THE AFL is continuing to monitor the effect of the 'last possession' rule operating in the SANFL but its preference is to maintain a strict interpretation of the deliberate out of bounds rule in its current format.
The League's football operations boss Simon Lethlean told AFL Exchange that the current rule fulfilled the lawmakers' desire to preserve the ruck and stoppage work from boundary throw-ins.
However, he said the AFL regularly spoke to the SANFL about how the rule was operating and its effect on games so they were well informed if the deliberate out of bounds rule needed further tightening.
The SANFL introduced the last possession out of bounds rule in 2016 which awards a free kick against the player adjudged to have last touched the ball with a clear possession before it goes over the boundary line.
"Our preferred method is to preserve the ruck and stoppage work that is an historical and unique part of our game, but if a deliberate out of bounds rule requires us to look at last possession we will," Lethlean told AFL.com.au.
He said he thought the rule was being umpired well, although conceded the umpires made a mistake when they did not pay a free kick for deliberate out of bounds against Fremantle's Garrick Ibbotson on Saturday night when he kicked the ball out of bounds in the third quarter against North Melbourne.
Although frustrated at the decision, Kangaroos' coach Brad Scott said after the game he was happy for umpires to not pay too many free kicks for deliberate out of bounds.
"If you start paying a lot of free kicks around the ball and paying deliberate out-of-bounds or last touch out-of-bounds, what do you need a ruckman for?", Scott said.
"We don't want to breed ruckmen out of the game."
Lethlean also spoke to AFL Exchange about:
- The lack of holding the ball decisions during Essendon v Collingwood
- The prospect of a mid-season draft
- The free agency and trade period in AFLW being pushed back as expansion is considered
- Competition for the next AFLW licence remaining hot with the five clubs holding provisional licences keen to be involved as soon as possible
- The future of the VFL and alignments with AFL clubs
