Whether the cap fits or not, wear it. That’s the blunt message from AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou to coaches who are unhappy about the planned limit on interchange rotations.
Veteran coach Mick Malthouse led a chorus of disapproval last weekend as the league started a trial cap of 80 interchanges per team in pre-season matches.
Demetriou is just as belligerent on the issue, saying the league had already made it clear some sort of limit would become a permanent feature in the AFL from next year.
The league is yet to decide what the final cap number will be.
“The fact of the matter is unless people have got amnesia the AFL Commission has already passed the rule, which it said at the end of the year the cap’s coming in,” Demetriou told Melbourne’s SEN radio.
“They wanted to look at this year to see if the actual number of 80 is correct.
“There’s no going back on that. That’s already been in place.
“I’m not quite sure why after one round of NAB Cup, everyone’s up in arms, they want it reviewed.”
The AFL laws of the game committee proposed an 80-cap trial for the NAB Cup as debate continues over how coaches now use the interchange bench.
Malthouse has been a pioneer in the last few years of dramatically increasing interchange numbers so players take longer to fatigue during games.
As a result, there has been an explosion of interchange numbers.
Last October, the AFL Commission approved the 80-cap trial for this NAB Cup and also decided to revisit the idea at the end of this season.
There has been strong speculation since that there would be a cap for the 2014 regular season, something Demetriou has now confirmed publicly.
The next chapter in this controversy will come on Wednesday, when Malthouse meets with the laws of the game committee.
On the weekend, the new Carlton coach made some strong comments about the committee, wondering whether all its members understood the modern game properly.
That provoked a strong response from media commentator Kevin Bartlett, who is on the committee.
Bartlett said the league could not let coaches run roughshod over the game.
Western Bulldogs player Mitch Wallis said on Tuesday the extra fatigue caused by the cap was noticeable.
“It would be fine for a game but if you had a whole season of that, fatigue would set in and injuries would occur as a result,” Wallis said.
Port Adelaide’s Ken Hinkley, one of the coaches to blast the 80 cap on the weekend, is confident the league will make a common-sense decision on the final number.
“When you come off a system where you’re used to 130-140 interchange, it does make it harder,” Hinkley said on Tuesday.
“But we knew … and we know what the AFL are trying to achieve.
“I’m sure common sense will prevail.”
al
Guest
I dont think there is anything more annoying than when a player comes off after he kicks a goal just for rotations sake.Bring back the real feel for the game instead of this robotic thing at the moment i say...imagine taking Bartlett or Daicos off after they kicked goals..there would of been a riot ! ...i believe it might even out the competition also..probably why Malthouse is really annoyed along with other coaches that have players that need to rest every 5 minutes like in junior footy.80 sounds right.Bring it on.
Mark
Guest
It would be good to see players who just kicked a goal not pulled straight off. Is it really that fatiguing to put a ball through the middle posts?
Fred
Guest
The most interesting analysis of why an interchange bench is required that I have read was that coaches are using the bench as a tactical maneuver such that they can have more players in formation for an attack, or have more in defense for a brief period of time. For me this is against the spirit of the game. The number 80 seems to have come from the fact that not all the rotations counted in modern football are actually for the resting of players. This I believe may be the number that the AFL are looking for. It will be interesting to see how any interchange number affects the gameplay. Ive heard more defensive football would be a major outcome...