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The AFL has cracked down on players winning 50m penalties under the controversial ‘stand rule’ ahead of the 2023 season.
Under a new interpretation of the law, players will no longer be penalised for going off their mark should a player with the ball fake a handball, after a number of incidents in 2022.
It became an oft-seen tactic for players to pretend to pass the ball while behind the mark; the offending player needed only to take one step off his mark to be penalised 50 metres.
Other rule changes include forcing players to immediately decide whether to leave the 5m protected area after a mark, or stand the mark. Current rules occasionally enable players to move up to the mark and then retreat without conceding a 50m penalty.
The other major alteration is the delay of the warning given by umpires to players taking set shots. Players are required to begin their set shot approach within 30 seconds of taking the mark. Previously, they were warned by the umpire when 15 seconds of that time has elapsed; that time has now been pushed back to 25 seconds.
The AFL has long come under criticism for making major rule changes from season to season; this year’s crop of alterations, however, is comfortably smaller than in previous years.
In addition to the stand rule, other polarising recent additions to the game include the ‘6-6-6’ rule, introduced before the 2019 season where only six players from each team are permitted inside defensive and attacking 50; and the medical sub rule, which allowed teams to replace a player mid-game with a pre-designated substitute should that player have sustained an injury likely to sideline them for at least a week.
The latter rule has also been changed for 2023 to enable that player to be replaced at any time and for any reason, removing the medial requirement.
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