I had a chance to see the NAB Cup coverage on Ten yesterday and am baffled at the stupidity (or should that be hypocrisy) of the AFL. One new trial rule is that the last player who touches the ball before it goes out forfeits a free to the other side. There are a couple of exceptions, and it seems a confusing rule to apply, but the thing that particularly struck me is the way it speeds up the game. It's having a similar effect to not having to wait for the goal ump to wave the flag before you kick in after a behind: no quick breather while the line ump gets the ball and gets organized, instead most times the nearest player grabs the ball and kicks. Even before he gets the ball away other players are running for position. IMO it's worth persisting with, but how does the AFL square this with the new interchange rules? Which, by the way, I detest. It'll be interesting to see what sort of judgement they make about it.
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