Afl rejects coach push for extended benches, unlimited rotations

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AFL coaches are fighting for extended benches and unlimited interchange rotations as the game desperately tries to navigate the coronavirus.

Many of the league’s 18 coaches are pushing for 24-man sides and the removal of the 90-rotation cap.

But in a phone hook-up with the AFL yesterday, league bosses said they wanted to maintain the status quo.

The AFL is determined to hold a 17-game season. It is willing to play games in unfamiliar mid-week slots and with irregular breaks in anticipation of clubs being quarantined and the game grinding to a halt.

But they want to keep the sides at 22 and maintain the interchange limit of 90. Instead, league bosses have told the coaches it is more likely games will be reduced to 16-minute quarters, plus time-on.

The AFL also told clubs that they will be able to recruit five state league players via a newly-created supplementary list, with specific draft windows to open throughout the year.

This has irritated some coaches, who believe they should be able to recruit all year-round and only as needed given clubs have been told to cut costs. It’s understood Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge was particularly vocal on this topic.

The players were last night issued a five-question survey in which they told the AFL Players’ Association that they are happy to be flexible, but many have been angered by a mooted 20 per cent pay cut.

Many players were unhappy the 20 per cent figure was made public before they had been presented with the proposal.

It is highly unlikely the playing group will agree to such a figure, but there is a mountain of factors to consider and the common view is nothing will be agreed to in the near future.

Games-based triggers and performance bonuses will be affected. Some player managers believe only those above a certain pay band should be made to sacrifice, while others are arguing any money foregone should be through a loan agreement paid back upon retirement.