THE AFL Commission has confirmed that a cap on interchange rotations will be introduced from next season.
Interchanges will be capped at 120 per game for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, based on a recommendation from the AFL's football operations department. There will no cap on interchanges per quarter, with clubs to be left to monitor their total rotations over the entire four quarters.
The 120 limit will not include the use of the substitute or the changes made during breaks between quarters.
Read the AFL Commission's statement on the interchange cap
Clubs have averaged 133 interchanges per match so far in 2013.
The Crows average 144 rotations per game, including changes made at the quarter and three-quarter time breaks.
AFL General Manager Football Operations Mark Evans said the Commission had examined further data and analysis at its meeting in Melbourne earlier this week and determined that a cap of 120 rotations per match, plus any changes made at quarter breaks and the use of the substitute, would be put in place for the next two seasons.
Mr Evans said the cap would not have any quarter by quarter restrictions, with the use of the interchange numbers per match to be managed as each club saw fit across the entirety of a game. The Commission also advised it would review the interchange cap towards the end of the 2015 season, before any recommendation for future seasons.
“The AFL Football Operations Department presented detailed analysis of interchange rates, game trends, injury trends and fairness data, but also the views of coaches, players and others consulted during the process,” Mr Evans said.
Mr Evans said there had been considerable feedback that a previously-mooted cap of 80 interchanges per match, as flagged at the end of the 2012 season, was too strict a change to be introduced immediately and both the majority of clubs and the AFLPA had sought either a higher figure, or no restriction at all.
The Commission eventually determined the cap would be placed at 120 interchanges per match, plus any changes made at quarter breaks and the use of the substitute player.
“In 2012 and in the first half of 2013 interchange numbers averaged approximately 130 per game. Many in the industry have suggested interchange rotations had reached its natural maximum and that any further increases would be counter-productive. Over the past 4-6 weeks it appears that interchange numbers are once again on the rise, averaging 135-140 per game.”
Bringing in a cap preserves the current level and protects against further escalation, Mr Evans said.
The two-year freeze will allow for an assessment of the cap, and will allow for further modifications in the future
Separately, the Commission also discussed reviewing the role of officials on the field during the course of play.
“The Commission is concerned by the number of people, separate to the players, who can be on our grounds during a game and is considering moves for the Football Operations Department to modify or restrict the on-field role of runners, as well as restricting the role of trainers in non-injury situations,” Mr Evans said.
The AFL will also consider easing the penalties around some interchange breaches, particularly those when a player enters the ground fractionally early or just outside the interchange gates. The current penalty of a free kick and a 50 metre penalty against an offending team may be wound back to a free kick only, but the option of a free kick and a 50 metre penalty would be retained for any serious case where 19 players were on the field for a period of play.
