By Peter Ryan and Jon Pierik
The AFL has resisted a push to scrap the substitute rule, but has warned there will be greater punishment should accidental contact with umpires continue, the league confirmed in a memo to clubs on Wednesday.
The AFL Players Association had been keen to extend the bench to a full five players, rather than the current four plus a tactical substitute, arguing the physical and mental demands on players justified a change and that players did not enjoy starting as a substitute.
No change: The AFL has opted to continue with a four-man-plus-substitute bench composition next season.Credit: The Age
However, league football operations boss Laura Kane said, after careful examination, there won’t be immediate change.
“As you know, the substitute was introduced to assist in injury and concussion management and subsequently, following club feedback, was expanded to allow for tactical use,” Kane said in the memo seen by this masthead.
“Through our analysis to date, we believe there may be unintended consequences related to player health and safety, competitive balance and game quality if the sub was to be removed. To that end, with the game being in good health, we are not prepared to make changes that don’t have concrete evidence to support making the game better.
“We will, however, continue with our analysis into the optimal composition of the bench (including interchange cap) throughout the 2025 season.”
AFLPA chief Paul Marsh said after a major forum in grand final week featuring players, coaches and club football-department figures he doubted “there was anyone in the room who thought the sub continuing was a good idea”.
In two interpretation changes, Kane said players can now take advantage when a free kick is paid at a centre bounce stoppage by a non-controlling mid-zone umpire, as opposed to the two main officiating umpires.
Umpires will now bounce the ball - rather than throw it up - after issuing a 6-6-6 starting positions warning.
Kane said free kicks (centre bounces only) and fines will continue to be imposed for careless contact with an umpire. Players have been reminded to not stand behind the umpire, run behind the umpire, or use the umpire as a shield from an opponent.
“Further, under the revised tribunal guidelines, players who push their opponent into the path of the umpire may be charged with ‘causing intentional contact with an umpire’,” Kane said.
“If the number of umpire contact incidents do not reduce early in the 2025 season, the AFL may seek to impose additional measures with immediate action.”
The AFL will continue to monitor the holding-the-ball interpretation, among several areas of focus including the deliberate rushed behind interpretation, shot clock length, the interchange cap, time taken to kick in from a behind, time taken to play on from a free kick or mark, insufficient intent from a ruck contest, goal square starting position requirement, and application of the stand rule.
Melbourne’s concession on Petracca injury
Melbourne football manager Alan Richardson believes one major impact from the fallout from premiership midfielder Christian Petracca’s season-ending injury last season will be a shift in the weight given to a player’s assessment of how they are feeling.
The Demons have conceded that if they knew the extent of the injury sustained by Petracca in his clash with Collingwood’s Darcy Moore on King’s Birthday he would not have been sent back on the ground.
Christian Petracca’s serious injury in the King’s Birthday clash against Collingwood was the start of more drama for the Demons.Credit: Getty
Petracca continued playing after the knock despite being in obvious discomfort before being removed from the game at half-time and sent to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
Richardson said there were lessons for the competition when asked about the club’s response to the incident at the Demons’ annual general meeting on Tuesday night.
“The athlete has a fair bit of say in what happens there. I reckon that will be something that probably will get looked at, not just from our footy club but in the AFL going forward … they are just competitive beasts who want to get out and play and that carries a lot of weight. How much weight should that carry?” Richardson said.
Back on board: After a turbulent winter, Christian Petracca and Melbourne are focused on season 2025.Credit: Joe Armao
“My understanding is that incident will continue to get investigated … we will want to get better as an industry, not just from our football club.
“It was a really difficult situation for our medical team. It has basically never happened before. He then went to the next hospital and they didn’t diagnose it properly. So that gives you an understanding of how difficult it was.”
Petracca was eventually diagnosed with a grade five lacerated spleen, four fractured ribs and a punctured lung and missed the rest of the season.
The AFL ticked off the process, with Melbourne cleared of any wrongdoing, but Petracca’s displeasure with the Demons became public late in the season. The AFL Players’ Association launched their own investigation which is yet to be finalised as the league and the PA are yet to agree on terms for the review.
“The doctors, with the evidence they had at the time, did the right thing. In hindsight, would we do something different if we knew the extent of the injury? Of course, he would not have gone back out on the ground,” Richardson said.
“We will always put player safety first from a coaching perspective … we just get out of the way. That’s the doctor’s call.”
Petracca reaffirmed his commitment to the club after speculation about his future. The Norm Smith Medallist is contracted until 2029.
Coach Simon Goodwin said he had been “blown away” by how Petracca had returned to the club. “He is really connected with his teammates and is driving really high-quality training sessions,” he said.
Goodwin said the club was seeking a “better way” to play in 2025.
“When you look at our method, the reality of it is right now we aren’t great at any phase of the game which means we haven’t got an identity,” he said.
“Our challenge is to explore a new way, a better way. We want every phase to create an identity that we are really proud of and that is really hard to play against.”
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