AFL clubs have been presented with three options for the contentious medical sub next season, but footy commentator Kane Cornes has warned clubs will still “sook” about it.
For the past two seasons, clubs have named a medi sub an hour before a match – with that player having a game added to their AFL tally regardless of whether or not they take the field.
That issue was one of many surrounding the current rule, with claims some clubs were exploiting the injury loophole to introduce fresh legs late in matches.
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“They’ve been presented with three options over how the bench could look next year,” Cornes said on SEN.
“They can go with the current system they’ve got – four plus a medical sub, they can have a pure five-man bench – so no sub whatsoever, or they can go back to the dreaded green vest that was there from 2011 to 2015. This time with four on the bench plus the sub that they can use at any time.”
The Age reports clubs were surveyed during grand final week to see which of the three alternatives they would prefer.
SEN co-host Garry Lyon believes the five-man bench is the best option presented out of the three. But Cornes said clubs would still find a way to complain.
“Then what you’re going to get is an early injury and clubs are going to sook about the disadvantage of having four up against five,” he lamented.
“If you had five, strategically, would it change much?
“This is a bit of a beef of mine – clubs should have been presented with this (sub debate) finalized before they can submit their list because if you have five, you’re more willing to have probably three or four ruckmen on the list and play two each and every week.”
Lyon said it was clear that the current sub format “doesn’t work”.
“It’s being manipulated to the back teeth. The other system (green vest) we’ve tried,” he said.
“The other suggestion was that once a sub has been activated, then the other club can activated their sub whenever they wanted.
“Who says it’s not going to be six (players on the bench) in six years’ time? And where does it stop on the back of that?”
A host of youngsters including Tex Wanganeen and Cooper Sharman were forced to debut without actually taking the field after being named the medi sub.
Bombers great Matthew Lloyd was a vocal critic of that tactic, stating it took away from a “special moment” for the player.
“I think wait until they’re good enough to be in the 22 to give them their first game and that special occasion, rather than have them sit there for the whole game,” he said on The Sunday Footy Show.
Other clubs were accused of flouting the “serious injury” ruling as players who were deemed needing to be medically withdrawn from the match were able to back up the following week.
The current substitute rule was introduced in a rush, coming just days out from the opening round in 2021.
