AFL 2025: Essendon coach Brad Scott fears the future of big men due to a pair of rule changes
Scott joined the chorus of senior coaches wanting to abort the limited minutes player and move to five players on the interchange.
He said ruck rule changes and the need to select a more versatile player as the substitute is minimising the chances of a 'Nic Naitanui type ruckman'.
'We by definition are invested in our clubs and want what's best for our own club (but) I like to think we've all got a broader lens on the good of the game overall,' Scott said.
'What I would like to see is a really strong for and against having a sub, the argument around fairness, I don't see that argument – I didn't see it when I was at the AFL.
'My greatest concern around the sub is it creates all sorts of problem for player load, all sorts of problems for structure and balance of teams.
'I think ruck rule changes, we're very quickly breeding the Nic Naitanui type ruckman out of our game because you can't jump at centre bounces anymore.
'I genuinely can't remember the last time you saw two ruckman jump at each other for the course of a game.
'By having a sub it makes it very hard to have two ruckman, by having five on the bench I think more teams would at least look at it.'
Incoming football boss Greg Swann plans to meet with officials about shortening the amount of elapsed time the game is now running for.
He believes an immediate ball up instead of waiting for ruckmen to arrive could shorten the game by up to seven minutes.
While Scott favours with the craft of ruckmen, he is in favour of an immediate ball up and feels it may also contribute to playing a second tall.
'I think we should just do that instantly, I don't know why we wait, if the ruckman can't get there that's their issue,' he said.
'The reason you can play one ruck is because the umpires wait for the ruck; if he's not there, throw it up.
'There's nowhere in the rules does that says we have to wait for the ruckman to get there, if the ball was thrown up quicker and the ruckman couldn't get there, maybe clubs would think, 'gee maybe we might need two'.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Herald Sun
an hour ago
- Herald Sun
Australian Open Royal Melbourne: Adam Scott to play
Aussie golf great Adam Scott will add some star power to this year's Australian Open in Melbourne — and has called for the tournament to continue being staged in Victoria long-term. Scott said playing the Open at Royal Melbourne, which he labelled 'Australia's greatest venue' would help draw the best players, interstate and international tourists and show off the city's famed sandbelt to global audiences. 'I think it would be great for it to be on the sandbelt as often as possible,'' he said. 'It is the Australian Open and there are other cities with great courses as well. 'I know it's a business and all that has to get worked out and that's one of the reasons why it hasn't been down there. 'But there's something to it being down there. 'I think it would be good if it could stay on the sandbelt for a few years and if the momentum builds … really let the world know what the Aussie Open is all about and how great a tournament it is.'' Adam has called for Victoria to host the Open at Royal Melbourne long-term. Picture: David Berding Scott said playing the Open at Royal Melbourne for the first time since 1991 could help usher in a new 'golden age' of Aussie golf. The Herald Sun last week revealed Scott would return to Australia to play Cathedral Invitational in country Victoria and he on Wednesday confirmed he would join superstar Rory McIlroy at the Open in December. In an exclusive interview, Scott compared Melbourne's sandbelt with the famed links golf courses of the UK and Ireland and said it made sense to play Australia's most prestigious golf tournament there more regularly. 'This is a very unique pocket of golf with incredible golf courses, it's own unique style, it's own way of playing,'' he said. 'It's got some links elements to it, you know, we are very lucky to have it. 'And Royal Melbourne has forever been rated the best and, as a tournament venue it's hard to say there is better at home.'' The Open will be staged in Melbourne this year and next but its long-term future has not been decided and is likely to be the subject of a bidding war between Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Greg Norman watches his great recovery shot from the back of the green on the fourth hole in the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne in 1985. Golf. Picture: Supplied Despite being a proud Queenslander, Scott said: 'Melbourne does incredibly well out of huge sports events. 'I know every state likes to compete and have huge sporting events — Queensland's having the Olympics soon. 'So, it's a big thing in Australia, it just so happens that Melbourne has some of the greatest golf courses of the world. 'And the top players of the world today are really aware of that and they're also really keen to experience that. 'They obviously haven't ever played an Aussie Open at Royal Melbourne and I do my best to try and talk that kind of stuff up but I don't really need to''. 'There's a great reputation there.'' Scott said playing Cathedral days after the Open would be 'a fun way to end the year'' and he would try and convince McIlroy to play it in 2026. Scott hopes to return to Melbourne for the President's Cup in 2028. Picture: Andrew Milligan 'It really feels like golf has this energy behind the game in Australia, the last few years,'' he said. 'Having Rory come down, going to our greatest venue (for the Open) a lot of good things going for it. 'Let's hope it kind of channels those glory years.'' Scott also hoped to return to Melbourne for the President's Cup in 2028. 'Yes, I hope to,'' he said. 'It's hard to see more than a couple years down the road, I must say. 'But it's things like that event that would give me motivation to continue working at it and grinding at it. 'I still think I'm seeing enough signs that I can still do it. 'So at this point, I'd hope to be playing.''

News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mitch Owen's ODI nod as Jake Fraser-McGurk axed
Australian white-ball captain Mitch Marsh labelled new batting weapon Mitch Owen a 'ripping kid' as he earnt an ODI squad call-up for the Top End series against South Africa, with Jake Fraser-McGurk's single West Indian failure enough for him to be axed. Owen, who made a half-century in his T20 international debut in Jamaica, is in both the ODI and T20 squads for the series and has put himself in the frame for a T20 World Cup spot next year. The ODI retirements of Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell opened the door for Owen to join the 50-over squad, with Test discard Marnus Labuschagne also earning an international recall and Travis Head is back after skipping the T20s in the West Indies. Both Test captain Pat Cummins and 100-Test quick Mitchell Starc won't play as they save themselves for the Ashes, but Josh Hazlewood has been included in both squads. Cameron Green, named man of the series in Australia's history-making 5-0 T20 sweep of the Windies, will also play both the ODIs and T20s as he continues to build batting form after a significant period sidelined following career-saving back surgery. 'As we build towards the T20 World Cup, the flexibility and depth shown in the West Indies, outside of the obvious results, has been a huge positive,' Australian selection chief George Bailey said. 'The flexibility within the batting order and ability of bowlers to bowl in different stages of the innings were particularly pleasing to see. 'Mitch Owen and Matt Kuhnemann making their respective debuts and the preparation and work done by Nathan Ellis to allow him to play all five matches were highlights.' Australia has 14 more matches over the next six months to prepare for next year's T20 World Cup in India, starting with the three against South Africa next month. But Fraser-McGurk faces a battle to regain his spot, axed again making just two runs opening the batting in the first T20 in the West Indies after a surprise recall given his struggles in the IPL and Major League cricket T20 tournaments. Marsh, said the emergence of players in the West Indies added depth to the squad at the right time and lauded Owen for his debut series performance. 'I thought Mitch was fantastic,' Marsh said. 'He's a ripping kid, took on the challenge, didn't seem overawed by the occasion of playing international cricket and seems like a pretty calm figure. 'And as for Cam, I think the biggest thing for me is just him enjoying his cricket, played with a big smile on his face this series and he was awesome, played some really critical roles for us with the bat and was awesome in the field.' Australian T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa Australian ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘They know what they need to do': Montemurro out to take care of unfinished business
Joe Montemurro watched on television from Turin as South Korea frustrated the hell out of the Matildas. 'I remember the amount of chances we missed,' he said on Tuesday night, recalling the 15 shots that were all off-target bar two. 'And I think I turned it off with about 15 minutes to go and said, 'Oh, it's not good'.' Montemurro was consequently spared the only goal of that 2022 Women's Asian Cup quarter-final – scored by the prolific Ji So-yun in the 87th minute – that knocked Australia out of the tournament and kicked off a post-mortem which basically called for the head of Tony Gustavsson. The team had travelled to India with a full-strength squad and publicly stated ambitions to win the thing, and left facing questions about whether they would have qualified directly for the 2023 World Cup had they not already secured a spot as co-hosts. The funny thing is that Montemurro was only in front of a TV in Italy and not pitchside in India because he was managing Juventus Women, having only taken that job because Gustavsson had beaten him to the Matildas one. Now he does have the Matildas job, and the Asian Cup is approaching once more. The 2026 edition, to be staged on home soil, is close enough now that the draw has just been done and we can all analyse what it means in 50 different ways. Australia are in the group of death, which is bad. But the Matildas often do well with their backs against the wall, which could be good. The pressure to win a long-coveted major trophy is a lot to deal with under the glare of a home campaign. But the home support can push them to achieve great things. On paper, they should stroll past the Philippines and Iran. Except that odds on paper rarely mean much when it comes to the Matildas. And they have already beaten South Korea twice this year. If only they weren't friendlies and counted for little.