New man on the mark rule could change the game, says Bulldogs assistant coach

The AFL announced three rule changes last November and at least one club says one adjustment could lead to a different game style and more 50m penalties.

Western Bulldogs recruit Adam Treloar.

A new man-on-the-mark rule could be a game-changer in 2021, according to Western Bulldogs assistant coach Steven King.

The AFL announced three rule changes in November last year, with most attention on a reduction in interchange rotations to 75 per team.

The league also made changes to the man on the mark, bringing the mark back another 5m for behind kick-ins — giving defenders more room to play on — and clamping down on players standing the mark around the ground.

Any player on the mark who moves sideways more than a metre will be pulled back 50m.

“We haven’t had the umpires in yet, but we are trying to coach it ourselves and it’s going to be interesting to see how it flushes out,” King told the Herald Sun.

“We are going to see a fair few 50m penalties early but also we will see players exploring opportunities with the ball and with handball receives and overlap run. It will open up the ground a fair bit and give players chances to take the ball back through the corridor. It’s certainly going to be interesting.”

AFL football operations manager Steven Hocking said the change was designed to open up the game.

“We want to see players do random acts and more instinctive play, and take the game on,” he said on Channel 7.

“Hopefully what the fans get to see is get a better balance between attack and defence.”

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The AFL hopes tougher policing of the man on the mark will encourage more creative play from stars like Marcus Bontempelli. Pic: Michael Klein

Meanwhile, King said star recruit Adam Treloar has a “point to prove” and is ready to regain the football world’s respect starting from Round 1 against former side Collingwood.

As midfield coach King is the man who will have to juggle the midfield time of a Dogs side that kept want-away midfielder Dunkley but also acquired Treloar from Collingwood.

Few players have ever been turfed out of a club in such a public and torturous manner, and King says Treloar’s summer had reflected that brutal reality.

“I am so glad we don’t have to play against him. He has a history of bursting through traffic against us and it’s so exciting to have someone of his experience and competitiveness,” he told the Herald Sun.

“He is super diligent and wants to fit in, and with the way he has worked you can see he has got a point to prove. He wants to show the boys what he has got.

“He is a bit more uncomfortable in a new environment and internally you want to prove yourself to the new coaches and fan base, and any player who does that can reignite their career.

“He has been pretty resilient. We backed him off a bit early for our medical team to get across everything, but he’s been really good to date and building up to be available for the first praccy game.”

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Adam Treloar is doing everything to impress his new Bulldogs teammates.

Coach Luke Beveridge said November Lachie Hunter faced “some challenges in the future” after a torrid year that saw him suspended by the club and losing his vice captaincy after crashing his vehicle into some parked cars.

But King said the elite midfielder, who also missed time for personal reasons later in the season, had set the scene for a bounce-back year.

“There is a different feel about Lachie this year. He was pretty disappointed in some of the things that happened last year and the way it panned out.

“He is a very important leader to the club on the field with the way he sees the game, he’s almost another coach, and the standard he has set has been really high since he got back. He has primed himself for a big year.”

Dunkley played only 12 games due to an ankle injury and despite a public trade request the Dogs held firm, setting the scene for a year of intrigue about how much midfield time he will be handed.

“He has been unbelievable,” said King.

“Even going through the process, Dunks is a pro and it’s amazing how 20 years ago how big a deal it could have been. But the professionalism now is so high. The players are so welcoming and they have made it as comfortable as they can. He has led by example from day one and presented himself well and is working so hard at training.

“Reflecting on his year, he had that bad syndesmosis and we asked him to fill a role in the ruck and he was so team-oriented that he accepted it, but we won’t do it this year.

“We will share the load with all our mids and with his forward craft and ability to cover ground he will play multiple positions for us and he will be accepting of that.”

THE KING’S SPEECH: DOGS ASSISTANT COACH ON ...

Why Marcus Bontempelli will spend more time forward this year:

“Bonty and Jack Macrae are excited about challenging themselves when they aren’t in the middle. Even exploring 75 interchanges, guys will come up for longer but also go forward.

“He is excited about hitting the scoreboard more and has put a mountain of time into his game and forward craft. We know about his front-half connections and finishing but if he adds to that firepower he can take his game to a new level.”

Marcus Bontempelli and Bailey Smith are part of the Dogs’ deep midfield.

Why the Dogs plan to play two rucks for most of the year:

“I think we can do it most of the time. Stef Martin has taken Tim (English) under his wing with what he does in the gym and how he watches vision. They can share the load. Tim was really good in patches but got worn down a bit. What Tim is doing forward of the ball is quite exciting. He can run and launch at the footy and he’s a really viable long-term option forward of the ball. Him and Stef can share that load but we will wait and see how it goes.”

The club’s injuries:

“Toby McLean is coming back from an ACL and Riley Garcia is building back up (after knee surgery). Mitch Hannan had some groin issues, so we are resetting him after some groin soreness he carried in the past and Taylor Duryea had a quad injury, but he was back in training (on Friday), so touch wood we are going well.”

Jamarra Ugle-Hagan flies high.

Not rushing No.1 draft pick Jamar Ugle-Hagan:

“Like all boys drafted this year he hasn’t played a game for over a year and he is seeing the way elite athletes train and it’s been an eye-opener how demanding the sessions are. He is the No.1 pick, but he is still absorbing the volumes and load of sessions. He is leading how to back up and recover and finding his feet, but he’s doing the little things that make you sit up and notice. He needs to keep putting on weight and learning.”