Leigh Matthews and Malcolm Blight want a six-six-six format after goals to ease congestion

WHEN two of the best minds in the history of the AFL think there’s a problem, people should start paying attention. How would they fix congestion? Welcome to the six-six-six format.

West Coast and Fremantle players surround the ball. Picture: Getty Images

AFL legends Malcolm Blight and Leigh Matthews have urged the AFL to consider starting positions in a bid to counter unsightly congestion.

Blight and Matthews, who between them played and coached in 12 VFL/AFL premierships, say a six-six-six format should be looked at after each goal.

It would see six players starting inside their forward 50m, six inside the defensive 50m, and six between the two lines.

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Blight said he would like to see it introduced as soon as next year.

Matthews said he disliked the current “bubble football”.

“I don’t think anyone likes the bubble football,” he said.

“No one likes the fact everyone is pretty much 50m or 70m from the footy.’’

Matthews’ and Blight’s solution would appear radical, but they argue it would bring obvious benefits.

“Eighty per cent of our game is pretty good with the fitness and strength of our blokes, but the thing that frustrates me is when you get 36 players in a quarter of the ground and we expect them to execute their skills,” Blight said.

“All of us outside become very critical when they miss targets, but there are just too many bodies for them to display their skills.

“The only way we have been able to fix inadequacies or dominance in our game is by rule changes.

“We don’t need another line. The first step is have six, six and six after every goal, then see what that does? Coaches will push them up and back and flood, but let’s just give it a try and then assess it.’’

Matthews, a former member of the AFL’s Laws of the Game committee, wants to see the six-six-six format to determine if it affects congestion for a period of the game.

Congestion in the Port Adelaide v North Melbourne game. Picture: AAP Images

“The one thing that you can do which doesn’t have negative consequence is I’d like to take away from the coaches their option of playing a spare man back at centre bounces,’’ Matthews said.

“Four v four inside the centre square, have six of each team inside 50m arcs. I know it won’t keep them there, but if you have to separate 25 or 30 times a game, I’d like to see if that has a slight effect on it.’’

Matthews isn’t opposed to the suggestion of having four players inside each arc at every stoppage, but argued that was a “nuclear option”.

“I like the principle, but I’m not sure about the practicalities ... I’m not against it, but I don’t know how you would implement it,” he said.

“At centre bounces you’ve got 30 seconds to make players go somewhere. At a stoppage, you’ve got six or seven seconds, that’s the difficulty.”

As a player, Blight won the Coleman Medal when kicking 103 goals in 1982.

As a coach of attacking outfits in Adelaide and Geelong, he made five Grand Finals and won two premierships.

After a fortnight of low scoring, he said goals remain the highlight of our code and is concerned about the trend towards huge tackling numbers.

“Tackling is overrated in today’s game, given you can’t help but tackle because there are so many bodies around the ball,’’ Blight said.

“More tackles means more injuries. Do we want to look like rugby league and rugby union and become tackling machines?

“That’s not our game, and if it becomes like that, mums will takes their kids to soccer. And could you blame them?”

It was tough to take a mark on Sunday. Picture: Getty Images

Blight would also like to see coaches try something different to ensure more goals are kicked.

“I would ensure my key forward didn’t run 15km up and down the ground and not touch the ball in a team defence situation. It’s a waste of energy,’’ he said.

“What annoys me is coaches of teams down the bottom don’t do something that others aren’t.

“Play your forwards deeper and give your players a chance one on one. You know what, it doesn’t matter because you are probably going to finish bottom four anyway.

“I don’t know any fan who doesn’t like it when a goal is scored, the players get excited for each other and it remains the most exciting thing in our game.

“I’m still that little eight-year-old boy growing up in Adelaide trying to kick a goal. No kids puts up his hand to play full-back.”

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