AFL 2017 pre-season comp: Everything you need to know about the JLT Community Series
EVERYTHING you need to know about the new AFL pre-season comp including rules, TV schedule, ticket info and the biggest question of all — what does JLT stand for?
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THE latest edition of the AFL pre-season competition starts tonight when Collingwood faces Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
Here’s everything you need to know:
NEW NAME
This year the NAB Challenge is gone, replaced by the JLT Community Series.
In case you’re wondering, that stands for Jardine Lloyd Thompson, which the AFL described in a media releast this week as “one of Australia’s leading specialty-focused providers of insurance related advice, brokerage and associated services”.
If you thought JLTCS was a mouthful, try getting that on a trophy. Click here for a trip down memory lane from the Golden Fleece Cup to the modern night series.
All 18 clubs will play three matches over a four-week period. Matches will be played at a range of venues including Bendigo, Moe, Mt Gambier and Narrandera.
There is no winner from the round robin event so unfortunately there is no JLT trophy.
Six of the matches will be played as double headers with AFLW games, starting with the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne on Saturday.
TICKETS
General admission is $20 for an adult, $15 concession and $5 for juniors. Entry is free for club members. Get more info here.
TV
All 27 matches will be shown live on Fox Footy.
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WEEK 1 FIXTURE
Thursday February 16
Collingwood v Essendon at Etihad Stadium (7.40pm)
Friday February 17
Hawthorn v Geelong at University of Tasmania Stadium (7.40pm)
Saturday February 18
GWS Giants v West Coast at Narrandera Sports Stadium (2.05pm)
Western Bulldogs v Melbourne at Whitten Oval (4.40pm)
Sunday February 19
Sydney v North Melbourne at Coffs Harbour International Stadium (2.05pm)
Gold Coast v Brisbane at Kombumerri Park (Merrimac, QLD) (3.40pm)
NEW RULES
The AFL has sent reminders to clubs about rule changes and new interpretations which they will have to deal with for the first time from tonight:
Ruckmen
Umpires will allow one designated ruckman from each team — any player going third-man up will give away a free kick.
If no designated rucks can contest a stoppage, no other player is allowed to touch the ball until it hits the ground and the umpire calls “play on”.
Deliberate rushed behinds
Expect a much tougher interpretation, factoring in prior opportunity, and any rushed behind from beyond the top of the goalsquare will be penalised with a free kick — during the regular season.
To give players a chance to get used to the crackdown, for the opening matches of the JLT series umpires will award a score then bounce the ball 15m out.
High tackles
If a player contributes to high contact “via a shrug, drop, arm lift or duck” play-on will be called. The Selwoods are on notice.
PRE-SEASON RULES
These special rules apply only for the JLT Series.
- Nine points for goals kicked from outside 50m arc
- A player awarded a 50m penalty that takes him inside the 50m can elect to kick from outside 50 for nine points
- No video score reviews
- Up to eight interchange players and unlimited rotations in weeks one and two
- Six interchange players and unlimited rotations in weeks three and four
- Rookie-list players can play
- No time-on in first 15 minutes of each quarter unless a goal is scored or there is a major delay. - Final five minutes of each quarter reverts to normal time-on.
- Weeks three and four revert to 20min quarters with normal time-on
Trialled but dumped past pre-season rules
- Three points for deliberate rushed behind
- Play on called for backward kicks, except in forward 50m
- Play on called if ball hits the goalpost and stays in play
- Boundary umpires coming in 10m from the boundary to throw the ball in
- No throw-ins. Free kick paid against the last player to touch the ball
PRE-SEASON COMP OVER THE YEARS
2017- JLT Community Series
2013-16 NAB Challenge
2006-13 NAB Cup
2002-05 Wizard Home Loans Cup
1995-2001 Ansett Australia Cup
1990-94 Foster’s Cup
1988-89 Panasonic Cup
- From 1988 to 1999 the competition was a knockout tournament, with the previous season’s top-ranked teams advancing directly to second round
- A round-robin tournament ran for the next three years before the knockout returned in 2003
- Teams split into pools in 2011, with the winners in each progressing to finals
- In 2014, declining crowds and interest prompted AFL to dump finals in favour of a round-robin competition
NUMBERS UP
75,533 — Biggest crowd at a pre-season grand final, Essendon v Richmond, 1993
24,884 — Smallest pre-season grand final crowd, Brisbane Lions v Carlton, 2013
85 — Biggest winning margin in a pre-season grand final, Port Adelaide d Brisbane Lions, 2001
16 — Carlton finished 16th (last) in 2005 after winning the pre-season premiership
5 — Number of teams to win pre-season title and AFL premiership in the same year
4 — Number of pre-season titles won by Essendon and Hawthorn, the most of any club
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