Connor Blakely in action against the Hawks. He was a frequent medi sub in 2021.Credit:Getty Images
As it stands,team doctors have to rule a player out for the remainder of the game for the player to be substituted,but league sources have confirmed one alternative suggestion raised was that coaches should be allowed to use the spare 23rd player should he have sat through the opening three quarters.
That would mean substituting a fit player and running the risk of having an injury or concussion in the final term and not being able to replace the hurt player. However,it was argued that if that was to occur,having one less player on the bench for only the final term was not necessarily seen as a significant disadvantage in terms of rotations.
The ability to use the 23rd player in the final term could also offset any perceived advantage the rival team had if its medical substitute had been activated in the third term,providing fresh legs.
There were 197 listed substitute players through the home-and-away season who did not take to the field. This would almost certainly be slashed if the suggestion — and it’s only an idea at this point — was introduced. It would also potentially ease the need for an unused player to have to make up for missing a game with an extra running session,which also requires a coach to be in attendance,adding to already heavy coaching workloads.
James Jordon (right) and his Melbourne teammate Trent Rivers with their premiership medallions.Credit:Getty Images
Reintroduced just one day before the 2021 home-and-away season started with a focus on allowing teams to replace a concussed teammate,there had been concerns coaches could exploit the injury ruling simply to inject fresh legs. The injury had to be considered serious enough to keep a player out for at least 12 days but the player could return the following week if fit.
And 28 times this season,the player taken off returned the following week. That did not include concussed players,who are put in a 12-day protocol and miss at least one match. Leading neurologistsbelieve the concussion protocol should be for 30 days, an area of the game now monitored by the league’s new chief medical officer,Dr Michael Makdissi.