AFL clubs fear young footballers who do not have superior stamina could be overlooked if the league’s new substitute rule is introduced into the premiership season.
The AFL is trialling two substitutes and two interchange players during the NAB Cup, a change from the single sub and three interchange players currently in place.
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley and Melbourne counterpart Mark Neeld both say players with endurance-running ability would be more likely to be drafted, as players would be forced to stay on the ground longer.
Buckley said a new “two and two” rule would impact on clubs’ recruiting programs and called on the AFL to give them plenty of time to prepare if they introduce the regulation into the season proper.
“It makes rotations a lot tougher,” Buckley said.
“It is a big shift, going from four (interchange players) 14 months ago to three and one last year in the home and away and now to two and two in the NAB.
“What you’ve got is players who have run around at a certain speed and intensity with the ability to rest, still trying to run around at that speed and intensity without the ability to rest.”
Neeld said clubs needed longer to make up their minds about the new rule.
“It means that they’ll all have to stay out there for longer – there’s no doubt about that,” Neeld said.
“It will certainly impact clubs’ philosophies in recruiting – that’s already started.
“If two and two comes in in 2013, good luck being drafted if you can’t run,” he said.
“How would you draft someone who can’t run? Where are they going to play?”
Former Sydney premiership coach Paul Roos said recently that the Swans AFL Academy was already cutting young players who did not show endurance.
“If Roosy’s onto some information that two and two is going to be about in 2013, the fact that a club may have already made that decision (to recruit based on stamina), that’s not surprising.
“I don’t think that would surprise anyone,” Neeld said.
“If that rule was to come in, I would understand why some clubs, if faced with a decision between one player who is an endurance runner and one is a burst runner … I’d go the endurance runner.”
Neeld said clubs were still adding to their recruiting staff and “it would be nice to know what the rules are”.
“If clubs are making decisions and there’s information out there that I haven’t got, I’m going to be a little bit annoyed,” he said.
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