1. Any forceful contact below the knees of an opponent will result in a free kick.

2. The ball will be thrown up at stoppages around the ground. It shall only be bounced to start quarters and after goals.

3. Ruckmen may not make any contact until after the ball has left the umpire's hands (the theory being that this will reduce congestion and help with hit outs to advantage, increasing clearance rates).

They can't help themselves. I suppose the Rules Commission needs a reason to exist so they are going about changing the game each year until it becomes damn near unrecognisable.

Link: http://www.afl.com.a...57/default.aspx

1. Any forceful contact below the knees of an opponent will result in a free kick.

Lol. Another "grey" rule.

Jamar will be giving away allot of frees based on rule #3

NicNat will also dominate. They have nullified what is arguably his greatest weakness.

RR will be happy.

These rucking rules have killed us.

Jeff White wasn't nearly as effective after the centre circle introduction (imagine Naitanui with a full run up!). A reactionary decision from one knee injury to Goodes.

Now Jamar won't be able to use his best asset, his strength and jostling for best position. He isn't that tall comparitively.

I think Gawn's value may have just risen. The position is becoming more and more suited to a basketball style player. Someone who is 7 foot tall and can just stand there and tap it. Or, indeed someone with freakish athletic ability that uses the - now governed - space to jump.

3. Ruckmen may not make any contact until after the ball has left the umpire's hands (the theory being that this will reduce congestion and help with hit outs to advantage, increasing clearance rates).

Link: http://www.afl.com.a...57/default.aspx

Wow - Nik Nat will be unbeatable.

You do know that when the ball goes up, they can wrestle. Just not before.

Doesn't change much at all.

Great, we find the toughest nugget in years, who loves smashing the base of packs, and now he can be penalised for it.

Not a fan of the below the knee rule at all.

NicNat will also dominate. They have nullified what is arguably his greatest weakness.

RR will be happy.

The AFL (and shills like Healy) desperately want Nik Nat to win the Brownlow. For this year they changed the AA selection criteria. For next year they changed the ruck rule.

This is r-ucking stupid.

#1 is going to be a difficult and grey rule - but good intentions

#2 is going to allow umpires to become even more pedantic and over police the game

#3... If only Robert Wadlow was still alive - maybe we could have got him instead now that contact is limited

Re 3, who gets the free kick when both ruckmen lean into each other 1 second before the ball is bounced thrown? Can we get a video review system there too please?

Stef Martin will do pretty bloody well too.

No other sport in the world makes annual changes like this (I'm assuming)

Leave the game alone FFS! Very soon this game will be unrecognizable as football and will start resembling a cross between soccer and basketball- if it hasn't already!

I hate change for the sake of change. Stop ruining a good thing AFL you twats!

No other sport in the world makes annual changes like this (I'm assuming)

Leave the game alone FFS! Very soon this game will be unrecognizable as football and will start resembling a cross between soccer and basketball- if it hasn't already!

I hate change for the sake of change. Stop ruining a good thing AFL you twats!

I could not agree more SF. Frustrates the hell out of me. What mandate do the rules committee have anyway?

One of the main problems i see is that the changes nearly always have unintended consequences that often contradict the reason for the change in the first instance. One example is being able to kick in from points so quickly. Designed to keep the game moving (and AFL mantra) which contradicts the current desire to see more one on one battles (that occur less because the ball is kicked less often to contests) and contributed to the increase in the number of of interchange (as the game has become faster and more aerobically challenging meaning players coming on for bursts of gut running on and off the bench) which they're just about to legislate against!

I think Catholic nuns had it right - leave it bloody alone!

The knees one is interesting.

For mine a trip is a trip, if you slide through someone with your body or if you grab a leg if you take the legs out from someone it's a trip. But if you start paying 'forceful contact' what does that mean. If on a wet day a player gathers the ball then slips over and just happens to bump into someone below the knee is that all of a sudden forceful contact?

Number 2 is fine. The bounce is old fashioned rubbish that makes sense as a nice little treat in the middle but around the ground becomes a waste. The only thing I hope for is that they teach the umpires to actually throw the ball up high enough so it becomes a proper ruck duel.

Number 3 is interesting. I'll see how it pans out. What I want for the ruck is a fair contest between technique, size, strength and athleticism. All different types of ruckmen should get a chance as long as they are playing the ball and playing fair. So if you are stronger than the other bloke you should get a chance to use it. I hope the umps umpire it a bit like a rugby scrum. They say no contact, separate the rucks then go to throw it up. I don't want the off the ball umpire pulling out tiny free kicks based on the ball not yet leaving the umpires hand when the ump has already started his throwing motion.

These rucking rules have killed us.

Jeff White wasn't nearly as effective after the centre circle introduction (imagine Naitanui with a full run up!). A reactionary decision from one knee injury to Goodes.

Now Jamar won't be able to use his best asset, his strength and jostling for best position. He isn't that tall comparitively.

I think Gawn's value may have just risen. The position is becoming more and more suited to a basketball style player. Someone who is 7 foot tall and can just stand there and tap it. Or, indeed someone with freakish athletic ability that uses the - now governed - space to jump.

Sorry but Goodes had nothing to do with it. It was Gary Rohan.

This Rule can now be termed the Gary Rohan Rule!

Wot! Only three changes..............FMD

How long before padding and helmets ?

More tradition out the window...

Rule 3. What a joke. Where is physical contact?

Rule 2 is for TV purposes.

Rule 1 is just unnecessary.

Conspiracy theory....but:

Whenever Sydney player gets injured AFL looks to change rules in order to make the game in Sydney stay appealing for the mums who potential move their kids from the nasty dangerous rugby league to the nice friendly no injury AFL. Will happen even more if a GWS player goes down.

Looks like Grundy is a lock in for pick 3 from GWS. At 202cm hard to go past.

Isn't 3 the same as current centre bounce?

Boundary throw ins will be interesting.

Martin is now worth a lot more than yesterday.

Sorry but Goodes had nothing to do with it. It was Gary Rohan.

This Rule can now be termed the Gary Rohan Rule!

I think you mean the sliding into the lower leg. That was the Gary Rohan rule.

The centre circle, of which im referring to, restricting a ruckman's run up, was when Adam Goodes clashed knees, got injured, and declared he could no longer play in the ruck.

Rule three actually promotes skilful ruck-work rather than simply "arms around the better ruckman to stop any effective tap." Better ruckmen will benefit from this rule, IMO.

Jamar is one thing and one thing only - a good ruckman, so I like any rule that stops the bit-players from tying him up before the ball has even been bounced thrown up.

I guess the other good thing about #3 is that your mids can just shove the opposition ruck into your ruck prior to the throw. Free kick please and thank you.