AFL 2021: Players say rule changes make footy more fun
Players have given rule changes for 2021 a big tick and the AFL is set to back off on possible tweaks before Round 1. HAVE YOUR SAY
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The AFL might step back from tweaks to its new man-on-the-mark rule after the lightning speed at which players and umpires have adjusted to the rule change.
The league had promised it would wait until the full round of AAMI Community Series games until reviewing the rule and would tinker if needed before Round 1.
It could have allowed players some leeway to move laterally on the mark inside 50m or allowed more discretion to umpires if a player moved one step off the mark.
But in the first five games there were only three 50m penalties caused by players including St Kilda’s Shaun McKernan not standing still on the mark.
MORE: THE CASE FOR AND AGAINST NEW RULE
The AFL’s game analysis team will meet on Tuesday to consider any potential tweaks.
The league said on Sunday it was thrilled that players and umpires had acclimatised so quickly to the new rule.
Players have consistently reported across the weekend that footy is more fun under the new rules, which also include a reduction to 75 interchanges, that clearly see the ball in open play more often.
Despite the opening Carlton v St Kilda game lasting 124 minutes with a 34-goal shootout, the first four games averaged two hours and three minutes, almost identical to the 2017-19 seasons before last year’s shorter games.
From an extremely small sample size compared to 2019, scoring is up from 80.2 points per game to 91.3 points per game.
Former St Kilda star and Fox Footy commentator Leigh Montagna said the new rules were working, but is intrigued to see whether the AFL’s senior coaches can combat them.
“At the moment it’s AFL 1, Coaches Nil. The coaches tend to find a way to peg it back. Every team is going fast, but clubs will practice team defence to try to combat it.
“I really like the look of it at the moment. We will find a balance when coaches find ways to slow the game down.
“What I think it does it does is maximise your good kickers. What will happen is a player on the mark outside 50 will hand it to a Michael Walters-type to kick it. Why wouldn’t you get the ball in the hands of your best user?”
Points from turnovers were also up from 46.4 points to 59.9 points as mistakes were punished with team defences unable to hold up their rivals.
The rate of players playing on has skyrocketed from 25.6 per cent to 35.4 per cent, but umpires are trying to call play on more quickly as soon as the player with the ball veers off the mark.
HOW SAINTS EXPLOITED NEW RULE
St Kilda might have unveiled the first countermove against Steve Hocking’s new man-on-the-mark rule.
The rule, which prevents players moving forwards, backwards or sideways on the mark, is already making an impact through practice games and the opening AAMI Community Series match.
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Coaches and players alike are predicting the AFL’s latest rule change will result in more free-flowing and offensive football this year, given the extra time it affords the player with the Sherrin.
There’s been a trend of teams attacking more through the corridor in pre-season games, with the Saints and Blues combining for 34 goals, and 224 points overall, on Thursday night.
St Kilda employed a clear strategy as coach Brett Ratten and co. experiment to see what will work with the man-on-the-mark restrictions.
Saints footballers would immediately go about five metres backwards on the mark against Carlton, particularly on the defensive side of the wing, then moved right or left to protect the ‘inside’ kick.
Shaun McKernan was a split-second too late in back peddling off the mark early in the first quarter, and subsequently conceded the sole 50m penalty from the rule.
The player must make any potential movement before the umpire signals for the man on the mark to be stationary.
Ratten made clear post-match how much he was contemplating the machinations of the rule.
“The game is quicker with the man-on-the-mark rule,” he said.
“Teams are looking for it … and the rotations are limited, so it’s going to be interesting how much scoring goes through the roof, or strategies that teams come up with, because it’s going to challenge the players.
“We’ve had two weeks of playing an opposition team, so we’re starting to get a feel for what 2021 looks like for AFL footy.
“Will it stay the same? No, the game’s always changing and coaches are always strategising about how they can defend better or use the ball better or what they do in certain circumstances.”
Carlton coach David Teague said there was as much time going into how to exploit the rule offensively as defensively.
Teague tipped some clubs might drop numbers back and “try to counter-attack, soccer-style”.
“Everyone’s talking about the defensive side, but you want to talk about the offensive side as much and the ability to use it and get it to your forwards one-on-one quickly,” he said.
“I thought St Kilda did that well, particularly early, from the middle of the ground. They got it in there quickly and scored from centre clearances very well.
“There will be different interpretations, but it’s been great from an innovation and thinking point of view.”
After watching what the Saints did, Teague said there was plenty for coaches to weigh up ahead of round one.
“Do you go up and guard the mark, or do you sit five metres back?” he said.
“There are options, but I think you’ll find the start of the year, scoring is generally higher, anyway. It takes a while to get your defensive system set, so I think there’s a chance that scoring will just be up.
“The quarters are longer (than last year), too, so I think that increases fatigue and skill turnovers later in quarters, and the ability for your defence to shift later in games is going to be harder.”
‘LIKE A GUN FIGHT’: BEVO URGES AFL TO CHANGE NEW RULE
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has called on the AFL to “bend” on its controversial new man on the mark rule to avoid fan outrage and umpiring inconsistency.
The rule change forces the player on the mark to remain standing in the one spot and not being allowed to move in any direction.
Fans became disgruntled last weekend when a 50m penalty was paid against Fremantle’s Brennan Cox for moving off the mark, handing West Coast’s Oscar Allen a goal from right in front.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan this week called for patience on the new rule, but Beveridge on Wednesday morning said the new mandate asked too much of the umpires.
“Essentially the umpires need to rub their tummy and pat their head at the same time with this rule,” Beveridge said on SEN.
“It’s like a gun fight on the streets of Tombstone where it is whoever flinches first really.
“The thing is the umpire has to keep his eye on the player with the ball and the guy on the mark.
“It’s too hard to do that, so whoever moves first it’s either play on if the guy with the ball moves first or it’s a 50 metre penalty if the guy on the mark moves first.”
The 2016 premiership coach said he believed consistency would be an issue if a change was not made before Round 1.
“My feedback has been that it’s not about the ones they’ve paid, it’s the 15 to 20 of ones in the game they didn’t pay when they were there,” he said.
“Whether it’s play on or 50 metres, so you can’t actually umpire the rule to the letter that they’re trying to umpire it.
“So they’ll have to bend and let the guy on the mark move a little bit, otherwise it’s not going to work.
“If they don’t do that, the grandstands at the MCG are going to fall down when these 50-metre penalties are paid.”
GILL CALLS FOR PATIENCE ON NEW RULE
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan has called for patience with the new “stand the mark” rule following a backlash of criticism during last weekend’s practice matches.
The rule change forces the player on the mark to remain standing in the one spot and not being allowed to move in any direction.
Fans became disgruntled last weekend when a 50m penalty was paid against Fremantle’s Brennan Cox for moving off the mark, handing West Coast’s Oscar Allen a goal from right in front.
McLachlan said there was always going to be teething problems with new rule changes and urged fans to embrace it.
“All change is challenging for people but universally our supporters, our players and our clubs want more open football,” McLachlan said.
“This is a new rule that is in its infancy. We’ve had one round of practice games.
“We’re always listening and working to make sure the execution is as seamless as possible.
“I just think we need to be a bit patient on this one.
“It’s gone through a process and it’s there with the best intentions and what we saw on the weekend was a pretty limited impact on 50s and others.”
Brisbane’s All-Australian defender Harris Andrews is one such player the rule change could make life difficult for but the 24-year-old admitted he was all for it.
Andrews said the Lions had embraced the rule change during their pre-season training sessions and were constantly looking at ways to gain an advantage from it.
“It certainly opens up the game a bit and that’s what we’re going for – more high scoring games,” Andrews said.
“Fans come to watch a free-flowing game.
“The teams that are going to be able to deal with the change, that’s going to give them a great advantage.
“It’s not catastrophic and if teams can adapt quicker, it’s going to hold them in good stead.
“Us as players and coaches, we have to put in the best plan to deal with that change and we’ve worked pretty hard over the summer to take that into consideration.
“There’s certainly ways you can adapt to it and gain an advantage.”
McLachlan said average scores across the practice match weekend was up by two goals as some teams managed to score above 100 points.
ARE YOU DRUNK? MAN ON MARK RULE’S FIRST BIG TEST
– Jon Ralph
AFL players have quickly adjusted to the new man-on-the-mark rule despite a contentious 50m penalty that handed West Coast’s Oscar Allen a point-blank goal on Saturday.
Allen’s opponent Brennan Cox had conceded the mark to Allen 30m from goal and instead of standing rigidly on the mark he turned towards goal and shuffled his feet.
He was correctly penalised with a 50m penalty despite not attempting to move laterally or cut off Allen’s angle because he had moved off the mark when told to stand.
— Nic Naitanui (@NicNat) February 28, 2021
Allen’s teammate Nic Naitanui tweeted footage of the incident with a drunk face emoji and former Eagle Xavier Ellis tweeted the rule was “going as well as my fitness routine”.
But the Herald Sun understands in at least two of the official practice matches this weekend — Geelong-Collingwood and Richmond-Melbourne — there wasn’t a single infraction on the mark.
In both the Carlton v Essendon and Hawthorn v Western Bulldogs games only one player conceded a 50m penalty on the mark, while the most in any of the games was two 50m penalties.
Fans will be outraged if a 50m penalty for the offence costs their team a goal in Round 1 but players have been strictly coached on the role at over 300 umpire visits this summer.
There has also been much quicker ball movement in some games with players prepared to hit up short diagonal targets from the mark to free their teammates into space.
DEES DEFENDER TALKS UP NEW RULE
– Marc McGowan
Melbourne defender Jake Lever is tipping the AFL’s much-debated man-on-the-mark rule to meet its goal of producing more free-flowing football in 2021.
The Demons showed an increased appetite for attacking through the corridor in their 11-point practice match victory over reigning premier Richmond at Casey Fields on Friday.
Lever said that partly owed to the width of the Cranbourne East oval, but was also quick to highlight the new rule, where players on the mark mustn’t move until their opponent disposes of the ball or plays on.
The penalty for any illegal movement is a 50m penalty, none of which were paid on Friday.
“You can see with one of the rule changes, with the man on the mark, there’s a little more time for the guy to take it off the line and get it through the corridor, which I think most teams are,” Lever said.
“I think Richmond was very similar. You’re definitely going to see more attacking games of footy.”
Tigers assistant coach Adam Kingsley was more hesitant to read too much into a “small sample size”.
However, he noticed the rule helped players “get a little bit more territory” and left teams more exposed through the middle.
“We didn’t see any 50m penalties today, so that was always handy,” Kingsley said.
“We’ve done a little bit of work in the pre-season on the rule change and being able to make sure we adhere to that, so I think we did that quite well today.
“It’s a small sample size, but it probably will (open the game up).
“Melbourne was able to hit the corridor a bit more than we would have liked, so maybe that was the new rule, (or) maybe we were a little sloppy in defence … but I think it will open it up to a certain extent.”
BLUES PLAN TO EXPLOIT RULE CHANGE
– Jon Ralph
Carlton believes the new man-on-the-mark rule will only enhance its plans to run rivals off their feet with electric ball movement that will maximise the list’s strengths.
The Blues beat Essendon by 21 points in an Ikon Park practice match between the two arch rivals with only a single 50m penalty conceded by Ed Curnow for moving on the mark.
Alarmists have suggested the game might be ruined by a spate of 50m penalties but the contest was full of quick ball movement as both teams tried to take the contest on.
In a 14.11 (95) to 11.8 (74) contest with 44 scoring shots the rule only helped the flow of the game.
Carlton assistant coach Dale Amos said post-match the Blues were keen to take the game on given the skill-set of their players.
So a new rule which does not allow teams to corral and hold up players trying to be adventurous with their ball movement can only help Carlton.
“Yeah, we are excited. It’s going to take a little bit of adjusting to. The players are still adjusting and the umpires as well are adapting to the fact it’s a new rule but it’s fast. We like it, it suits us,” he said.
“It’s really exciting and our players have really embraced it and the fact it’s a rule that is in, we should be excited by it.”
Amos said the Blues were not concerned their players would fail to acclimatise given repeated umpire visits during the summer.
“I don’t think so, players are really adaptable. We have seen in the past that there is a transition period, but for players and umpires but overall players adjust really quickly and everyone just gets on with it.
“It’s hard to tell at this time of the year because everyone is more aggressive in the pre-season. It will bed down but all indications are that it will open up a little bit. You are restricted by having to stand and not move and it will depend on the psychology of teams and how they want to move the ball.”
There were no major issues with the new rules during St Kilda’s practice match against North Melbourne at Arden Street.
The ball moved freely end-to-end in both directions and the two sides combined for 49 scoring shots, with the Saints finishing a bumper day with 22 goals.
However, umpires were hot on the whistle to call play on as soon as forwards moved off the line of their mark and attempted to “arc” around from tight angles.
BUDDY’S ARC GONE IN ANOTHER RULE SHAKE-UP
– Sam Landsberger
The “Buddy Franklin kicking arc” is dead.
As the football world goes into meltdown over footage of a 50m paid in an Essendon intra-club match, the Herald Sun can reveal there is a secret twist to the controversial new rule governing players standing on the mark.
AFL umpires have been instructed to call “play on” whenever a player deviates off his line after taking a mark or being awarded a free kick.
The kicker now has to be in a direct line with the attacking goals, no matter where on the ground the mark or free kick is paid.
This could spell problems for Franklin who has an exaggerated arc to the left when he has kicking at goal.
This stricter interpretation has been coached to umpires over the pre-season, but it has not yet been communicated publicly by the AFL. Clubs have been informed, but footy fans have not been.
Given that the player on the mark has effectively been “spared” — made inactive because he now has to remain stationary or give away 50m — the expectation is that the kicker must execute along the correct line.
Without that rule in place, the player in possession could simply evade the man on the mark by running around him.
Signalling “play on” will bring the man on the mark back into action.
According to umpires, no longer will Franklin be allowed to wheel on to his left foot — in what has become one of football’s most symbolic sights — without “play on” being called.
The Herald Sun has contacted Sydney Swans for feedback.
Similarly, any AFL player who strays from that straight line in search of extra distance will also be called to play on.
Multiple umpiring sources have confirmed that if any player wanders off their direct line of kick – either through a natural arc or to get an advantage – play on will be called, so long as it is obvious to the umpire that has occurred.
Umpires are privately being told to be vigilant. The new rule has not gone down well with some, who fear they are on a hiding to nothing this season. They have voiced their feedback to AFL House.
The league bent its own rules to protect Franklin’s arc 10 years ago.
In 2011 umpires were told that players “who have a natural arc in their kicking action” would be allowed leeway before being called to play on.
But AFL umpires’ coach Hayden Kennedy reiterated at a recent training session that the rule had been tightened by rule makers, and they must now call play-on as soon as players go off their direct line.
The whistleblowers immediately raised Franklin as an example, and were told that he, too, has to kick over the player on the mark.
They are sceptical because it is yet another grey part of the game to police.
Any time a player backs off, and it is noticeable to the umpire that he has backed off more north-south, it will be called “play on”.
The player must be on the most direct line as possible approaching the kick as well.
AFL umpires say this new interpretation hasn’t been put to the test yet. They are awaiting an example at the upcoming trial games.
The new man on the mark rule was almost a non-event at the Western Bulldogs-Hawthorn match.
Onlookers said that Marcus Bontempelli gave away a 50m penalty late in the game, but simply forgot about the new rule and immediately put up his hand to apologise.
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Originally published as AFL 2021: Players say rule changes make footy more fun
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