New Interchange rule.

[ScottH]

I'd like to hear your opinions on this from people at the game who were near the I/C bench.

It appears a bit of a joke from what I saw over the w/e, looks far too complicated for what it actually is.

It also seems that most coaches saw it as a negative from reports in the papers.

Roo's has now slammed the rule as well.

The Age

Sydney coach Paul Roos has criticised the AFL's new interchange rules as "ridiculous", saying they have over-complicated the system and produced more likelihood for uneven numbers on the field.

As clubs struggled to come to terms with the new rules, Roos said it was unnecessary for club officials to lodge paper work with AFL stewards which detailed which players were being swapped.

"They need to look into the paper work situation," Roos said after Sydney thrashed Essendon by 91 points at ANZ Stadium.

"You don't see them handing over sheets in the NBA or the NFL.

"This is the only game in the world where you actually have to hand over a bit of paper before you are actually allowed on the playing field.

"It just seems a bit ridiculous to me."

[Lucky Knickers]

I was sitting right over the interchange section and both teams had difficulty managing - there were times when, as Roos observed, we had 16 players on the ground. As did the Bombers. For those in a run-with role, the players and the team managers didn't know who was doing what, as they tried to synchronise with their opponent. With Kenelly out, having 3 players rotate looked more of a mess than 4!
It needed 2 people to manage it - which says to me it's not working. Players also looked to run on outside the yellow marks and had to be pulled back in. That will take some getting used to.
The post-it-note caper is making 3M very rich! Soon they will put out a line in team colours, or even with the heads of the opposition player you match up on.

[NMWBloods]

Roos' comparisons to NBA and NFL are specious.

But still, I don't know why the AFL make it so complicated.

Surely it could be a piece of paper with all the player names listed.
All players on the ground have a tick and all players on the bench have a cross.

Alternatively use palmtops and an Excel spreadsheet.

[Triple B]

Roos' comparisons to NBA and NFL are specious.

But still, I don't know why the AFL make it so complicated.

Surely it could be a piece of paper with all the player names listed.
All players on the ground have a tick and all players on the bench have a cross.

Alternatively use palmtops and an Excel spreadsheet.

You forgot the smilie.

[ScottH]

Four relay battons.

Fail to pass it on correctly, you're disqualified for the rest of the game.

[NMWBloods]

They should just Homer Simpson as the interchange steward - 'One goes off one goes one, one goes off one goes on...'

[573v30]

A stupid rule based on a knee-jerk reaction because White accidently went on the ground before Jolly came off. It should be scrapped ASAP but I think Andy D will see it as a keeper.

[Lucky Knickers]

Tonight on the winners they showed some footage of the Crows/Dees game (IIRC) where a player stepped into the field of play. One of the commentators said "that'll be a free kick next week".
Obviously I wasn't paying attention to the fine print in the rule - will they really pay a 50 and free kick agst the crows next week? At the start of the game? (I really hope I've misunderstood)

[NMWBloods]

No - if it happens next week it will be a free.

[Lucky Knickers]

Will it only be paid if detected in the game? I got the impression tonight they were talking about retrospective paying these. Seems ridiculous.

[Chow-Chicker]

Seriously, does the AFL ever introduce anything simple? Why is it so bloody hard to implement a simple interchange process? The stupid paperwork can be completed at any time. We don't have to wait until idiots complete details on a bit of paper for an interchange to take place. There simply should be an official watching whether one player comes off and another player goes on from beyond the boundary line. We really do have a committee of drongoes.

[dimelb]

Did they consult with any of the ones using the rules? Or just cook it up and see what happens?

[Zlatorog]

IMO, AFL also tries to slow down the whole interchange. There were complaints in the past that there are too many changes during the game.

[ROK Lobster]

Simple fix. No change to inter change system. If a side is later found to have had more than 18 on the field (as in our game v North) the side loses any points they earned for the match and the other side gets 4. No team would make the error - at least not twice.

[Xie Shan]

There were complaints in the past that there are too many changes during the game.

That's because there are too many changes during the game! Coaches these days seem to be obsessed with midfield rotations. 100+ interchanges a match is ridiculous. I don't agree with the AFL's handling of this, but it's completely understandable that they would want to slow down the whole interchange process.