Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson blows up over unintended consequences of new rules

Frustration is mounting in the AFL as teams come to grips with a series of changes which have led to confusion.

Alastair Clarkson is still learning the ropes.

When the AFL brought in new rules in the off-season, the intent was to make the game more free flowing and high scoring.

Just four rounds in and the league may already be rethinking the changes.

Having suffered constant criticism from fans, commentators, players and officials, new statistics have shown the rules have had the opposite effect.

Iconic broadcaster Dennis Cometti told Triple M Perth’s The Rush Hour just how dire the scoring situation has become.

“We had a lot of rule changes in the off-season designed to increase scoring,” Cometti said. “Well, after four rounds, I can tell you we’re losing ground here because currently the average team score is 81 points a game. The last time it was lower was 1967.

“In this season so far, teams have scored over 100 points 14 times — the same time last year, we had the number at 26.”

Nick Dal Santo has slammed the level of skill in the AFL.

Former St Kilda and North Melbourne star Nick Dal Santo revealed one reason why scoring could be down.

Dal Santo, who has long been a critic of the skill level of players due to the lack of junior coaching, said the standard of play was well down this season.

“I’m getting a little bit disappointed with the standard of football, I must admit,” Dal Santo told SEN Afternoons.

“I just can’t get my head around the skill level of this elite competition – it’s ruining the product in my opinion.

“That’s how severe the skill level or lack of is becoming almost across the board.

“It’s not just the poor teams anymore, it’s some of the best teams, it’s some of our elite players that are struggling to execute the fundamentals of our game.”

The stunning statistics reveal how much harder it has been to score this season.

Four-time premiership-winning Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said it’s been difficult to work out the new rules.

The 6-6-6 has had some unintended consequences.

St Kilda beat Hawthorn by five points and, similarly, a goal in the last minute gave Gold Coast a two-point win over Carlton on Sunday.

“No-one really knows where they’re at, right at this point in the season,” Clarkson said.

“Everyone’s lost and barring a kick close to the siren today, everyone should have won as well.

“It might be survival of the fittest.”

Clarkson aims for 16 goals a game, but Hawthorn so far this season have kicked no more than 13 and he noted the problem is far from theirs alone.

“They’re strange games at the minute,” he said. “I reckon six of the nine games (in round four), in pretty good conditions, are decided by 10 goals each, in a competition where we’re trying to get teams to score more. All the changes we’ve made to the game and we’re scoring less.

“That’s what’s hard to foresee as a competition and hard to foresee as coaches and players, to see what changes we’ll make.”

Clarkson also noted the new kick-in rule so far is not having the intended effect.

“Everyone expects that these gurus in the game can look into the crystal ball and forecast what goes on,” Clarkson said.

“Now that they’ve changed the kick-in rule for instance, there’s more goals scored on returns than there are kick-ins. No one had the foresight to expect that was going to happen.”

Alastair Clarkson is having just as many issues as everyone else.

Speaking on Fox Sports’ On The Couch, Paul Roos said Clarkson’s statement showed just how confused the side’s have become as they learn to play the game to the new rules.

As teams adjust, there have been several records this season including the highest kick to handball ratio since 2006, the most marks since 2010, most uncontested marks since 2008 and lowest mark play on percentage in 20 years.

“We’re not privy to be inside the coaches box but I think it’s a really powerful statement from a four-time premiership coach,” Roos said.

“What we do know has changed is the 6-6-6. It is an offensive weapon when you lose a stoppage. The team that wins a centre bounce is able to score easier but when you intercept mark now, there’s no outlet kick.

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“There’s nowhere for anyone to go and I think that’s why the defence is down. There are some things that have changed and we are yet to really understand the full impact of those changes.

“I think the team that will get ahead of the curve is the one that goes long down the line, gets their mids front and square. The reality is, whether we like it or not, there is not the opportunity to go quick from defence particularly when you lose the centre bounce.”

— with AAP