AFL delays major call on player substitution until eve of season opener

There is no confirmation on how many players Richmond and Carlton will be able to use in season-opening clash.

AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh is angered by the AFL’s lack of consultation

A day out from Richmond beginning their premiership defence against Carlton, there is no resolution as to exactly how many players the clubs will be able to select.

For the second straight year, the AFL will make a major decision on the eve of a season-opening clash that sees football return to the MCG for the first time since last July.

Clubs were left on the hook on Tuesday as the AFL postponed meetings regarding the potential introduction of a concussion substitute for 2021 amid consternation and confusion from several parties.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan and senior league administrators, players and coaches are scheduled to launch the season at a series of events around the nation on Wednesday morning.

It is still to be decided whether teams will play with 22, as per recent seasons, or with 23 if a substitute to be used as relief for a concussed player is reintroduced

The league has, however, updated its racial vilification rule with a far broader interpretation designed to make the game more inclusive.

The amended vilification rule, named in honour of former AFL administrator Tony Peek, who helped develop the initial vilification rule, now reads: “No person … shall act towards or speak to any other person in a manner, or engage in any other conduct which threatens, disparages, vilifies or insults another person on any basis, including but not limited to, a person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity.”

But of more pressing concern for clubs is the substitute rule.

A year ago the AFL Commission resolved to push ahead with the 2020 season despite the threat of coronavirus looming large on the eve of the Richmond and Carlton clash.

By Sunday, the competition had been suspended, with one match midway through and another just about to begin in Western Australia.

The situation is not as dire as 2020, when COVID-19 threatened the entire competition.

But the catalyst for the potential reintroduction of a substitute — namely the growing urgency surrounding concussion — is one of grave concern for the AFL given the health implications.

The AFL is considering whether the substitute could also be used if a player suffers a match-ending injury, but there is a potential for that situation to be abused.

A player diagnosed with concussion will automatically be unavailable for selection for 12 days based on a change of protocols introduced for the 2021 season.

But should a player be substituted with a non-concussion related injury, among the queries is whether they should be allowed to play in the following round if fit.

The debate, which has gained momentum after being raised at a meeting between AFL coaches and officials last Thursday, has polarised opinion.

The AFL Players Association is angered by the lack of consultation.

The players union backs the introduction of a concussion substitute, but not a medical substitute. It is a position several players have taken since the prospect was raised.

AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh is concerned the league is using the competition committee, which proved effective in extraordinary circumstances last year, to push through changes and circumvent discussions with relevant parties.

He said there was a similar lack of discussion regarding the reduction of the interchange rotations from 90 to 75 this year.

“On the eve of the season we’re putting a Band-Aid on an issue that could have been dealt with earlier,“ he said on SEN.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is one of many coaches backing the return of the substitute. He believes criticism of coaches and the AFL is unfounded.

“Like any organisation, there are always things we can do better, but overall, I think the AFL do a pretty good job. Once again, they are trying to do the best thing for the game,” he said.

“As a coach, I probably get a little upset when everyone says, ‘Oh, the coaches, they are the guys who are always talking down the game or ruining the game’.

“The reality is we love the game. We are always up for improving it as best we can and we are always up for the consultation process.

“The 23rd man was an initiative of the coaches, Alastair Clarkson in particular, and we want it to be a great spectacle as well.”