Updated ,first published
In today’s AFL briefing, your wrap of footy news
- Boundary rules clarified in video to clubs, umpires.
- Laura Kane, who was the AFL’s first female head of footy, will now run the troubled AFLW comp.
- Harry Dean to miss two matches with concussion.
- Sam Walsh explains Blues’ second half woes.
Rule tweaks explained in email to clubs
Danny Russell
The AFL has sent a memo to clubs outlining tweaks to its last-touch rule to ensure players show sufficient attempt to keep the ball in play.
The league also met with its umpiring department on Tuesday night following concerns across the opening rounds that players were sometimes rushing teammates’ kicks over the boundary line to avoid conceding free kicks.
That action will now be seen as an insufficient attempt to keep the ball in play and result in a free kick to the opposition.
The competition’s new football manager, Greg Swann, introduced the last-touch rule at the start of this season.
It mimicked a rule that was already in operation in the women’s game and in the South Australian National Football League.
Swann introduced several new rule change this year to keep the game flowing freely.
In a memo sent to clubs on Tuesday afternoon, the AFL said, “the laws of the game provide that an umpire will pay a free kick when a player kicks, handballs or forces the football over the boundary line and does not demonstrate sufficient intent to keep the football in play”.
“Players need to demonstrate sufficient intent to keep the ball in – not just prevent it from being a last-disposal free kick,” the memo said.
“Umpires will be instructed at their coaching session tonight.”
The AFL also sent a video to clubs highlighting examples that would now be classified as insufficient attempt – players lunging at their teammate’s kick to touch it before it crossed the line.
The rule came under scrutiny during Geelong’s narrow round three victory over Adelaide at GMHBA Stadium.
The AFL was forced to admit a last-touch decision in favour of Geelong’s Tom Atkins was wrong.
The crucial free kick should have gone to Adelaide during a dramatic final quarter when the margin was just two points because replays showed the ball came of Atkins’ boot.
The league was criticised for not to using its AFL Review Centre (ARC) to overturn the umpire’s decision during the match.
The AFL said in a statement at the time: “The ball came back into play before the ARC had time to intervene on the last disposal free kick awarded to Geelong in the fourth quarter last night.
“If the ARC did intervene, the decision would have been overturned.
“The AFL will look at its late-in-game process and the ability to potentially hold play to get the correct outcome.”
A free kick for last touch is not paid inside the 50m arcs.
Before this year, umpires had to adjudicate whether players were making sufficient efforts with their kick to keep the ball in play.
Kane takes charge of AFLW
Having previously run the men’s AFL competition, Laura Kane will take over executive control of the AFLW as the league seeks to fix the problems that have plagued the women’s competition.
Kane will add the executive role in the women’s game to her existing operational job in the men’s competition.
The move follows a major restructure at AFL House last year.
Kane’s role as head of football was carved up and significantly reduced to an operations portfolio with most of the key areas of football taken over by veteran administrator Greg Swann. Kane was still on the executive and kept the same salary but was left with a drastically scaled back portfolio.
There have been tensions within AFL house between Kane and Swann since the former Brisbane CEO’s arrival as senior executive in charge of football. Swann has largely taken over all significant football issues other than operational matters connected to the staging of games, which still fall under Kane’s purview.
Kane had been under-utilised since the restructure. Expanding her duties with AFLW is partly a recognition of that, and the fact an AFL review identified under-investment and resourcing of the women’s game. Kane’s title now is executive general manager of AFLW, health and football operations.
The quality of AFLW games has improved year-on-year, but the league has been beset by problems, with issues including the timing of the season, the number of games played and, most critically, the AFL expanding the league too quickly for the depth of the talent pool.
Emma Moore, who was brought in from NAB in 2024 to run AFLW, will move to head up AFLW growth, while Trish Squires will be head of AFLW operations. Both roles will report to Kane.
Five new roles in AFLW partnerships, fan development, internal and external stakeholder engagement and operations will also be created.
“This new leadership structure, alongside increased investment in growth and operations, will see the competition better positioned than ever to have more people engaged in AFLW,” AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon said.
A salary cap will be introduced for the AFLW from 2027.
‘We might need to run through the banner two times’: Walsh explains Blues’ second-half woes
Andrew Wu
Carlton vice-captain Sam Walsh has conceded Blues players struggle to think clearly when opponents surge, as the club searches for solutions to their second-half meltdowns.
Walsh revealed that under-pressure coach Michael Voss gave players the floor in his post-match and challenged senior players to be mentally strong when rivals dial up the pressure.
Voss is under the pump to keep his job after a torturous start to the season, in which the Blues have continued to flame out after half-time.
The Blues’ capitulation against Melbourne, after leading by as much as 43 points, was the eighth time from 18 games they have lost after leading at the long break since the start of last season. No other club has given up more games when in front at half-time.
The Blues are world beaters in the first half and easybeats from then on – their points differential dropping from +66 to -237.
Walsh gave an insight into how the pressure impaired the Blues’ judgment in second halves.
“I don’t think there’s an element of, ‘here we go again’, but the biggest thing for us is like, we’ve been striving to play four quarters, and we just haven’t done that,” Walsh said.
“And then there’s times where you can nearly want it so bad, you’re forcing the game, rather than just playing, playing the role and seeing what you see. And sometimes those decisions, everyone can probably be in the stands, like, ‘how did that happen?’
“But it does become a bit clouded when you’re not thinking as clear. So how as leaders, can we get everyone on the same page, even ourselves – strong body language, moving on to the next play? And I think that’ll keep us engaged.”
Walsh was adamant conditioning was not a factor.
“The biggest thing for us, probably, we might need to run through the banner two times, I reckon, reset the game,” Walsh quipped.
“But in all seriousness, I think there’s a few things that we can focus on with our mentality.
“When teams start to come at us, what team do we want to become?
“It’s the mentality of, how can we turn it around and really break the back of a team coming with momentum, or how do we stop that and really take it back the other way?”
Voss said on Sunday the entire Blues’ leadership would take ownership of the loss to the Demons.
“He actually opened it up to us as players, which I like that he did, because we’re the ones out there,” Walsh said. “I feel as though it’s like standing here now. I can stand and talk and say, ‘we’ve got to do this, we’ve got to do that’, but when the heat comes, where are we going?
“I think, probably, sometimes it can be a concentration thing, and then other times it’s also just being able to know how to control the game a little bit if teams are coming at us.”
Melbourne recruit Jack Steele revealed after victory the Demons gained belief from the Blues’ poor second halves.
North Melbourne captain Nick Larkey said it would not feature in the Kangaroos’ planning but said they were “as aware as everyone else is in the league”.
Dean ruled out with concussion
The Blues will be without young gun Harry Dean for the next two games due to concussion after a heavy fall late on Sunday. The league’s concussion protocols mean he will also miss the following Thursday’s Gather Round opener against Adelaide.
But veteran Zac Williams has been cleared of injury after a heavy clash with Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett.
Midfielder Adam Cerra shapes as a likely inclusion while Nic Newman impressed in the VFL and is a chance to play his first senior game since the 2024 finals series.
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Michael Gleeson is an award-winning senior sports writer specialising in AFL and athletics.Connect via X or email.
