Cats coach wants bigger benches

CHRIS Scott wants the AFL to expand interchange benches and abolish the cap on rotations to help clubs cope with a flood of catch-up matches that might not start until October.

The Cats do not want their players to stay match-ready during the indefinite break because Scott is acutely aware a short turnaround between the 2020 and 2021 seasons is on the cards.

Geelong is preparing for scenarios that would see Round 2 take place as early as June or as late as October.

If the latter plays out then there is the possibility clubs could play close to 40 games in 12 months.

“That (staying matchready) is a recipe for overtraining and injury,” the Cats premiership coach said yesterday.

“We’ve got to make sure the (training) program reflects that there’s a very good chance the players will be playing games in quick succession – four or five-day breaks – later in the year, and then a really short turnaround into 2021 as well.

“The holistic view over a multi-year period is really important.

“If the equation is cram more games into a shorter time frame, then game time has to come down and the access to players has to go up.

“So six on the bench, shorter game time (and) unlimited rotations makes a lot of sense to me.”

The AFL has already slashed the length of quarters from 20 to 16 minutes and Scott was open to a further reduction.

The league effectively eased the rotation cap by retaining it at 90 this year.

Scott said on Triple M that when the lights come back on clubs should prepare for Round 2 with match simulation at training, rather than practice matches against rivals, because there was “no time to waste”.

ALICE SPRINGS (DR)