THE DAYS of short stints on the interchange bench are over and players need to get used to longer breaks within games, according to Richmond forward Ty Vickery.
Vickery's 10-minute spell during last Friday night's loss to Hawthorn was one of the main talking points of the match, with the tall forward taken from the ground after kicking back-to-back goals halfway through the second quarter.
The length of his break was unusual and Vickery admitted the team had struggled to find a rotation to get him back on, making the break longer than it should have been.
Still, under the interchange cap of 90 in 2016, he said players needed to be prepared for longer breaks as clubs search for the right balance with their rotations.
"It probably ended up being a bit longer, we just couldn't get a rotation for me to get back on," Vickery told AFL.com.au.
"We've got scheduled times thereabouts to come off, and obviously I'd just kicked a few goals before it.
"That's the way we operate … and whether it's the right or wrong call, it certainly didn't have an impact on the result of the match.
"As a forward you always want to be out there, not sitting on the bench, so you can contribute."
Vickery came to the bench after his second goal, which gave Richmond a two-point lead and significant momentum for the first time in the match.
The Tigers went goalless while he was on the pine, with Hawthorn kicking three goals to round out the quarter and take back the lead going into half time.
While the sight of a forward coming from the ground after kicking a goal frustrates fans, Vickery said it was a necessary part of the game.
"The reality is it's a really long game we play and you have to rotate to give yourself a rest but also to get people on – that's your role in a team," he said.
"If you're a midfielder and you get a couple of clearances in a row and have to come off, you certainly don't want to when you're feeling like you're involved in the game.
"Clubs are still probably finding the best way to go about it this year … they're confronted with a completely different set of rules to previous years.
"The days of having two-minute spells or three-minute spells have probably gone. It's up to four, five or six minutes now with fewer of them."
Vickery was putting the Tigers' first-year players through a cooking class at his restaurant, the Fat Monkey, on Tuesday night as the team prepares to face the Sydney Swans on Saturday night at the MCG.
Richmond has won the past two clashes against the in-form Swans, but Vickery said a strong recent record against John Longmire's men would count for little.
"They're in really good form and we need to play well for four quarters, not just three quarters," he said.
"Records are nice when you look back on them, but it really means nothing coming into the match.
"We don't shy away from our record, but we think we've turned a bit of a corner and we played a style (against Hawthorn) that's going to win us matches."
Saturday night's clash will be dedicated to the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, with Richmond wearing a special jumper featuring the charity's logo and purple trimming.
