http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225937354671

RODNEY Eade is a fine coach, has an inquiring football mind, sharp sense of humour and is not prone to talking nonsense.
Up until halfway through this last season, Jason Akermanis did that for him and in what is a generous gesture continues to do that for gratis.

Eade is regarded as one the AFL's more strategic and innovative coaches. So it is wise to consider carefully his observations about the game. On the weekend he said the new interchange rules would be the death of the second ruckman. Well, that's plain madness, stupid and an unsustainable argument. Crap.

The Western Bulldogs coach said: "I've got no doubt it (the new rule) will change the game and I can see them (AFL) changing something in two years' time because it won't work out the way they think."

From next season, teams will be allowed to still have four players on the interchange bench but one will be a substitute. The player the substitute replaces because of injury or tactics cannot return to the field. There is no limit on the number of interchanges a club can make but they can only utilise three players to make them.

Eade said the rule had influenced the manner in which clubs addressed the trade period, which ended yesterday. As an example, Eade suggested that clubs would be reluctant to take two ruckmen into a game. "It's a terrible rule. Who do you put as your 22nd man?" he asked. "If you use it (the substitute) as a tactical ploy and change at half-time and you get an injury you're in the lap of the gods," Eade said.

In truth, rule changes do not influence the game. But coaches do. There is a new interchange rule because the coaches had used the old one to utterly change the way AFL football was played. Forward lines are structured differently now with coaches seeking to get multiple scorers and more players capable of rotating through the midfield. The great Matthew Lloyd retired because the full-forward, best playing deep from the goal square, was not allowed to play that way under the game plan of his coach Matthew Knights.

Because coaches want to move the ball with deadly speed, traditional types of footballers have been culled from the game. Not by rule modifications but coaching trends. Teams used to have tall back pocket players to counter the opposition's resting ruckman. The other back pocket would be a nuggety, close-marking player to shut down the resting rover. The warp speed AFL game can no longer indulge them.

The relevance of the rule change to the trading period might be, not the end of the second ruckman, just the evolution of a better one. Hawthorn list management guru Chris Pelchen said yesterday that newly acquired ruckman David Hale was not on his shopping list for next season until the new interchange rule was confirmed last month.

Hale would not have been on the to-get list of many clubs. In 2008 he booted eight goals against Geelong and finished fourth in the best and fairest. But the past two years have been rather grim. In 2009 he did not make the top 10 in the club award and kicked just 22 goals for the season. In the season just gone he played only 12 matches and kicked 17 goals. Obviously he was not in the best and fairest calculations.

And for the next two years he has a contract stipulating that he be paid $800,000 all up. That is not a very enticing package, but Hawthorn chased him because of the new interchange ruling.

Hale will prove a good back-up ruckman and rather than rest on the bench he can be a scoring option resting deep in the forward line. So rather than not play a second ruckman under the new system, Hawthorn has sought to find the best available.

So one club says the interchange rule will be the death of the second ruckman, another has identified the role as one to improve so that it can be better utilised. The reality of this though is the certainty that if a coach has two good ruckmen then he will play them. Good players get games. The best example of this comes with the philosophy of recruiters at draft time. When it is their turn to pick, they invariably go for the best player available.

Eade's concern about who to pick as the 22nd man or the substitute is easily solved. Work it out for yourself, Rodney. You are the coach.