Clubs queue to criticise consultation
By Lyall Johnson, Michael Gleeson
The Age
February 9, 2006
GEELONG, Hawthorn, Richmond and Essendon have added their voices to concerns that the AFL has introduced a radical rule change to this year's VFL competition without wider consultation among coaches.A surprised Cats coach Mark Thompson learned only yesterday of the change to the rule - where a mark will not be paid should a player kick backwards to a teammate outside the 50-metre arc - when told by journalists while the Hawks' general manager of football operations Mark Evans said the club was dismayed to hear about the change via their affiliated VFL club Box Hill and not the AFL or VFL.
"The only way Hawthorn knew of it was because we were told by Box Hill. I don't think that is good enough," he said.
While Thompson and Essendon's Kevin Sheedy said they were not opposed to the rule itself, they called on the AFL to consult more widely with coaches about changes.
Thompson said the kicking backwards rule would make very little difference to the way the game was played, but he felt creating a distinction between the two competitions was a "silly" situation.
"It is strange because we have actually got players playing in both competitions so we have got a player playing in the VFL who has got a different set of rules when he plays in the AFL, which is a bit disturbing really. We're playing the same game aren't we?" he said.
"If it is a rule now and it is in one competition and not in the other that our players play in it makes it a bit difficult. A bit silly."
Evans agreed: "You will have the ludicrous situation where a player can be on the list for three years playing in a state competition with a significantly different rule. It slows down their development.
"Then you have the situation where a player moves on a week-to-week basis between competitions."
Sheedy also lent his support to the change saying yesterday "let's just do it and see how we go".
"I don't mind the kicking backwards play-on rule, I reckon that's fair enough," Sheedy said. "We want to make the game exciting; I don't have a problem with that."
But Sheedy remained critical of the AFL for its lack of consultation and particularly the timing of the 10 changes to AFL rules and interpretations announced last November, the day before the national draft.
"I think the AFL in some cases let the recruiting staff and the head coaches down, and probably could have informed all the club presidents and boards earlier than the day before the draft," he said.
Richmond coach Terry Wallace was also unfazed by the play-on rule but disappointed by the lack of consultation, as he had been when the rules for the coming season were announced.
He said he was more worried about the VFL rule determining only 12 senior-listed players can play for their AFL-aligned clubs when up against a stand alone team.
"That impacts on us a fair bit," he said. "We've always had a good relationship with our VFL affiliate, Coburg, where we pick on merit.
"All of a sudden that takes away our ability to pick on merit, where a guy plays well enough to play senior footy but because of a rule, he doesn't get that opportunity. I think that's disappointing."The capping rule does not affect Geelong, which fields its own VFL team, and Thompson said he believed the rule was an attempt to make the VFL competition more even.
With ROHAN CONNOLLY, EMMA QUAYLE
http://www.realfooty.theage.com.au/realfooty/articles/2006/02/08/1139379569960.html
