GREATER Western Sydney star Shane Mumford says the AFL's decision to cut rotations for the 2016 season will hurt the competition's most important asset, the players.
The AFL announced in September that the substitute will be removed and the interchange cap reduced from 120 to 90 rotations per game next year.
The game has not had average rotations of around 90 since 2009 when there was 91.9 per team, while in 2008 it was 80.3.
Mumford, the Giants' number one ruckman and one of the League's best, told AFL.com.au that he understands the reasoning behind the changes, but doesn't think they're good for the physical welfare of the players.
The GWS big man thinks the players will now have to increase an already heavy training schedule to cope with the demands of the modern game.
"To be honest I don't really like it, I'm with the old saying that 'you don't fix something that's not broken' so that's my mentality," Mumford said.
"The AFL wants to do it to stop the congestion – well I think that's why they're doing it (but) I'm not 100 per cent sure – they want to make it more of a spectacle for the fans but I was more than happy with the way the rotations were.
"If it's going to make it harder on the players then I don't think it's a good thing.
"It's going to hurt everyone, because it's going to involve harder pre-seasons, everyone is going to have to be fitter, faster and stronger to be able to play the extra time on the ground.
"If you get an extra three or four minutes per quarter (on the ground) that's 12 minutes per game, that doesn't sound much but that's pretty tough coming towards the end of each quarter before you get that break."
The 2014 Giants' club champion might not be a fan of the 2016 rotations policy but he doesn't exactly appear to be losing sleep over the issue or his increased workload.
Mumford, one of the most physically competitive ruckman in the League, said he won't have to alter his playing style, but laughed when asked how he was going to cope with the new rules.
"I can just plod around as long as I'm not playing on someone who is going to run me into the ground," Mumford said.
"We'll (ruckmen) probably spend more time forward, we'll probably still get our one rest a quarter but I'm not 100 per cent sure how it'll all work out, that's up to the coaches.
"We've just got to tough it out and we'll give it a test during the NAB Challenge."
After undergoing complicated ankle surgery in June, Mumford has been back training for months, and is hopeful he gets the all clear to start full contact work by the time the Giants head to Noosa in a fortnight for their pre-season camp.
Despite his limited preparation the 30 year-old is confident he can use the club's intra-club scratch matches and the NAB Challenge campaign to ensure he's primed for round one against Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday, March 26.
"It doesn't take me 20 weeks to get myself match fit, but it doesn't matter how much pre-season training you do, once you get into the first couple of games, you're definitely tonguing it, Mumford said.
"You get through the first 4-5 contests and you're bent over, you've just got to get up and go again.
"It takes about 2-3 games before you start to feel really good within yourself."
