‘Turmoil in the playing ranks’: Beveridge hits out at AFL sub rule

Western Bulldogs premiership coach Luke Beveridge has broken ranks with his AFL brethren, declaring he does not support the new medical substitute rule which he says will create unnecessary “headaches” and could lead to “turmoil in the playing ranks”.

Beveridge, ahead of the Bulldogs’ season-opening clash against Collingwood on Friday night, made his feelings clear on the introduction of a 23rd player, which he said had been “rushed” through by the AFL on Wednesday after a push by several senior coaches, and yet to be explained operationally to the Bulldogs’ medical department.

The AFL Commission ratified the rule, with the league revealing clubs could be fined if caught breaching it. A substitution can be made at any stage of the game but the decision will rest with the club doctor and have medical accountability to avoid any exploitation by clubs to gain an advantage.

Luke Beveridge says the new sub rule has been rushed through. Credit:Getty Images

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson led the charge for the ruling in a video conference of coaches, AFL chief Gillon McLachlan and football operations chief Steve Hocking last week, but Beveridge, amid considerable public debate, is the first to publicly hit back.

“When you have the whole medical establishment not being briefed going into the competition, it has just been rushed through,” Beveridge said on Thursday.

“If we have got to a stage where we are saying that more players will come out of the game through an injury or concussion than ever before and we need to have an extra player on hand, then surely there were some other levers we could pull than just introduce a substitute player. We have been down this track before with the old sub.

“The 75 interchanges are a constraint where I wouldn’t think any of us as coaches would want to use more than four on the interchange bench because it means that players are off the ground for too long. So maybe they could have just added a fifth where both teams have the got the choice of introducing a player whenever they want, no matter whether there is injury.

“That creates a strategic aspect from a coaching and playing point of view because what this sub now creates is a whole series of headaches for everyone.

“Not only decisions have to be made on the day but then the doctors will have to substantiate whether or not a player can play the next week if it was an injury through an administrative process that wasn’t there before.”

Beveridge said the new “impulsive” rule could even have a detrimental impact on the harmony of a playing list and could create inadvertent mental health issues.

“Then in the meetings and the consideration of who it might be, imagine the turmoil within the playing ranks as to who is that sub and does he miss out now on two or three opportunities to be in the team because he hasn’t played,” he said.

Beveridge confirmed he had not attended the coaches’ meeting where the need for a sub was raised, adding he had “nothing to do with it”.

“It does create some people management headaches – weren’t thinking about player welfare and the mental health side of the game as well. It just creates new layers in that regard,” he said.

Beveridge said there were also added financial costs to take into consideration at a time when football departments and soft caps had been slashed, for if the 23rd player did not take to the field staffing would be required the next morning to oversee a training session.

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