Rule changes 2024

[Grantysghost]

PLAYERS will have a greater duty of care to avoid high contact when attempting to smother opponents after an AFL rule change was confirmed on Tuesday, although a mid-season trade period won't be introduced this year.


The AFL today confirmed a handful of changes for the 2024 season, with a tweak to team announcements set to end confusion that arose in 2023 around the identity of a team's sub.


The change to the rules regarding smothers coming after the fallout to Collingwood defender Brayden Maynard's controversial Tribunal case during the 2023 finals.


Maynard was sent direct to the Tribunal after intervention from Executive General Manager Football Laura Kane after his bump that left Melbourne midfielder Angus Brayshaw concussed in the opening term of the clubs' qualifying final, with Maynard having jumped and attempted to smother Brayshaw's kick.


After a four-hour hearing, the Tribunal eventually cleared Maynard and he was a central player in Collingwood's premiership win.


However, as flagged by AFL.com.au in December, the AFL has acted after a Commission meeting on Monday, with the change for smothers meaning that when a player leaves the ground in an attempt to make a smother, the player's act will be deemed careless at a minimum "unless the player has taken all reasonable steps to avoid that high contact and/or minimise the force of that high contact (for example, by adopting a body position that minimises the force of the high contact)".


The rough conduct guidelines have also been tweaked to put a focus on run-down tackles.


The AFL had been concerned with run-down tackles where the tackling player has contributed to the force with which the tackled player is driven into the ground, leaving the player with the ball in a vulnerable position, with the proposed amendment giving greater regard to this facet.


The League stressed to clubs late last year that it is not pushing to take the run-down tackle from the game.


The other rule changes announced today are:


The sub rule will continue, but clubs will now name an extended bench of five players (an increase from four) and three emergency players.

Each team's sub will then be confirmed 60 mins prior to the match

The action of a player ruled to have committed a strike when intentionally shoving or fending an opponent will now be graded as Intentional rather than Careless (watch Charlie Ballard incident below, cited by the AFL as an example)

Straight-arm blocks will be permitted in a ruck contest, provided the player contests the ball

If an offence is graded as Severe impact by the Match Review Officer but only the minimum penalty is sought, the MRO can prescribe a sanction and the player submit an early guilty plea without the case having to be referred directly to the Tribunal

The in-finals ranking system has been codified to determine the 'home' club for Grand Finals in both the AFL and AFLW.

The winners of the Qualifying Finals will be ranked first and second, the losers of the Qualifying Finals ranked third and fourth (the higher of the two clubs on the premiership ladder will be third) and the winners of the Elimination Finals ranked fifth and sixth (the higher of the two clubs on the premiership ladder will be fifth)
Whistling from the interchange bench is prohibited


As reported on AFL.com.au, a mid-season trade period won't take place in 2024, with next year appearing more likely.

Last year's Collective Bargaining Agreement between the AFL and AFL Players' Association saw both parties agree in principle to its introduction, but with Opening Round only a month away, it was deemed too soon to introduce the mechanism this year.

The change to announcing teams, with clubs to now name an extended bench of five players (instead of four) and confirm the sub on match day, should remove any confusion that arose when a player who was moved from the starting 22 to the sub role was previously listed as 'omitted'.

The number of Tribunal cases should be reduced, with the Match Review Officer now able to hand down a minimum sanction for incidents graded as Severe, instead of being required to send the player direct to the Tribunal.

Footy boss Laura Kane will address the media later today to discuss the changes.

[Grantysghost]

This is my favourite change :

Whistling from the bench will be prohibited.

[Hotdog60]

There's goes the sub doing Wind of change.

[Hotdog60]

Is Straight-arm blocks will be permitted in a ruck contest, provided the player contests the ball going to Sweety at Port I kind of remembering him getting pinged a few times.
Or is because Tim was AA the AFL has changed the rules to help mitigate any influence he had.
A bit like third man up after 2016.

[Grantysghost]

Is Straight-arm blocks will be permitted in a ruck contest, provided the player contests the ball going to Sweety at Port I kind of remembering him getting pinged a few times.
Or is because Tim was AA the AFL has changed the rules to help mitigate any influence he had.
A bit like third man up after 2016.

Yeah that's a big change isn't it. I don't know how they target particular things it seems so random. Be nice to have some understanding.

Some Demons mates of mine say Max is going to love this change.

[EasternWest]

There's goes the sub doing Wind of change.

No "patience" either

[Axe Man]

This is my favourite change :

Whistling from the bench will be prohibited.

I've read that was actually aimed at us. Apparently we have a guy on the bench with a really loud whistle that he used to get players attention when they needed to rotate.

[Grantysghost]

I've read that was actually aimed at us. Apparently we have a guy on the bench with a really loud whistle that he used to get players attention when they needed to rotate.

Tackling the big issues down at AFL house!

[Grantysghost]

No "patience" either

[hujsh]

So it's still 4 on the bench and a sub, they just confirm who on the bench is the sub before the game?

[Grantysghost]

So it's still 4 on the bench and a sub, they just confirm who on the bench is the sub before the game?

I think they have to name a 5 man bench and the sub has to come from that. Before could they do some dodgys

Edit: I don't think the sub does have to come from the bench. I have nfi.

[soupman]

So it's still 4 on the bench and a sub, they just confirm who on the bench is the sub before the game?

Yeah, just a more annoying version for fantasy players. It almost feels like they are deliberately targeting us, what with this and the debacle that is round zero and the bunch of bye rounds that throws into the fixture.

[Hotdog60]

BAD has been very quiet.

[bornadog]

BAD has been very quiet.

HD, what can I say. But that bloody whistle - I think I will take my own and sit behind the bench

[Dry Rot]

Frankly, I find any criticism of the AFL on this thread with these changes to be petty and pointless. Really, you should all wake up to yourselves.

As we all know, the AFL is most professional organisation sporting organisation in Australia, and has given great thought to these changes and as always has announced them immediately after the grand final, so that all teams can adapt to these changes prior to trading, drafting, and preseason training, according to the new rules.

Indeed, the AFL is second most professional organisation I can think of, after the Russian Army.