JJ Liston Trophy champion clips AFL over rule changes
Star VFL players, including a JJ Liston Trophy-winner and a club captain, have hit out at the AFL over a key rule change for the second-tier league next year.
Victorian Football
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VFL star Tommy Gribble’s message to the AFL is clear: we’re players, not rat labs.
Werribee’s 2019 JJ Liston Trophy winner and other VFL players took to Twitter on Wednesday night to deliver a verbal shirt-front to the AFL over a major rule change to the competition next year.
The AFL announced yesterday that a minimum of three players from each team must stand inside 50m – with one pair in the goalsquare – at all kick-ins, boundary throw-ins and ball-ups.
It said play would not restart until all players were in position.
“Where a team fails to comply at a boundary throw-in or a ball-up, a free kick shall be awarded to the player of the opposing team at the point of the stoppage.
“Where the attacking teams fail to comply at a kick-in, a 50m penalty shall be awarded to the defending team.’’
The AFL said the rule would be “closely monitored prior to consideration as to whether it is implemented in the 2022 Toyota AFL Premiership Season’’.
Other rules were also announced.
VFL clubs were told of the changes shortly before they were detailed in an AFL media release.
Gribble gave the league a clip on social media, tweeting: “Hey @AFL here’s an idea – how about if you want to tweak the rules of the competition you do it to your competition and test it on that.
“Stop ruining the credibility of the VFL comp making all these test rules and list/age requirements, we are players, not lab rats.’’
Contacted this morning, Gribble said Werribee had asked him to not make further comment.
Coburg captain Peter McEvoy and senior player Jesse Corigliano chipped in too, with Corigliano calling the 50m rule “plain stupid’’.
“Good to know that aspiring draftees and AFL players trying to cement a spot in their team’s best 22 will be playing under a completely different set of rules than the @afl competition…,’’ he said.
McEvoy said the VFL had become the “crash test dummy’’.
He said each year “these nonsensical rules additions erode the originality of our game’’.
“Again zero consultation with players/coaches. It will be a disaster to adjudicate, will increase time wasting + injuries and create confusion for AFL players,’’ McEvoy said.
Former Port Melbourne senior coach David Dunbar said the VFL had been “destroyed’’ and was now “just a shambles of a competition’’.
Williamstown assistant coach Brett Henderson weighed in too.
“Hey @AFL, the @VFL is not a gimmick’’. It’s a serious competition with an edge. How about just giving sides 100 points at the start of the game and play for 10 minutes … same result and as a bonus you get shortened games and high scoring at the same time. Oh and you could ask fans.’’
Veteran Frankston timekeeper Michael Robinson said quarters could blow out to 40 minutes in the VFL.
He said the new zone rule would make the VFL more like America’s NFL.
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