Under the changes announced by the AFL last October, umpires will now throw the ball up at all field stoppages, and ruckmen will not be permitted to make contact with each other at stoppages until the ball has left the umpire's hand.
Goldstein told NMFC.com.au the rule changes would significantly change the demands placed on ruckmen.
"These rules are really going to change up the way ruckman have to see themselves," Goldstein said.
"I think now the fitter ones will definitely have the advantage, to be able to get to contests quicker."
Goldstein said restricting the bounce to centre bounces would mean play restarted three or four seconds earlier at every field stoppage.
"It means the fitter ruckmen and the fitter midfielders are going to have an advantage, to be able to cover the ground to get there first and get the good position," Goldstein said.
Similarly, Goldstein said the fittest ruckman would be able to take advantage of the rule preventing pre-emptive body contact by getting to a stoppage first and taking the best position.
Goldstein said this rule would also favour athletes like Naitaniu and North teammate Majak Daw, who could now leap at the ball without having their run blocked by their opponents.
"It opens the gate for those sort of players to really have a big influence on the game," Goldstein said.
When the AFL announced the changes, it said it had eradicated the bounce at stoppages around the ground to help alleviate congestion by ensuring play restarted more quickly.
Former AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson said last October that the rule separating ruckman before ball-ups was introduced to encourage ruckmen to "play the ball and not the man" and to lift clearance rates.
Todd Goldstein is a ruckman in NAB AFL Fantasy. He averaged 79.05 points in 2012. Register your team at our AFL Fantasy Hub.
Nick Bowen covers North Melbourne news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_Nick
