Are You Sick Of The Afl Changing Rules Every Year

[Bornadog]

yes they do, and not necessarily for the better

Is that a yes for change the game or, you don't agree they don't improve the game.?

No way they improve the game, they just make the game different.

[my plums]

Is that a yes for change the game or, you don't agree they don't improve the game.?

No way they improve the game, they just make the game different.

Originally was saying yes to the thread title. I am sick of the AFL changing the rules every year. Some rule changes haven't been that bad, but that doesn't mean I want them to change the rules every year.

[macca]

I am passed being sick of the AFL rule changes. I am now fed up with the umpiring misinterpreting the rules.

After Last year's Sydn, Lions and Hawks game I vowed not to waste money on AFL games again ( as its really expensive for my family). The Lions game in particular when the free kick count was like 4-22 by 3 quarter time. But I could not hold back and went to the last game against Freo. Umpire number 32 made some really garbage decisions, even if they were interpreted as "technically there". The prior opportunity rule is complete rubbish. This cost us 3 games in the 2nd or 3rd quarter.

The AFL have ruined the game as a product to watch.

I can't even be bothered watching other team games during the week anymore.

[FrediKanoute]

The less boundary throw-ins the better for us. Tim consistently gets monstered.

I don't mind this rule change personally. It gives teams less time to set up the ground defensively. Players can just grab the ball and go. Rather than wait 10 seconds for the rucks to get into position, then another 10 for the umpire to throw it in.

It also means the arucks don't have to follow the ball and can sit just behind the play, in the hole. In fact I can see coaches asking them to do this to provide the defensive cover.

[Hotdog60]

The seven new rule changes AFL hopes will reduce game time
Ruck contests, the stand rule, and the 'last disposal' out of bounds rule are among a host of changes ahead of 2026



THE AFL is cracking down on dead time within games by introducing seven new rule changes ahead of the 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership season that it believes will slash around three minutes of match length from increasingly bloated fixtures.

A last disposal rule, new centre ball-up contest laws and a stronger enforcement of players standing in the protected area will all be part of the new rule changes, which were communicated to clubs on Wednesday.

The League has spent months canvassing all 18 clubs and key stakeholders around the rule changes, which are focused on reducing match length and making existing rules easier to adjudicate for umpires.

The rule changes, explained in detail below, relate to:

• Goalsquare starting positions
• Last disposal rules
• Centre ball-up contests
• Aligned kick-in times
• Ruck nominations
• Shrugging in the tackle
• The stand rule

Clubs were made aware of the rule changes on Wednesday after they were approved by the AFL Commission, with further detailed explanations around the nuances of each still to be communicated to the 18 teams in the coming weeks.
STATEMENT

Changes to Laws of Australian Football and Umpiring Processes/Laws Interpretations
But the AFL has hoped to provide clubs with clarity on the rule changes as early as possible, with umpires expected to make club visits and train the new laws throughout the summer and into pre-season.

The AFL undertook a comprehensive industry consultation on the rule changes, meeting with players, coaches, heads of footy, umpires, and even a select group of the game's best rucks to gauge opinions on how to tackle a series of issues.



Reducing dead time within matches was a key focus of the meetings, with the AFL hoping to slash around three minutes of total game length as a result of the impending rule changes.

The AFL's research found that the ball was 'in play' for only 62.9 per cent of games last season, down from 65.4 per cent in 2019. It also found that match length had increased almost five minutes across the last six seasons.

As a result, the following seven rule changes – which will be in addition to the substitute and centre bounce rule changes already introduced – will be brought into the game starting in 2026.

GOALSQUARE STARTING POSITION

While the 6-6-6 rule will remain from centre ball-ups, there will no longer be a requirement for at least one player per team to start in the goalsquare. This will be a measure to help reduce dead time after goals.

Last season, the AFL's findings discovered that the goalsquare was the last remaining facet of 6-6-6 to be organised at 10 per cent of all post-goal restarts. On average, that delayed the game by 8-10 seconds per instance. The League subsequently expects the total time saved through this rule change will be around 20-30 seconds per match. LAST DISPOSAL


A free kick will now be awarded when the ball crosses the line from a disposal between the arcs, bringing the men's game in line with the AFLW's 'lasso' rule.

It will operate similar to SANFL in the sense that if a player blocks an opponent or doesn't play the ball before it crosses the line, a normal boundary throw-in will occur instead of a last disposal free kick.

In the 2025 season, the AFL's findings discovered that there were 20 boundary throw-ins paid between the arcs and 0.5 insufficient intent free kicks paid between the arcs per game. The League then adapted those numbers for a scenario where the last disposal rule had been introduced. Its adapted numbers showed boundary throw-ins would be reduced by three per game, while 0.3 current insufficient intent free kicks would be negated by a last disposal free kick.



The query from club land has been whether a last disposal rule would kill the ruck. However, there still would have been 67 stoppages per game on average in 2025 based on the adapted numbers. That would have brought it back in line with the AFL's 2023 and 2024 averages.

CENTRE BALL-UP CONTESTS

At all centre ball-ups, competing rucks will now be unable to cross the centre line before engaging with their opposition ruck. This is born from a desire to see the jumping rucks return to the game.

The AFL has said this rule would not have been possible without the end of the 'centre bounce', as opposed to the 'centre ball-up', due to the variables of which direction the ball can go from a bounce. The ball-up also gives the umpire extra time and ability to assess where the ruck is stationed when he engages his opponent.

The AFL's findings discovered that only 21 per cent of centre bounce ruck contests had at least one ruck jumping in the 2025 season. In 2023, just two years ago, that number was at 63 per cent.

There will still be an opportunity for the more physical wrestling rucks to

ALIGN KICK-IN TIME

Umpires currently allow 'reasonable time' for a kick-in, which is deemed at around 12 seconds. However, 'reasonable time' for a mark or free kick paid around the ground is deemed at eight seconds. From 2026 onwards, both of these will align to be eight seconds.

The AFL sampled more than 1200 kick-ins across the 2025 season, with a quarter of those lasting longer than 10 seconds and 13 per cent lasting longer than 12 seconds.

There was an average of 21 kick-ins taken per game across the 2025 season. If a quarter of those are reduced by four or five seconds, the League is conservatively hoping that around 21 seconds of match length is knocked off through kick-ins alone.

RUCK NOMINATIONS

Umpires can now restart play without a nominated ruck being present, bringing the men's game in line with AFLW rules. If there is no nomination, or the nominated ruck is too far away, the play will be restarted immediately.

The 'third-man up' is still outlawed, so if no rucks nominate – or if the two nominated rucks are too far away when play is restarted – the ball will be thrown up and will have to hit the ground before 'play on' is called.

The AFL discovered that there were on average four ball-ups and six boundary throw-ins per game last season with a delay due to the umpire waiting for nominated rucks to arrive at a contest before restarting the play. It contributed to an average of three and a half seconds worth of delay on ball-ups and around one second worth of delay on boundary throw-ins.

One particular example from St Kilda's victory over Melbourne late in the year saw two rucks nominate for a boundary throw-in on the opposite wing, despite only just returning to the field of play from the bench. The umpire waited more than 25 seconds for the two rucks to arrive at the contest, before restarting the play.

SHRUGGING IN THE TACKLE

A shrug in a tackle will now be deemed prior opportunity. It will be similar to how a fend, or an attempt to evade a tackle is deemed prior opportunity.

It's hoped this will stop players from contributing to a high tackle, while making the rule easier to adjudicate for umpires.

STAND

There will be a stronger enforcement of players being told to 'stand' if they are inside the protected area.

Now, if you are within 5m of a mark or a free kick when it is paid, deemed the protected area, you will be required to 'stand' and can no longer reverse to being 'outside five'.

The AFL found that more and more players have left the protected area to stand 'outside five' across the last season. In 2025 alone, the AFL's findings discovered that only 58 per cent of opposition players would 'stand' when told while 18 per cent of players went to the area deemed 'outside five' by the umpire.

It's hoped this will see more players take the game on, encourage overlapping possessions and more free-flowing ball movement.

LINK

[Bornadog]

They just can't stop fiddling with the game

[jeemak]

I'm OK with shrugging a tackle equating to prior opportunity, but if the tackle slips high it should be a free kick to the ball carrier. The onus on keeping the tackle legal should be on the tackler at all times, unless the ball carrier drops or ducks into it.

The last touch rule should be awarded in either a direct line with the horizontal centre square line, or in a direct line to the boundary from the apex of the 50m arc. Just outside the 50m is too close to goal.

Not having to nominate a ruck around the ground is a good thing, while with the ball being thrown up in the centre we should hopefully benefit from the change that will mean rucks have to contest the ball rather than the man with all of English, Lobb and Darcy.

[Axe Man]

Not having to nominate a ruck around the ground is a good thing

You still have to nominate though. It's just that the umpire will throw it up quicker and if nobody has nominated or hasn't made it to the contest in time no player on your side can contest the ruck. If neither side has a nominator in the vicinity everyone has to watch the ball hit the ground before touching it.

I would prefer they just throw it up and let anybody contest the hit out. Penalise a team if more than one player goes up if you must.

[jeemak]

You still have to nominate though. It's just that the umpire will throw it up quicker and if nobody has nominated or hasn't made it to the contest in time no player on your side can contest the ruck. If neither side has a nominator in the vicinity everyone has to watch the ball hit the ground before touching it.

I would prefer they just throw it up and let anybody contest the hit out. Penalise a team if more than one player goes up if you must.

Sorry, I didn't get into the detail. That's just stupidity.

[mighty_west]

I'm not necessarily sick of rule changes IF they help the game, i mean rule changes have been going on since day dot and the game will always continue to evolve, i think the ruck rule change will help English so that's a positive, the 6,6,6 rule should also help us and other teams with smart forwards, we just need to work on what Freo did to us and separate their forwards, if we continue to have a good clearance game Darce and Naughts should be working to get into the most dangerous positions, Buku too at times as i'd like to see Crofty back.

Not too sure the shrugging in a tackle will work as players do this, to make sure the oppo get them around the neck which usually happens in a split second, you'd normally need more time than that to award a holding the ball i would have thought, and by that time it's already a high tackle which should be awarded first.

[Sedat]

Not too sure the shrugging in a tackle will work as players do this, to make sure the oppo get them around the neck which usually happens in a split second, you'd normally need more time than that to award a holding the ball i would have thought, and by that time it's already a high tackle which should be awarded first.

Rule is about 18 years too late, should have come in after Joel Selwood's entire first season cheating and making a mockery of the too high rule

[Bornadog]

I would prefer they just throw it up and let anybody contest the hit out. Penalise a team if more than one player goes up if you must.

Trouble is if you don't nominate then the actual ruck can be blocked by the oppo.

[Uninformed]

I would like to see existing rules policed properly before making any new ones. They need to pay arm chops and bodying and tunnelling frees where the spoiler is no where near punching the ball. More marks, more goals, more entertaining. More speed in the game is not the answer.

[Axe Man]

Trouble is if you don't nominate then the actual ruck can be blocked by the oppo.

Fair point.

I don't know what was wrong with third man up in the first place, it helped clear congestion and we managed to get by without nominations for quite a long time.

[soupman]

Think they are mostly fine. Last touch is fine (although they have still put grey area in there by saying if you block it over its not a free, thats unnecessarily confusing), ruck stuff is unneeded (i dont care if they jump) but meh, not waiting for them is common sense, kick in is meh, 666 is dumb they dont wait for them to set up anyway its a warning/free kick.

The stand rule change though is a huge change to our style of setup and also is gonna be a nightmare to implement. It's worded poorly but I assume it means just one player in the zone has to stand, not anyone caught in the zone, but its gonna look dumb especially where there is an overlap and the defender can't cover the handball option over the top as they are rooted to the ground for no reason.

All of this is very heavily crnted around how much quicker its gonna make the game, which is daft when the three easiest ways arent even addressed.

10 seconds less between goals is 150 seconds a game for free. Making score reviews quicker by capping them at 30 seconds and if it takes longer then its inconclusive and umpires call would literally save minutes in some games. And boundary throw ins take ages (up to 20 seconds from when he ball goes out). Cut them by 5 seconds each (the boundary umpire always takes ages to release the ball, just make them quicker) and you save 50×5 seconds a game (4 minutes). That's 8+ minutes a game you are cutting with no loss to the sport.