Crackdown on behind-play hits, new procedure for drawn finals among AFL rule changes
Longer suspensions for behind-the-play hits and a new way to decide drawn finals are among changes for 2020 announced by the AFL a week before Christmas. SEE ALL THE CHANGES
AFL
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The AFL will dish out harsher penalties to players who commit intentional off-the-ball strikes from next season.
In a change to the tribunal system announced on Wednesday, the league revealed it will automatically grade behind-play hits one level higher in 2020.
It means Tom Hawkins’ round-arm strike on Eagle Will Schofield in this year’s semi-final final win over West Coast would be upgraded from low to medium impact and met with a two-match suspension.
Hawkins was suspended for one match for the hit and missed the Cats’ preliminary final loss to Richmond.
Similarly, Dustin Martin’s elbow to the head of GWS defender Adam Kennedy in Round 3 could be classified as high impact and warrant a three-match suspension.
AFL match review officer Michael Christian has already taken a tough stance on dirty acts behind play this year, helping eradicate these sorts of incidents from the game.
But the latest change is a warning players will face even tougher penalties for thuggish hits off the ball.
It remains a bone of contention, however, what distance defines “off the ball” after AFL great David King argued Hawkins’ hit on Schofield was “100 per cent in play” despite being more than 50m away from the contest on the wing.
Guidelines have also been strengthened in relation to repeat offenders being directly referred to the tribunal to discourage further offences.
The AFL also reacted to the controversy surrounding the boundary countback system in England’s contentious win over New Zealand in cricket’s World Cup and abolished its golden point in finals.
Under previous rules for tied finals introduced in 2016, teams would have played two five-minute halves of extra-time, and, if the scores were still tied, the team that scored first (golden point) in the next period of play would be deemed the winner.
But that system, which was never put into practice, did not factor in wind advantage to one end, especially in a Grand Final.
To make finals fairer, teams will now play two three-minute halves of extra-time if the score is tied at the end of normal time.
If scores are still deadlocked at the end of the extra-time, they will play two more three-minute halves.
That way, both teams have the chance to kick with the wind or benefit from any other favourable conditions.
The end-of-year assessment from the AFL executive and Commission also included a step to crackdown on players who enter a melee.
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From next season, the third player into a melee, particularly during the quarter-time breaks, will be hit with a tougher punishment.
The league will also review all matches within 24 hours, ensuring quick-decision-making across the round.
Christian will head the match review system for a third season.