Would the standard of football fall if the runner disappeared? Jon Ralph says no

IF we got rid of the runner overnight would anyone care? And more to the point, Jon Ralph asks, would the standard of football be impacted at all?

Chad Wingard getting instructions from a runner. Picture: Sarah Reed

SOMETIMES it takes a controversy involving something so trivial like a runner to make us wonder why we keep these quaint traditions.

Why does the AFL permit its field to be flooded with runners and water boys when almost no other sport in the world allows it?

“Runner-Gate” has come and gone with the AFL telling Nick Maxwell to stand by the boundary-line rather than clogging space at kick-ins.

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GWS is filthy with the accusation of “cheating”, the AFL says Maxwell was coaching as well as passing on messages, and the whole thing will quickly blow over.

But not before football boss Simon Lethlean confirmed to the Herald Sun the league would discuss the abolition of runners with coaches.

If we got rid of them overnight would anyone care?

Sydney runner Nick Davis talks to Lance Franklin.

And more to the point, would the standard of football and a team’s capacity to organise itself actually be negatively influenced?

Time for the AFL to consider just getting rid of runners altogether.

They are an anachronism from a time when players trained twice a week and left the ground only for injury, never to return.

Champion Data stats say midfielders rotate to the boundary every 8-12 minutes - so they definitely don’t need runners.

Every coach and key position player tells us they do their own match-ups on-field - so they don’t need them either.

If a player can’t get enough coaching information in the pre-match, three more breaks and three trips to the bench will that information ever sink in?

Brendon Bolton talks with runner Andrew Walker. Picture: Michael Klein

Perhaps let players know when five minutes are left in the last term, but apart from that let them play.

Especially given clubs like Carlton spend 40 hours a week educating their players about game plans, stoppage setups and zone strategies.

GWS footy boss Wayne Campbell is hot under the collar, saying Maxwell was actually told to stand near the 50m line by the AFL.

The AFL’s rejoinder is that he gets involved way too much apart from blocking space and has been issued a first and final warning by AFL House.

Lethlean said he would discuss scrapping runners at Gillon McLachlan’s upcoming love-in.

“I am happy to talk to them about it. We have varied views on it, I have spoken to some clubs and they have a need for them to get their messaging out.

“So it’s interesting others have a different view. It is something we will raise for them as a collective.

“We have a few things to discuss with them (at McLachlan’s yearly dinner) and we might throw that into the mix.”

Port Adelaide runner Chad Cornes talks to Nathan Krakouer. Picture: Sarah Reed

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick believes clubs are exploiting the runner, happy to see it go the way of the sub vest, altitude training and the jumper punch.

“I am not too stressed about it. Our runner comes on or off and gets a message on but a lot of our messages go through players anyway these days,’’ he said.

“From us from a coaching and communication point of view it helps but for me it’s not a big issue.

“If they go, they go, if they stay, they stay.”

Simon Goodwin was similarly apathetic, saying a message sent from the coaches box often took 15 minutes to arrive.

If two AFL coaches instructing teams full of young emerging kids can’t muster the energy to defend runners, that tells you everything you need to know.