Any rule changes will then be introduced ahead of the 2024 AFL season. The proposed change for smothering dictates that when a player leaves the ground they “must take all reasonable steps to avoid making contact with their opponent’s head and/or minimise the force of any high contact”.
The smothering rule change was not the only proposal the tribunal put forward in an attempt to crack down on dangerous contact. Another proposed change is to crack down on run-down tackles, where a player catches an opponent from behind with so much momentum that “the tackling player significantly increased the force with which the tackled player was driven to ground”.
had only recently returned to pre-season training with Collingwood after undergoing shoulder surgery in what was an eventful 2023. The big defender was a crucial part of the Magpies’ premiership success and finished second in the club’s best-and-fairest awards, as well as being central to the biggest AFL Tribunal case of the year.
Maynard was sent to the Tribunal but was ultimately cleared after a controversial smother incident on Melbourne’s Angus Brayshaw that left the Demons star knocked out. The Collingwood defender jumped off the ground to smother a kick from Brayshaw in the first term of their qualifying final in September, but successfully challenged his rough conduct charge and was free to play in the remainder of the finals series
The divisive incident sparked a review of relevant rules governing the smother of kicks or handballs, with the AFL informing clubs in December about a series of proposed amendments to Tribunal guidelines as well as further rules and regulations. The review has been taken under close consultation with AFL clubs, with final decisions set to made at February’s AFL Commission meeting.
Any rule changes will then be introduced ahead of the 2024 AFL season. The proposed change for smothering dictates that when a player leaves the ground they “must take all reasonable steps to avoid making contact with their opponent’s head and/or minimise the force of any high contact”.
The smothering rule change was not the only proposal the tribunal put forward in an attempt to crack down on dangerous contact. Another proposed change is to crack down on run-down tackles, where a player catches an opponent from behind with so much momentum that “the tackling player significantly increased the force with which the tackled player was driven to ground”.
