Rotations ... Danye Beams and Luke Ball change on the boundary line. Source: Stephen Harman / News Limited
THE AFL is considering a backflip on the proposed interchange cap for next season as player rotation numbers stabilise.
Clubs were bracing for a recommended cap of 80 rotations a game next year, but a review of recent figures has prompted a rethink. The issue was discussed at a recent laws of the game committee meeting, with some members of the view a cap was now unnecessary.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
The issue is expected to be canvassed at an AFL Commission meeting on Monday.
Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.
The league was worried that interchange numbers would continue to soar, increasing the speed of the game and the risk of injury, after an average of 131.3 rotations a game last season.
According to Champion Data figures, there was an average of 91.9 interchanges a game in 2009.
But numbers have flattened out this year with only a small increase to 131.9 interchanges, prompting a view that rotations have perhaps reached an optimal level.
It has been identified that any increase above that mark can be counter-productive for a team, as more frequent changes can leave players out of position and spending too much time swapping near the interchange area.
Changes in the game to help facilitate more continuous play has also helped slow players and reduce the risk of collision injuries stemming from explosive stop-start football.
While a final decision has not been made, the re-think will delight coaches and players, with many vehemently opposing the cap over the past year.
Attitudes towards a cap in the corridors of power have softened since AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou declared in March a cap would be introduced for the start of 2014.
"The fact of the matter is, unless people have got amnesia, the AFL Commission has already passed the rule," Demetriou said.
It said at the end of the year the cap's coming in.
"There's no going back on that - that is already put in place."\
The AFL commission last year deferred the laws of the game committee's recommendation to introduce a cap to analyse more data.
The bulk of clubs routinely register between 120 and 140 rotations. Fremantle averages the most interchanges with 146. Sydney has the lowest with an average 122.
Adelaide coach Brenton Sanderson said a cap of 80 would change the type of players clubs recruited.
Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones called the proposal "irresponsible'.
Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said a 80 rotation cap would be an "enormous risk" to the game.
"It's a pretty dramatic change to go to 80, and no one really knows what's going to happen to the game," Clarkson said.
"Hopefully, common sense will prevail, and if they want to introduce a cap, then cap it at something sensible like 120.
"Then we can see what a minor cap on the interchange does to the game rather than take it to 80."
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
AFL considering cap backflip
Dengan url
http://sportlivestyle.blogspot.com/2013/07/afl-considering-cap-backflip.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
AFL considering cap backflip
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar