23rd-man 'medical' substitute rule

[one-eyed]

THE AFL is strongly considering a request from some coaches to use a substitute player to replace a concussed teammate in 2021 matches.

The mooted change would need to be officially approved by the AFL Commission before Thursday's night's Richmond-Carlton season-opening match at the MCG.

Already the AFL has ruled for the 2021 season that a player cannot return to playing inside 12 days after suffering concussion.

Coaches have asked for a additional 23rd player to be the concussion sub. Currently, each team is comprised of 18 on-field players and four interchange.

In the fiery meeting on Thursday, some coaches sought to have interchange rotations increased from the legislated 75 as a means to deal with loss of a concussed player within a match.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/561189/coaches-concussion-worry-sparks-push-for-23rd-player

[one-eyed]

CORNES STAGGERED BY HARDWICK’S “LAUGHABLE” SUB SUGGESTION

SEN
16 March 2021

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has suggested that clubs should be allowed to substitute in emergency players during games as part of the AFL’s proposed concussion sub rule.

Hardwick believes the 23rd man should apply to players who suffer head knocks and injuries mid-match.

“From my point of view, once again, to get a concussion sub and then a guy breaks his leg four minutes later, why shouldn’t you be able to use the sub for that reason also? Hardwick told Fox Footy’s AFL 360 on Monday night.

“We do name four emergencies so for example if I lose a tall, we’ll always name a tall in the emergency list, well let’s go and get the tall bloke out of the grandstand.

“Mabior Chol for example is the emergency and we might lose, touchwood this doesn’t happen, Toby Nankervis, alright, well let’s go and get the ruck.”

Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes was staggered by the three-time premiership coach’s sub suggestion.

“It’s laughable,” Cornes told SEN SA Breakfast.

“Damien Hardwick suggesting that we go and pluck a player out of the grandstand in the middle of a game because they only picked one ruckman – that’s your fault.

“If you go into a game with one ruckman you know full well that if he goes down, you’ve got to have a back-up. This is the art of coaching, this is how you select your team, this is how you mitigate the risk of injuries.

“This is the premiership coach – three-time winning premiership coach – suggesting that they go and pluck a tall defender out of the grandstand off their emergency list and put him into the game halfway through because he’s lost a player due to injury.

“Honestly, let’s take stock of where we are as a game, where it used to be, and these coaches whinging because they haven’t picked two ruckmen on game day.

"That blows me away that we could have one of the deepest thinkers and most influential coaches suggesting we go and get someone out of the grandstand."

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/03/16/cornes-staggered-by-hardwicks-laughable-sub-suggestion/

[Andyy]

Sub for clinically diagnosed concussion is fine by me.

For other injuries - nope!

[one-eyed]

New rule reveal: AFL brings in 'medical sub' ahead of R1

AFL gives green light to an expanded bench that will include a medical substitute

By Mitch Cleary
afl.com.au
17 March 2021

CLUBS will be able to replace an injured or concussed player under a new medical substitute rule that has been introduced less than two days before the start of the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership season.

As reported first by AFL.com.au on Friday, all clubs will be able use 23 players for each game instead of the regular 22, but that extra 23rd player will only be able to take the field after club doctors have assessed an injured or concussed player as 'medically unfit' to continue in the match. 

To be eligible for a medical substitution, the club doctor must decide that an injured player will be unable to play a game in the next 12 days.

Concussed players must already sit out a mandatory 12-day recovery period under new protocols introduced by the AFL for the 2021 season.

Club doctors must provide the AFL with a medical certificate on the first working day after the match as evidence the substituted player sustained the injury.

Any club found to be breaking the medical substitute rule can be sanctioned "for conduct unbecoming, or prejudicial to the interests or reputation of the AFL, or to bring the game of football into disrepute".

As a result, team selection will look a little different in 2021.

Clubs will name a 'normal' squad of 22 players and four emergencies the evening before the game, but they won't have to name the 23rd 'medical substitute' player until final teams are confirmed an hour before the first bounce.

The new rule will only apply at AFL senior level – not in any state league or elite junior competitions.

If the 23rd 'medical substitute' player doesn't take the field, they will still have a senior game credited to their career tally. And on Grand Final day, an unused medical substitute player on the winning team will receive a premiership medal.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/563046/new-rule-reveal-afl-brings-in-medical-sub-ahead-of-r1