The AFL wants seven rule changes introduced for the 2026 season to shave three minutes off game time as the league’s new football manager Greg Swann took the bold step of introducing a last-touch rule into the game.
Among the changes, players will be forced to dispose of the ball more quickly after a mark or free kick and play will be restarted without the need for a ruck to nominate their intent to contest a ball-up.
Marc Pittonet of the Blues and Max Gawn of the Demons compete in the ruck.Credit: AFL Photos via Getty Images
The most radical move, however, is the introduction of a last-touch rule which means a free kick will be awarded against a team which has the last disposal out of bounds in between the 50-metre arcs. It will remove the need for umpires to adjudicate whether a player made sufficient intent to keep the ball in play.
Swann, the league’s executive general manager football performance, said the AFL had consulted widely across the industry.
