Richmond great Kevin Bartlett has launched a scathing attack on the AFL’s stand rule, branding it the worst in any sport worldwide.
The rule, which was introduced in 2023 to promote quicker ball movement and ease congestion, restricts players on the mark from moving at all, effectively turning them into what Bartlett described as “statues.”
The Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend made his thoughts clear during a fiery segment on 3AW radio.
“The worst rule in any sport in the world, is the stand rule. It becomes 18 versus 17,” Bartlett said. “The game of Australian rules football was never, ever designed for that.”
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‘An absolute joke’
Bartlett, a five-time premiership player with 403 games for the Tigers, didn’t hold back as he explained how the rule undermines the very fabric of the sport.
“That's why we had 19th and 20th men, that's why we brought in interchange, because we never wanted to have 18 versus 17,” he continued.
“And we've brought in a rule that makes it 18 versus 17 because the poor man on the mark is an absolute statue and cannot move.”
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He also rubbished claims that the rule had improved the spectacle, instead suggesting it had done the opposite.
“I don't think it's done anything for the game other than make it a laughing stock,” he said.
“A bloke moves his big toe and he gets a 50 metre penalty. What sort of game are we playing? It is the worst rule ever. The most disgraceful rule in the history of the game.”
Bartlett lamented the loss of what he called “a real art”, guarding the mark, and argued that players no longer practise or perfect it at training. “It was an art once. It's now completely disappeared.”