Collingwood is leading a push to revolutionise the pre-game warm-up in an NRL-inspired move that would see players run out just moments before the opening ball-up. The Magpies are exploring scrapping the on-field warm-up fans see on matchday, earmarking the Round 21 game against Geelong as the potential introduction of the radical change.
How the New Warm-Up Would Work
Currently, clubs run out 15 minutes prior to the game to warm up on the field. Under the new proposal, teams would warm up well beforehand, then return to the rooms as a light show takes centre stage at the MCG to fire up the crowd, before running out and starting the game. The initiative is the brainchild of Collingwood fitness boss Jarrod Wade, who was previously at South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, where teams run out and begin the game all in the space of 60 seconds.
A Return to the Past
If implemented, it would mark a return to what pre-games looked like before former Bulldogs and Richmond coach Terry Wallace changed them in the 1990s. The change could significantly alter the matchday experience for fans, with a greater focus on entertainment and immediacy.
AFL Cracks Down on Criticism
Meanwhile, clubs have been told the league is cracking down on criticism, with players and coaches facing fines of up to $20,000 if they hit out at umpires or the MRO. The move comes after North Melbourne veteran Jy Simpkin recently lashed the tribunal on social media after his teammate Paul Curtis was suspended for three matches for a tackle gone wrong, and Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick went on an umpire rant after his team’s recent loss to Geelong.
The AFL has had existing rules around public commentary on umpires but, in the AFL’s eyes, coaches and players have been pushing those laws to the edge this year. In a summit on the Gold Coast between club CEOs and AFL chief Andrew Dillon and AFL football boss Greg Swann, the league’s head honchos told the CEOs that it had to stop. They said it was a bad look for the game, could put off aspiring young umpires, or indeed, members of the community who simply want to umpire at a local level.
