How rule changes will impact the AFLW

It’s been a very busy off-season for the AFL commission with a grand total of eleven rule and/or interpretation changes being brought in for the 2019 AFLW season.  

That’s right... 11!

That’s all the Sharknado movies PLUS all the Transformer movies, or Snow White’s seven dwarves plus the Fantastic Four, or Frodo’s fellowship of nine AND Tango and Cash!! 

The point is there are a lot of these new rules so we thought we’d look at them in depth to see how they might impact the AFLW this season.  

Last Touch Out Of Bounds

Last season this rule was in effect across the entire field, but in 2019 this will be confined to between the 50m arcs. In 2018 we saw defenders blocking up the corridor and allowing forwards to lead to a pocket because a) it was a low percentage shot on goal and b) if the kick missed and went out of bounds, it was a turnover. That will not be the case this season.

The change is a good common-sense amendment to the rule that encourages expansive ball movement AND scoring which was not necessarily the case last year. Hopefully it results in a ‘best of both worlds’ for the AFL where the corridor is being used in the middle of the ground (fast, open, attacking play) but then also that teams won’t be afraid to hit a lead to the boundary for a shot on goal.

That lead will have to be properly defended now because it will either be marked or set up a forward 50 stoppage which more than often lead to points.

Boundary Throw-Ins

This season all boundary throw-in’s will be thrown in from 10m inside the field of play. This rule has had some very mixed responses and I must admit I’m not quite sure how I feel about it myself. In theory, the rule is designed to avoid a repeat stoppage or at the very least, avoid a repeat boundary throw-in but the time it takes to come in 10m surely allows another 2-3 sets of bodies to congest and contest the space the ball will be landing in.

This rule feels like the "Last Touch" rule of last season where the AFL have attempted to prematurely and redundantly improve an aspect of the game that was on track to naturally improve itself - and is one of those rule changes that those AFLW nay-sayers can point to as why the competition is fluffy and not ‘real’ football - whilst not actually improving the thing the rule was brought in to combat (stoppage congestion).

Hopefully I am wrong on both counts and we see some great hitouts to advantage over the back to a running player who hits a lead, and bam, shot on goal.

Starting Zones

As with the AFL in 2019, traditional playing positions (5-6-5) will be enforced this season at center bounces, with one forward required to start from inside the goal square. This rule greatly rewards center-bounce clearances because any kick into the forward 50 will see genuine 1-1 contests with only 5 forwards.

Teams will now not be able to flood multiple players back to restrict scoring or close out a game. This is a great rule that may seem small, but will make a real difference on several fronts this season.

Kick-Ins

Two small changes to kick-ins could potentially be a big game-changer for AFLW in 2019. The first change is players are no longer required to kick to themselves before playing-on out from the goal square, whilst the player on the mark has been moved back an extra 5m (from 5m to 10m).

The second rule amplifies the first, and together they will open up the entire 50m arc (and beyond in some cases) at kick-ins which will be a huge change. In previous seasons, players kicking-in have been reluctant to kick to themselves because maintaining possession at speed and under pressure is risky for most defenders in the AFLW (and the AFL for that matter!).

AFL players still did it because they can - worst case - run their measure then kick it 50m. AFLW players don’t yet have that kind of distance in the legs, so even if they played on last season they were still struggling to kick past congestion.

Not so this season. From the kick-in, a player can go straight past the goalsquare line and another 4-5m before getting their kick away which allows them to effectively play on and clear the 50m arc without being under as much pressure as in the past.

This will mean the defensive zone has to spread and will therefore mean more short hit-up leads from deep in the goalsquare. A great rule that I expect will result in more end-to-end action, more one-on-one contests and will likely see repeat inside 50 stats plummet.

Mark Deep In Defense

When defenders mark or receive a free-kick within 9m of their own goal, the player on the mark will be brought in line with the goal square. This makes squaring a short kick to the pocket from the kick in a very safe play because that player will not have to go back off the mark, it will be the player on the mark who will have to retreat.

Hands in the Back

Players can now put hands in the back of their opponent to protect space, but are not allowed to push the player. Talk about your grey area! I really hope this rule is officiated correctly and any push whatsoever is pulled up as a free-kick. This rule will likely increase scoring opportunities because forwards who get behind their defender can simply hold their ground with hands in the back, then jump late and mark.

Ruck Prior Opportunity

Rucks who take possession of the ball in a ruck contest (bounce or throw-in) will no longer be regarded as having had prior opportunity if immediately tackled.

I can see this leading to more congestion and repeat stoppages – the very thing the AFL Commission is so eager to avoid. Muscling your opponent out of the drop-zone will allow a ruck to take clean possession of the ball, which - more often than not - will lead to that ruck being tackled.

Hopefully I’m wrong. In a few seasons this rule will be very positive for AFLW but I think in the short term it will not open up the space that it absolutely will for the men.

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