Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos says he isn't going to concern himself with the new hands in the back rule but feels for many senior players in the competition.
The most controversial rule implemented in 2007 punishes a player who uses their hands to the back of an opponent as they jostle for position so the Swans have been practicing alternative methods.
"As a coach you tend not to worry about all the new rules as we are a bit like the umpires, my job is not to worry about whether they are good or bad rules, my job is just to win games of footy," Roos told sydneyswans.com.au.
"I don't have an opinion either way on how they are going to impact on the Swans, all I can think about is how we are going to change our forwards and backs in marking contests, similar to what we had to do last year and things like that.
"We have practiced for a couple of months and will continue to practice alternative ways."
While opinion is divided about whether the rule will impact more on forwards or defenders, Roos believes age, more than any position, will be the issue.
"Clearly the hardest group will be, not a forward or back, but the ones who have played 10, 12, 14 years because they have been doing it for so long," he said.
"Guy like Matty Lloyd, Matty Richardson, Barry Hall, Mick O'Loughlin and David Neitz will find it very hard to change the mindset when they have been doing something for 12 years, when they have been allowed to put your hands up."
With under two weeks remaining until the start of the new season the AFL has stated the rules were to ensure a more free-flowing contest, however, Roos feels the product has never been better.
"Our view is in the latter part of the last decade and the early part of this decade we were moving away from that and a continual number of stop play and contested ball situations but we think in the last year and a half that has really changed and the football played through most of last year, particularly in the finals series, was as good as anything we have seen in the last twenty years."
