BACKING FOR LAST-TOUCH RULE

A PAIR of leading SANFL coaches have endorsed the AFL’s exploration of a last-touch rule that has been successfully implemented in South Australia’s state-league competition.

The last-touch rule was introduced in 2016 and means any player who kicks or handballs over the boundary line gives a free kick to the opposition, while balls fumbled or spoiled over the boundary line are not penalised and the ball is thrown in as normal.

Port Adelaide assistant coach Tyson Goldsack on Friday echoed some concerns about its weakness, which sees players penalised when a shot at goal bounces over the boundary metres from the point post.

But SANFL coaches Marty Mattner (Sturt) and Jade Sheedy (Woodville-West Torrens) said the upside was significant. There is no confusion over the insufficient intent rule, the ball is in play more, there are less boundary throw-ins and the game flows more. Scott said on Thursday of the potential rule change: “It’s fair to say the AFL are looking very closely at what the SANFL are doing with the last disposal (rule).”

Back-to-back premiership coach Sheedy said he liked the clarity of the rule and what it did to the flow of the game.

“It is one way to keep the game flowing and it does that, for sure,” Sheedy said.

“It keeps the ball in motion, it keeps the players active, and it reduces stoppages.

“It might happen 10 or 15 times in a game and there are periods when it happens three times in three minutes and you think, ‘not again’, but the incentive is there to go through the corridor and not give the ball back to the opposition.”

Dual Double Blues premiership coach Mattner said players who came into the league each year quickly adjusted to the rule, which definitely kept the ball in play for longer each quarter.