AFL considering expanding interchange bench for season restart
Shorter quarters are locked in all the way to the Grand Final and the AFL is considering one more major change before the season restarts. Get the latest from a big competition committee meeting.
AFL
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The AFL will consider expanding interchange benches to as many as six players per team from Round 2 onwards in what would be a rare in-season change to the game.
The league’s competition committee met yesterday and AFL football operations boss Steve Hocking confirmed there was only a single element of the return to play still to be locked away — the interchange.
He said the league was adamant 16-minute terms were needed in a shortened season because of wear and tear on players and there was no chance of the league reverting to normal-length games for the finals.
But the league has listened to AFL coaches who have strongly pushed for more interchange options.
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“What is under consideration is what senior coaches put in front of us, which is whether to extend it (interchange) by one or two players,” Hocking said.
“It’s the only thing we’re considering as a potential final change or amendment to the game.
“The week leading into round two is when that will be finalised. But I just want to back over that and let the fans know, there’s no further changes beyond what we are currently considering and working through with the coaches.”
Hocking said the options were to keep interchange at four players per team or expand the bench to five or six players.
The number of interchanges made per game will remain at 90 per team.
Hocking said 16-minute quarters would not change for the finals because of player loading.
In Round 1 the West Coast-Melbourne game went only 95 minutes and six seconds, but Hocking was unapologetic about shorter-than-usual finals.
“For those players to be at the best that they can be and to have the game at the best it can be, in 2020 only we felt that we needed to make those changes.”
The league is also considering whether to expand the current 25-person football departments to a larger number under return-to-play protocols.
But the Herald Sun understands any changes will be minimal and might remain at 25.
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Hocking said the AFL’s focus on Jack Steven’s stabbing incident was based around welfare but said the league’s integrity department might eventually discuss the incident with the 30-year-old.
“Jack’s health and wellbeing, as we have stated many times, is really important and from the AFL’s point of view that he is OK,” he said.
“It was really pleasing to see him at training early in the week and from a distance he seemed in good spirits.
“That will be worked through with the relevant people and it’s in the hands of the police. If there is a requirement from the integrity unit to be part of it, they will be engaged at the relevant time.”
