2 minutes ago, sue said:

True, but it's hard to see any rule changes that limit the number of easy goals purely for commercial reasons. 

 A prize to anyone who can tell me why a mark anywhere in the goal square is taken from directly in front.   Doesn't save much time and no skill is involved whatsoever.  Or why the space given to players kicking from the boundary is so big (doubtless related to the farcical 10m exclusion zone) so that players now hardly ever miss.  Sometimes the umps are slack about enforcing it and players sneak in to within 7 metres and then there is some real pressure on the kicker.  Much more interesting but fewer ads I guess.

with the new exclusion zone there is now no need for a mark anywhere in the goal square to be taken directly in front

they are just too stupid to realise this. 

9 minutes ago, sue said:

True, but it's hard to see any rule changes that limit the number of easy goals purely for commercial reasons. 

 A prize to anyone who can tell me why a mark anywhere in the goal square is taken from directly in front.   Doesn't save much time and no skill is involved whatsoever.  Or why the space given to players kicking from the boundary is so big (doubtless related to the farcical 10m exclusion zone) so that players now hardly ever miss.  Sometimes the umps are slack about enforcing it and players sneak in to within 7 metres and then there is some real pressure on the kicker.  Much more interesting but fewer ads I guess.

The player taking the shot on goal from the boundary rule should never have been changed, did anyone ever see the shot get smothered before the rule change?

45 minutes ago, loges said:

The player taking the shot on goal from the boundary rule should never have been changed, did anyone ever see the shot get smothered before the rule change?

If you have a 10 metre exclusion zone, it has to be used all over the ground, including players deep in the pocket. The real question is whether there is a need for a 10 metre instead of 5 metre zone. I'm ambivalent. I can see that it provides the player with the ball more room to go left or right...but was it a problem that needed solving before the rule was changed? 

6 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

If you have a 10 metre exclusion zone, it has to be used all over the ground, including players deep in the pocket. The real question is whether there is a need for a 10 metre instead of 5 metre zone. I'm ambivalent. I can see that it provides the player with the ball more room to go left or right...but was it a problem that needed solving before the rule was changed? 

Only because Channel 7 felt they needed more ads.   Make it 7 metres everywhere (with sane interpretations when players try to get away) and the game will be more interesting.