming in, but now admits he got that wrong.

“I was strongly against it,” Godden said.

“Because I’m a stoppage man, I love stoppages, and to be honest I still don’t like the rule but I have to admit what it has done is the right thing.

“It was a change for the betterment of the game and in some ways I’m glad I lost that one.

“It also removes the interpretation of deliberate out of bounds which is what frustrates supporters.

“So I would think it’s a no-brainer that the AFL bring that in. Last touch out of bounds is a significant question, that’s the next level again.

“And what both Blighty and I are both very big on is any change cannot impact the fabric of the game, so being mindful of that while trying to open it up is the challenge.’

Blight said there was an observation that when the rule was first introduced, the two AFL teams Adelaide and Port Adelaide instinctively set up for a boundary throw-in before realising it was a free kick, so there was a need for uniformity with rules across all competitions.

“I sat down with Michael and Marty to get their take on what it looked like,” Blight said.

“And one of the big things was ‘do we want close games or do we want watchable games?’ and that’s a debate the industry has to have.

Among other suggestions to improve the quality of football at AFL level have been starting positions for players on the field and even cutting the size of teams to 16 but Blight said that should be a “last resort”.

His ideas include extending the length of the goalsquare to allow kick-ins to further penetrate the field and improving the grip of the footy to enable better skills.

The cumulative affect of the rule changes at SANFL level also mean the length of games is decreasing which pleases two-time reigning Sturt premiership coach Mattner.

“So with scoring up and the length of quarters coming down, overall it’s a positive thing,” Mattner said.

“The out of bounds rule is simple because it reduces the grey area with deliberate out of bounds and means the ball is in play more often.

“And by paying holding the ball more often that reduces stoppages and cuts game time as well.”

[e-mail]