The substitute rule was enforced last year in a bid to lower the remarkably high number of interchanges. Although there is now one less player active on the bench, interchange levels are still extraordinary.
Nonetheless without achieving its primary objective, the substitute rule remains a successful initiative.
The substitute has added an extra dimension to football. For coaches the substitute has become a tactical weapon. Choosing the right moment to unleash a fresh player amongst fatigued and battered bodies late in games can give their side a crucial advantage.
This was evident in round 10 when the Brisbane Lions upset the ladder leading Eagles. Super sub Josh Green came on late in the game and provided the match winning spark that got the Lions home by just two points.
Green had just four touches, but crucially three of them were goals. The other was a goal assist. Green was directly responsible for four of the Lions’ eight last quarter goals.
The green vest is usually bestowed upon a player who is early in their career. Perhaps due to their lack fitness compared to their more seasoned counterparts. Whatever the reason it has given young, energetic footballers the chance to utilize their pace and zip against weary opponents.
The substitute has created chances for players to become heroes, when in another time before the rule they would struggle to impact the match for its entire duration.
Similarly the substitute rule has meant better players are on the field longer, shifting forward to rest as opposed to sitting on the pine.
With less time to recharge and rest players are subsequently becoming more fatigued, allowing the game to open up and become free-flowing in the fourth quarter.
Players are unable to spread from stoppages as effectively, which creates more space to run and carry.
This was evident in the Lions game against the Eagles when both sides combined to produce 13 goals in the final term. Up until three quarter time eighteen goals had been kicked for the entire match.
Likewise in last weekend’s thriller between Essendon and Sydney when the Bombers kicked nine of 11 final term goals. Eleven of the 24 goals scored in the match were kicked in the last quarter.
The substitute rule was questioned initially, but can be labelled a success. Although interchange numbers remain high, the substitute has revolutionised the game.
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