Top Roo wants old rules

Ziebell says short quarters don’t improve game

JACK Ziebell has urged the AFL to revert to its full- length 20- minute quarters as the league’s competition committee on Wednesday considers potential 2021 rule changes.

The league meeting which brings together the AFL’s heavy- hitters will spend the entire meeting considering how to find a better balance in football between attack and defence. AFL luminaries have urged the league to slash the interchange bench and find ways to reduce the congestion in a game that has 50- year levels of low scoring.

North Melbourne captain Ziebell said on Tuesday the league needed to revert back to 20- minute quarters after 16minute terms this year.

The AFL is keen to halve the difference, playing 18- minute quarters next year given games often balloon out past 120 minutes in total game time.

But he believes time on is often when teams can break down the tactics of rival sides.

“This year is so hard to judge from but I feel like the majority of scoring is done late in quarters,” he said.

“If you shorten the quarters you are losing 40 per cent of the scoring. You can look at a game with 40 points to 30 but if you let the game go on you can get 80 points to 70. It’s a tough year to make rash changes from but I would like to see the game go back to normal length.’’

He believes the AFL should retain 90 interchanges, adamant the game is not broken.

“I think the interchange should stay the same. I am a traditionalist. Even the starting positions 6- 6- 6 was designed to help create space and you have seen more centre bounce goals kicked. I like the way the game is played in terms of stoppages. I don’t mind the congestion. It brings players in with a different skill set but if you want to open up the game you will just have quick blokes running time.”

The competition committee includes club presidents Eddie McGuire, Colin Carter and Peggy O’Neal, Sydney board member Andrew Ireland, club CEOs Andrew Fagan and Justin Reeves, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan and players Patrick Dangerfield and Stephen Coniglio.

That committee has already met to consider the 2021 season structure and fixture. around the whole