AFL rule changes have ruined Fremantle coach Ross Lyon’s game plan, writes Paul Chapman

THE AFL’s rule changes have opened up our game but has made Fremantle’s chances of winning this year’s flag a whole lot harder, writes Paul Chapman.

AFL: Round 1 Bulldogs v Fremantle Nat Fyfe Picture:Wayne Ludbey

CONGRATULATIONS to the AFL for rule changes that have opened up our game, even if they just made Fremantle’s chances of winning this year’s flag a whole lot harder.

In fact, I don’t think the Dockers can win it.

All teams have an off day at one point in the season so it’s not because of what I saw last weekend. I have a great deal of respect for coach Ross Lyon and what his Dockers teams have produced over the past few years with their manic and frenzied brand of football.

They play it harder than anyone else, putting so much pressure around the ball and forcing teams to kick back to their spare, normally Michael Johnson, a plan that worked for five years.

Being harder and better around the contest is still “Footy 101” and that won’t ever change, but the game is changing.

The reduction of interchange rotations to 90 and fewer stoppages means the men in purple must adapt and take on a more attacking game plan.

It’s a hard way to play football. Even when they were really good they seemed to run out of puff the longer the season went on because of the mental and physical exhaustion it takes to maintain that game style all year.

Football in Round 1 looked a lot more open so you could see the skills of someone like Paddy Dangerfield, bursting from stoppages rather than being forced to jam the ball on his boot.

We saw the talents of players, which is such a plus for the game.

You got to see why players were recruited as they showcased their abilities — that they can really run, can use both feet and use their smarts around the contest.

The direction footy is heading doesn’t suit the Dockers. They will have to adapt because I don’t think their game plan will stand up.

And if players are on the burst then the ball gets down quicker to forwards, allowing a super talent like Jake Stringer to mesmerise his opponent one-out.

For the past five years, if you could win your own ball then that was good enough because there wasn’t much else to it as we lost the skill of the game a bit.

The VSFL and VFL will start playing the same way as the AFL and you will see more attractive football across the country.

The direction footy is heading doesn’t suit the Dockers.

They will have to adapt because I don’t think their game plan will stand up. They will have to tweak their game to help them score more to be competitive.

Up forward Matthew Pavlich didn’t really look like he was running on top of the ground against the Western Bulldogs and everything you thought he might be at age 34, he was.

From the outside it looks like he might have been forced to go on because there was no one ready to replace him and he’s a talent that can’t really be replaced. I hope I’m wrong, but it could be a long year for him.

Footy being more open will take a huge toll on players and may shorten careers, so list management during the season will become vital to achieve success.

Nat Fyfe and the Dockers were no match for the Bulldogs last week. Picture: Wayne Ludbey

That means it’s even more important to have a great start to the season and win enough early games so you can rest some players when you are 8-1.

The teams that are 3-6 or 4-5 won’t have that luxury and will have to pick their best players week after week just to make the top eight.

In 2011 under Chris Scott, we won our first 13 straight at Geelong.

We initially focused on winning our first four games against beaten grand finalists St Kilda, Fremantle in Perth, Port Adelaide and Sydney at the SCG.

Then you can start to control your own destiny. One week off in footy is almost as good as a holiday and the benefits from it are huge.

Naturally I get asked about Geelong and how the Cats are placed for a run at it this year.

I commentated for K-Rock last week and left feeling that they would only get better when they developed 100 per cent trust and jelled with the new faces.

The Geelong-Hawthorn game was a perfect example of blokes getting tired and making more mistakes.

Even though Geelong led clearly after dominating the first half, I knew the Hawks would get to get back into the game, not just because they are a great team but because the rule changes helped them.

Geelong worked a lot harder than Hawthorn in the first half and used up a lot more petrol tickets, so naturally Hawthorn’s third quarter was not just indicative of the champion team that they are, but they also had fresher legs.

In the end it came down to who wanted it the most. In the last quarter you could see guys needing to gut run and will themselves to get the job done.

That was Geelong, but it was the perfect showcase for how we want football to be played. Fantastic to watch. Long may it continue.

Originally published as AFL rule changes have ruined Fremantle coach Ross Lyon’s game plan, writes Paul Chapman