There was once a time that the NBA didn't have a 3 point line. A time when test matches were played until there were was a result, sometimes lasting 10+ days. A time when back passing to the goalkeeper was legal. You could rattle off rule changes in any sport that would make it unrecognisable to beforehand.
Fox Footy's best asset is their classic matches. In the offseason it's a great way to fill in time, and even during the season it is still a better option than seeing 10 re runs of AFL360 (yes even from every angle!). A while back I was watching an old Bulldogs Richmond game (no idea what year), when a moment made me chuckle. Late in the game with the Tigers clinging to a slender lead, Leon Cameron came bounding out of the backline with one thing in his mind. This was also in the mind of everyone in the stadium as Bruce yelled out "CAN HE FIND THE LINE!?".
These days even if you unintentionally find the line you are very likely going to be pinged for deliberate. A perfect example of a rule change that has altered the way the game is played. There are probably hundreds of such examples. In a bygone era there used to be place kicks, and no downfield free kicks (in essence players were regularly slaughtered after they disposed of a ball because a free kick couldn't be paid). More recently some effective changes have been made such as outlawing diving on the ball, and for the most part goal review technology.
This leaves us with the question of, what changes are coming? What changes could be so radical such as the ones listed in the introduction that if they were brought in it would make footy unrecognisable. I'm not talking about sensible rule changes such as allowing players to move on the mark, abolishing 6-6-6 and allowing 3rd man up, I'm talking about rule changes that would completely shift the way game is played. Some of these are terrible ideas, some are slightly terrible ideas, and some are ridiculous. But hey let’s not take ourselves too seriously!
Teams can score at either end
Assuming the AFL would keep the 6-6-6 rule until the day they die, imagine the complexities this would throw up for coaches. Do you start some forwards and some defenders at each end? Do you only pick forwards? There would need to be layers to this rule, such as what happens when a behind is scored. Out with the traditional kick in, the team gets to start the ball in the centre circle and choose what way they kick. The obvious issue is that teams would never try and go coast to coast, but lets just picture 36 players all within the same area trying to score into the same goal. In the words of Charlie Chaplin “in the end, everything is a gag”.
Hitting the behind post is worth 9 points
This was also suggested by multiple twitter users but imagine the heart palpitations it would cause. If you were down 8, 20m out with 90 seconds left, would you try and hit the post to get in front but risking scoring 1 point, or go for goal and get the guaranteed 6? The possibilities are endless!
Play with 2 balls
When running a PE class this is always my go to rule modification. A game called backboard ball descends into madness quicker than people buy toilet paper in a lockdown. If the AFL wants to speed the game up this is their solution! Good luck ever seeing congestion when there are 2 balls flying around. Players would need eyes in the back of their heads but perhaps the most hilarious aspect of this would be listening to the commentary. Dwayne would get out 200 shake n bakes per game.
A kick backwards is play on
This is only rule that I could see the AFL incorporating in a moment of madness. The likelihood of it ever happening would be 1/10 but compared to every other rule on this list you’d take your chances. It would probably make congestion/defending even greater because teams would just immediately fold back deep into defence knowing that the only option the opposition has is to go forwards.
Super goals but the home team gets to choose where the arc is
Have a team with some booming kicks? Put the super goal arc at 65m to make sure you get the advantage from your massive kicks. Have no booming kicks? Put the arc 1m out to level the playing field. This rule would take home field advantage to another level and would also make predicting total points a fool’s errand.
No running bounces
The bounce is synonymous with the AFL, but picture for a second if it was outlawed. Not outlawed because players could run no more than 15m, but so they can run however far they want without bouncing it. Guys like Adam Saad & Connor McKenna would be taking off on more marauding runs off half back than runs I go for in a calendar year.
Twitter Ideas
I also took to Twitter to ask you all for your best ideas and boy did you bring the heat. Here are my top 5 favourite ideas I read.
5.
What I love about this rule is who would be the first coach brave enough to roll out a 40-player team on game day where they rotate players every couple of minutes like in ice hockey. Would it become common place or would sticking with a small bench be most effective?
4.
Whilst we would commonly see ruckmen getting ‘fouled out’ what would be funnier would be seeing the next level antics taggers would be doing to try and draw free kicks from the best players. The level of theatre would increase and fans would become more focused on off the ball nonsense which can’t be a bad thing, right?
3.
Love this rule. The scenes would be magical if we saw a big forward take a huge hanger and then get walked to the goal square by the umpire to the sounds of the slap of chairs folding up as the crowd rises as one to applaud the mark they have seen. It could also become tactical, instead of spoiling defenders might be more tempted to try and take a hanger, and teams might intentionally kick it on players heads. Would be fun.
2. @JG2325 (* I have nothing to add to this tweet it is just fantastic)
1.
I promise I’m not being biased to a nosebleeds writer here, I just love this idea. Not sure it would get past the concussion specialists but imagine 50k people rising to their feet as 2 players go hammer and tong on the wing. Entertainment value through the roof!
This was plenty of fun to write and read all your comments, if you want to be involved with articles like this make sure to follow me @Doee48 on twitter, or if you have any ideas for an article you’d like to me to do shoot me an email nosebleedchats@outlook.com. Cya on the flip!
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