The art of communication in the AFL has become increasingly challenging over the last half-decade. This challenge particularly holds true for football clubs that are juggling distances. The fundamental responsibility of coaches such as Adam Kingsley is to transmit these tactical signals and cues in-game to their players. This task has grown more difficult since the introduction of restrictions on runners in 2019, which limited communication options on the field.
Football operations play a key role in providing support for Kingsley, and facilitating each member of the team to communicate effectively on game day. As teams navigate these challenges, various strategies have emerged, highlighting how clubs adapt to the evolving dynamics of the game.
The Impact of Communication Restrictions
Since 2019, the AFL has implemented stricter runner bans, making the already arduous process of communicating across the field from coach to player nearly impossible. This shift allowed for a huge increase in importance of strategic cards waved around by coaches during games.
Adam Kingsley, as the facilitating head coach, is responsible for interpreting those game situations and relaying that critical information to his players. All the crews in footy operations have busted their gut to help him achieve this goal. That’s how she makes sure he gets what he needs.
“The job in footy ops is just to make sure that (coach) Adam (Kingsley) is supported whenever he needs something. You’re there to help.”
The implications of these restrictions are profound. This means that coaches need to be very strategic about their messaging, particularly as the game approaches its final moments.
“You can’t send a runner out in the last two minutes outside of goals,” – Zell
This means that coaches have to prepare their players well in advance, ensuring that they are comfortable with their roles before reaching critical points in the game.
“So you want to be really strategic (and make sure) that you’re really comfortable that you’ve communicated as much as you can before you reach that two-minute limit.” – Zell
Substitutions and Tactical Changes
Substitutions are crucial for not just how teams cycle through players, but how the game is played in general. The interchange design dynamics have undergone dramatic shifts over the years. In their debut week of interchange football, North Melbourne pulled off the brilliant 11 interchange changes! This strategic play emphasizes that professional teams—much like ourselves—are constantly testing and iterating on their lineup of players to maximize results.
Variations of interchange use by Hawthorn and Melbourne While Hawthorn played in one interchange, Melbourne played in two and have used different strategies. Essendon has elected to make a few less interchanges than the average in recent seasons. This decision is a cornerstone of their tactical playbook.
The idea of substitution in AFL was always a pretty radical idea. It started back in 1930 when the Australian National Football Council was the first to introduce the substitute player. Over the years, these rules have changed quite a bit, resulting in today’s interchange bench system, which was last installed in 1978.
“Before I was in this role, I’ve seen that commentary where it’s like, ‘oh, you rotate someone off every time that they happen to score a goal,’” – Zell
This is one of the most common misconceptions about substitutes in sport. It emphasizes the importance for their teams to adhere to detailed rotation plans once a match begins.
The Role of Interchange Stewards
Looking ahead to 2024, as the Giants’ interchange steward, Zell takes ownership on signalling changes from the sidelines. Nevertheless, he dutifully watches player rotations. He makes sure that communication from the coaching staff to the players on the field is both timely and effective.
“I’m sort of hands-on on a game day rather than just sitting back and observing,” – Zell
Zell stresses the value of being proactive within matches to monitor player performance levels and make in-game tactical adjustments accordingly.
“I’ll expect to see Aaron (Cadman) stand next to me after like (so many) minutes or so and then, you know, Jacob (Wehr) will be coming up to me,” – Zell
This systematic approach allows the team to adjust its tactics based on live game conditions, balancing player fatigue with optimal performance levels.
“You’re a little bit more cautious with players and your rotations do change quarter on quarter,” – Zell
Every quarter has its own challenges. Teams need more flexibility in substitution strategy in order to optimize for their immediate performance needs while maximizing longer-term performance goals.
Historical Context of Substitutions
And the history of subs has been a huge catalyst for creating the modern tactical game of AFL today. Hope “Hop” Collins became the first-ever VFL player to be subbed off. That night, he got a very bad ankle injury and then got in a car accident. His experience shines a spotlight not just on the importance of substitutions’ history, but on the real-world impact it can have.
The flexibility to change up the player roster has been a key to many teams championship runs over the years. For instance, Ron Barassi’s North Melbourne famously utilized eight interchanges on rucks specifically to counteract Gary Dempsey’s influence on the field. Those types of tactical decisions all highlight just how important communication and preparation tactics — coordination — can be at such great lengths in this rapid-paced game.
