Regional manager ticks new AFLW rule

AUSTRALIAN RULES: AFLDD officials are looking at adopting the new last-touch rule in the Westpac Women’s competition next season.

The last-touch rule, which was announced last week, means a kick will be paid against the last player who touches the ball before it goes out of bounds in the NAB AFL Women’s competition from next year.

New AFLW head of football Nicole Livingstone brought in the new rule to increase scoring and help reduce congestion in order to create a more free-flowing game.

AFLDD regional manager Jeff Neumann believed it would do just that.

“I think the last-touch rule is fantastic,” he said.

“For traditionalists it may not sit comfortably but women’s footy is different to men’s.”

Neumann spent time with the Western Bulldogs women’s team in 2013 as part of the coaching staff in the AFL women’s exhibition series.

“This was an amazing experience personally,” he said.

“The exhibition series was an important step in the build up to the inaugural AFLW season in 2017.”

Neumann was also the driving force behind creating the AFLDD Women’s competition which just added two more teams next season.

There are also two more rule changes to the AFLW in 2018.

Games will be slightly longer with two minutes of time-on added to the end of each quarter to account for any delays during the match.

The number of players per team has also been reduced from 22 to 21, with one less player allowed on the bench.