RULES AND CHANGES

These are my views on some of the rules of our great game with some general observations thrown in. I discuss here whether some rules should be implemented, retained, discarded or re-introduced.

(1) I definitely want the current scoring system retained. It works perfectly, six points for a goal and one point for a behind must stay. Can’t accept this 9 points for a goal booted from outside 50 metres. Good to encourage long kicking, but our scoring system should be left alone. The situation where the third umpire is called upon to decide whether a score should be 6 or 9 points is another unnecessary nuisance that we can do without. There is enough pressure on the umpires without having to adjudicate on what the scoring should be. The system has worked perfectly since 1897 so just leave it alone! (I would prefer to see a 6 in cricket be changed to an 8 as occurred during the season 1928-1929 in NSW. Their Cricket Association introduced this to encourage brighter cricket for the grade competition. I don’t know whether changing a hit over the fence on the full from 6 to 8 would be a good thing, although I would like to see overs revert back to 8 balls rather than 6) Anyway enough of cricket, lets return to football. What I would like to see though is no kicking out from a rushed behind. Which is explained in point two.

(2) What I suggest here is that when the opposing team deliberately concedes a behind, they forfeit the right to kick out from the goal square. What then happens is that the goal umpire waves the one flag for the minor score and the field umpire then bounces the ball at the end of the rectangle. This is the identical scenario of the umpire calling for a ball up when the player kicking out does so from over the line. This should severely curtail instances where the defending team will concede a point to their opponent, as there is nothing for them to gain, as they don’t receive the automatic possession. I would like to believe that this will nearly eliminate the rushed behind.

(3) ) Initially wasn’t supportive of umpires wearing non-white colours, yet I now don’t mind it. However I would like to see the Goal Umpires always in white and wearing the famous old butchers coat, (except in the hot weather of course).

(4) I would also like to stop this practice of goal umpires signalling goals, only from between the goalposts. This practice came into being for the 1995 season.

Don’t like this at all because it takes away the dramatic effect that the goal umpire could (and did) put into the game. I enjoyed the suspense when the goal umpire ran right across as if it were a point and then raised the two fingers and with it came the delayed roar. This was especially appealing as to when your player kicked a goal to the Robert Heatley Stand end, (this scenario does not apply to Carlton fans, if you are Carlton think Reg Hickey Stand end) and you were unsure as to whether it was a goal or behind. Since 1995 the goal umpire moves back to between the goalposts when it is a goal and the fear or hope of their decision is now gone because you know by his (or Katrina Pressley’s) movements whether it is a goal or not. The drama pre 1995 was great. Now it is predictable, you know whether it is a goal or behind, from where the goal umpire is standing. If they prepare to signal from between a goal post and a behind post you know it is definitely a behind. If Katrina Pressley and all other goal umpires run back to signal from between the goal posts it is obvious that they will give a goal. I dislike this, the intrigue and mystery is no longer there.

(5) If the umpires are to wear non-white, the field and boundary umpires, should wear different colours. For example if the field umps were in green, the boundary umps could sport red. There are so many umpires out there these days, so now we could make the distinction as to who are the field and who are the boundary umps.

(6) No one and I mean absolutely no one on the field during play except the umpires and 36 players. This means trainers, water carriers and the runners to only enter the arena, when a goal has been kicked or when the umpire has stopped play for an injured player. A trainer could then only enter play when the umpire signals that it is ok for him or them to cross the white line and attend someone. There is far too many people on the ground and they get in the road both by accident and deliberately. The runner appears on the field way too often. This works in soccer and I believe it should with our game. Coaches can work out other means of communicating with their players. Perhaps they could ask one of the wingmen to run over to the sidelines and take messages whilst the ball is far from him, especially when a player is having a shot for goal. Runners, water carriers and trainers should only appear when the umpire blows for time off.

(7) Premiership medallions, (and runner up medallions) should be given to players even if they don’t play in the Grand Final. What I argue here is for a qualifying number of matches to have been reached (say for arguments sake 15) and that player is eligible for a premiership or runners up medallion. They would be called up to the podium in the same way as a participating Premiership player is even though they may be in crutches or wearing civilian clothes.

I support this for the cases primarily of Tony Modra in 1997, Derek Kickett in 1993 and David O’Halloran in 1978.Modra and O’Halloran were injured and Kickett was of course omitted. Perhaps also suspended players could qualify like Jason McCartney in 1999. There teams went on to win that game and thus the premiership This would also apply for Robbie Flower when considering if Gary Buckenara had of kicked a behind rather than the famous after the siren goal in the 1987 Preliminary Final. Depending on the result of the hypothetical Carlton v Melbourne Grand Final, (Robbie Flower, who would have missed the Grand Final through injury), would have received either the Premiership or Runners Up medal. Back with Modra, Kickett, O’Halloran and McCartney. They only missed one game for the year and though they didn’t ultimately play in the Grand Final, their efforts still got their respective teams there. Remembering others who played every game but the Grand Final like Michael Malthouse in 1982 and Trevor Keogh in 1973.They had the pain of not playing and the burning question of forever wondering whether their respective teams would have won, if they had played? Not participating in a the last game of the year is just too heartbreaking if your team mates are out there running around and you just don’t feel part of it. A medal of some sorts would ease the hurt in some small way. Then some of you may wonder as to why I am interested in Grand Final issues, as my team never makes them anyway?

(8) To combat flooding and time wasting, I would like to see a half way line drawn from (surprise, surprise) the half way point of the ground. It would go from the boundary line on one wing vertically to the other boundary line on the other side. With this in place the defending team would not be paid a mark if they kick the ball backwards, to a team mate inside their defensive half of the ground. Yet if an opponent, was to mark one of their backwards kicks, the mark would stand as it always has done. A team could kick backwards and a mark would be paid to their comrade as he was kicking the ball inside his attacking half. This is fair enough because a mark may be taken near the goal, but on a difficult angle. Player thus kicks backwards to a team mate who although further out from goal, would have better chance of kicking it than the previous bloke on the tight angle. You could say that a backwards kick is attacking in this instance.

However a backwards kick in defence does not qualify as attacking play. It is merely time wasting and is a blight on the game. By taking away the cushion of a mark, the time wasting becomes more dangerous. Combine this with my earlier point of the elimination of the kick out from a conceded rushed behind. It won’t eliminate blatant time wasting, but these rule changes would make time wasting more difficult.

(9) I would like to see the advantage rule scrapped. Free kick must be taken over the mark or the umpire does not stop the play and award free kick. Hate this scene were the field umpire waits to see whether the advantage worked or not. Just does not look right

(10) Behind Posts to be raised to the height of goal posts and goal posts to be heightened further. There is nothing worse for a goal umpire to deliberate on, when the ball goes over the top of the goal or behind post

 (11) Teams to be fined $250,000 for every minute that the game is held up during a crowd invasion. A century of goals is a fine achievement but the needless invasion is completely frustrating and not to mention old hat and boring. How many of these people actually get to pat the bloke on his back and offer him their heartiest congratulations whilst shaking his hand? Most people who run on the ground are pain in the neck bores who think they are clever or amusing. We don’t pay our hard earned to view these dopes that seem to believe they are the first person in history to discover invading the field. A four minute hold up would therefore cost 1 million dollars. Supporters would then have to be stay inside the fence and understand that bad behaviour is nothing but a betrayal of your team. If fines are not the answer then deduct points. If it occurs in a final then deduct from next season where their team would start with –2 or –4 whatever. They would soon learn.

 (12) The final round of the home and away season should see every match commence at the same time. I know this would be difficult for the television stations, but for just one round I know it would be more beneficial for all. This will prevent teams playing on a Sunday having the advantage of knowing exactly what they need to do to, in comparison to those participating earlier in the round who just have to watch on helplessly. The game in Perth could start at 1.08 their local time, 3.08 Eastern State Time (ie for matches not in Perth or Adelaide) and 2.38 for the Adelaide clash. No one has an advantage or a disadvantage. For just one round, at 6.00pm Eastern State Time, the season has finished and everyone knows where they and the other 15 clubs finished.

(13) A proposal for all supporters, sponsors and administration of the Western Bombers Why not change the colour of your number from white to yellow? This would further strengthen the link between the Aboriginal community and the Western Bombers. This is not a new situation, as one of Essendon’s greatest players was the mighty Norm Mc Donald who was Aboriginal.

The white is not mentioned in Essendon’s colour arrangement, as the description given is always red and black, (funny how it is always red and black but never black and red?) The white of their number is the silent colour. What I suggest is Matthew Lloyd’s 1 and 8 be yellow instead of white. This would further differentiate Essendon from St Kilda who use equally the red, white and black. The Western Bombers would not have to mention yellow in their colour scheme. It could still be the poor relation to the red and black, exactly as the white is now and similar to how the white is regarded at Carlton. We all know that Carlton are the Navy Blues, the white of their number and monogram is hardly mentioned, if at all.

The only other club, which could link their colours with the Aboriginal community, is the Eastern Tigers. However adding red to Richmond’s design would not really be practical I dare say. So it is over to you Essendon if you like.