Rodney Eade has warned clubs could exploit the league’s contentious new medical substitution rule

Ex-AFL coach Rodney Eade has warned clubs could exploit the league’s contentious new substitution rule to win a final. Plus a key Tiger is cleared.

Ex-AFL coach Rodney Eade has warned clubs could exploit the league’s contentious new medical substitution rule to win a final.

Eade told the Herald Sun that if he were still coaching he would take off an injured player - even if he was considered a chance to play the following week - and replace him with fresh legs in a do-or-die game.

The sub rule - adopted less than 48 hours before the season start - was used by both Carlton and Richmond at the MCG on Thursday night.

“I think it really is going to be exploited during finals, that will be the interesting case when it comes up,” Eade said.

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Nick Vlastuin of the Tigers leaves the field with a leg injury. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“If you are in a preliminary final and you’re six points down with 20 minutes to go and it’s a tight game and a bloke has a bit of a tight leg but can play the next week, well you’re going to replace him aren’t you?

“You’re going to try and win the game. A grand final — what are you going to do in a grand final? Cop a fine? Of course you’ll cop a fine.

“That will really test the clubs and what they do about the lengths that they’ll go to win. And if it’s (an) elimination (game), you’ll do something to make sure you survive the next week.”

AFL football boss Steve Hocking said on Friday he saw no issues with the Tigers subbing out Nick Vlastuin with a corked knee on Thursday night, an injury that would be assessed after scans.

“I was fortunate last night. I was sitting there live last night on the interchange bench and placed myself there and I had a front-row seat as to how it was all implemented,” Hocking told SEN.

“And I have only got complimentary remarks to make about how both clubs instituted it last night.”

Asked if he would exploit the rule himself while coaching in a preliminary final, Eade said: “I wouldn’t exploit the rule and take a player off that was fit, but if there was any doubt about him, a tight hammy or he’s just got a knick in the calf or a corkie and you know he’ll probably get up the next week … yeah, you’d certainly do it to try and win a game.

“They are the rules and the AFL have left it open.

“You’d say to the doc, ‘well, I think ah’ .. even the doctor might say, ‘yeah, well he might bleed more so he might not be right next week’.

“You don’t know, so you’d say, ‘well, let’s get him off and we’ll get a fresh player on, we’ve got to win the game’.”

Eade said it might be necessary for AFL or “third-party” doctors to get involved during the finals — “to make sure it’s not exploited”.

He said he agreed with the concept of a concussion sub “but the medical one is too grey”.

“It needs to be black and white but there’s grey and our game is too grey anyway for the umpire and now you are making it grey for the doctors and grey for the officials,” he said. “Even after one game there is debate about it. It was rushed in and they seemed to be reacting to a coach within 24 hours, which was a bit odd.

“That doesn’t mean it’s the wrong decision either, I think the concept of the rule is OK, I floated it two or three years ago because my thought was that we were going to become more vigilant about concussion and so therefore more players were going to be off the ground more often.

Jack Silvagni was the first player to be subbed out under the new rule.

“But on the medical side, I think they have got it back to front.

“It should be 12 days (sidelined) with a view that if you make a remarkable recovery you’ve got to apply for dispensation, rather than the other way.

“The (Nick) Vlastuin one is going to be interesting. They play next Sunday and in 10 days time the corkie is probably going to be OK.

“I know we are going to the integrity of the doctors but clubs will still push the envelope. “There is no doubt.

“If it was 12 days, the coach and the doctor have got to make a decision — ‘well Vlastuin might come up, and so therefore we don’t replace him’ — that’s just the attrition of footy, it’s just the way it is’.”

Utterly bizarre that at this stage in games teams could actually benefit from an injury. They would gain access to fresh legs their opponent couldn’t match as fatigue rises due to long games and less rotations. Fancy having your chances of victory boosted through losing someone.

— Sam Landsberger 🗯 (@SamLandsberger) March 18, 2021

Oscar Mac has brought his own footy. So has Jack Ross in the time he has been on. No one wants injuries but the impact of fresh subs is going to be immense this year.

— Jon Ralph (@RalphyHeraldSun) March 18, 2021

Hocking said Richmond forwarding on scans of Vlastuin’s injury to the AFL’s chief medical officer, Peter Harcourt, would be part of “the process”.

Silvagni is expected to miss weeks with an injured shoulder that led him to be subbed out of Thursday night’s game by Carlton.

“We have got trust in our doctors and we have got the right processes in place to address whatever might come out of the medical sub,” Hocking said.

“I will come back to the fact I saw it in full operation last night and I will have another look tonight and we will continue to monitor it as we need to. I have got confidence in our doctors and the broader industry.”

Hocking said there were 16-18 players each weekend who could not play the following week because of injury so the AFL decided to expand the concussion sub to an injury sub. 

TIGERS DEFENDER GETS THE ALL CLEAR

Richmond defender David Astbury is clear to play against Hawthorn at the MCG next Saturday after escaping suspension for a striking charge.

Astbury was reported after elbowing Carlton’s Lachie Plowman in the face during the third quarter of their clash on Thursday night.

But Match Review Officer Michael Christian deemed the contact as careless and low impact.

Astbury was offered a $2000 fine with an early plea.It comes as a relief to the Tigers who face losing fellow defender Nick Vlastuin to a knee injury next week after he was subbed off against the Blues.

Carlton’s Tom Williamson was also fined $2000 after being charged with rough conduct against Tiger Jake Aarts during the second quarter.The incident was ruled intentional but low impact.

MATCH REPORT: RICHMOND WINS CONTEST WITH EVERYTHING

On a glorious Autumn night Richmond unfurled a pair of premiership flags in front of 49,218 fans and then triumphed in its eighth straight season opener against a Carlton side up for the fight.

It was a contest with everything - fans back at the footy, two injury subs, controversy over the man-on-the mark rule and a free-flowing game with 55 scoring shots.

Carlton and Richmond both used their medical substitutes in the 25-point Richmond victory after injuries to Silvagni and Vlastuin that will be heavily scrutinised ahead of possible Round 2 returns.

There was plenty of heat on for the return of the AFL season.

But the significant role played by medical subs McDonald (two goals) and Jack Ross reinforced what an immense role players with fresh legs will play against fatigued opposition.

Vlastuin was limping heavily as he favoured his right knee and would seem a strong chance of missing next Sunday’s clash against the Hawks, while Silvagni could barely lift his right arm.

David Astbury is also in danger of missing that clash after being reported for an elbow to the head of Carlton’s Lachie Plowman.

Astbury threw his elbow back as he dropped the ball but collected Plowman, with a low-impact, intentional strike to the head enough to see him handed a one-match suspension.

Amid it all Dustin Martin’s latest masterclass saw him kick two goals and set up as many as four others in a scintillating 31-possession performance.

“It’s a special win. This is the holy grail of footy and it’s certainly great to be back with the fans,” Martin said.

“We are self-motivated, we are just humble and hungry and we want to keep winning and keep enjoying it.”

Carlton came at Richmond all night and were within five points of the Tigers at the 19-minute mark of the final term.

But despite a star turn from Sam Walsh, an impressive Blues debut from Adam Saad and Paddy Dow’s renewed form, they will rue a 2.6 third term when the Tigers were seemingly flagging.

McDonald created history as the first AFL medical sub when he came on to replace the injured Jack Silvagni (shoulder) at half time.

Not only did he nail a set-shot goal with his first kick from a downfield free kick 91 seconds into the third term, he had six possessions in his first 11 minutes and a strong second-half role.

It was the Dustin Martin show once again at the MCG.

Vlastuin was then replaced by Ross as the Tigers injury sub, with Ross (eight possessions in just over a quarter) only into the 23-man team when Trent Cotchin withdrew with gastro.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said he was all for the new medical sub rule given it allowed clubs to replace injured players.

“People will jump up and down about it but more players playing the game is a positive. I am all for the growth of the game. If it’s going to make the game better let’s do it. I can’t see the downside to it. If you have fresh players there you shouldn’t lose a game with it.

“I think it’s a positive. I will always look at it from a positive point of view, some guys will look at it otherwise.”

Sam Petrevski-Seton conceded the first man-on-the-mark 50m penalty in a decision that lacked consistency given the pair of incidents that had not been penalised before him.

He initially retreated behind the mark then darted forward again despite being told to stand, handing Josh Caddy a 20m shot at goal after the 50m penalty.

Earlier Kamdyn McIntosh had danced up back and forth on the mark as Will Setterfield took his kick from 55m but was not penalised with a 50m penalty.

It was exactly the kind of act that has been penalised in the pre-season games, so it was either a mistake or umpires have been told to give players more time until they call ”stand” to lock them on their marks.

David Astbury has been reported for striking after this incident. #AFLTigersBlues pic.twitter.com/JJzEGDkRC7

— AFL (@AFL) March 18, 2021

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE GAME

Ronny Lerner

LEAGUE HQ GET THEIR WISH

The AFL wanted a more open game with their new rule changes, and that’s exactly what they got with Richmond registering a club record 75 inside 50s in what was a very entertaining first game for the year.

SILVAGNI STIFF

Jack Silvagni produced an inspirational run down from behind of Kamdyn McIntosh before bringing the Tiger down after he took a couple of bounces on the wing. It looked as though McIntosh didn’t dispose of the ball correctly, but somehow Silvagni wasn’t rewarded with a free kick. With Carlton up by 11 points at the time, it could’ve produced a potentially momentum-shifting moment for the Blues. Instead, Jack Riewoldt kicked a goal the other way moments later.

Should this have been a free kick to Jack Silvagni?

HARRY’S HORROR SHOW

McKay had two opportunities to put Carlton in front in the third quarter and on both occasions, after marking inside 50, he decided to play on instead of taking a traditional set shot. The second instance was especially galling as he ran into an open goal but was brilliantly run down by Jayden Short.

MCKAY GOES WHACK

The big Carlton forward ran straight through Nick Vlastuin five minutes into the first quarter as the Tiger ran with the flight of the ball in a ‘dead-ball’ situation as Patrick Cripps had already been paid a free kick. Moments later, Levi Casboult outmarked Noah Balta in the goal square and kicked the first goal, to a chorus of boos from the predominately Richmond crowd. Shortly after a fiery melee erupted and Vlastuin attempted to get some retribution a few minutes later with a roundhouse punch to McKay’s rib cage as the big Blue took an overhead grab, but it had no effect.

TIGERS 3.3 8.5 10.8 15.15 (105)

BLUES 3.2 6.6 8.12 11.14 (80)

LERNER'S BEST

Tigers: Martin, Graham, Riewoldt, Balta, Lambert, Edwards.

Blues: Walsh, Cripps, Weitering, E.Curnow, Saad, McDonald.

GOALS

Tigers: Riewoldt 4; Castagna 2, Martin 2, D.Rioli 2, Aarts 2; Lynch, Caddy, Bolton.

Blues: McDonald 2, McKay 2, Gibbons 2; Casboult, O’Brien, Dow, Silvagni, Plowman.

INJURIES

Tigers: Cotchin (gastro) replaced in selected side by Pickett, Vlastuin (knee).

Blues: Silvagni (shoulder).

REPORTS

Astbury (Richmond) for striking Plowman (Carlton) in the third quarter.

UMPIRES Foot, Fleer, Mollison

VENUE MCG  

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

LERNER'S VOTES

3 D.Martin (Rich)

2 S.Walsh (Carl)

1 J.Graham (Rich)

Originally published as Rodney Eade has warned clubs could exploit the league’s contentious new medical substitution rule

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