The only Steve Hocking rule change Gerard Healy strongly disliked

In reflecting on Steve Hocking’s time as AFL Football Operations boss, Gerard Healy has named the one rule change he disagreed with.

Going into the 2019 season, the push in the back rule was altered, allowing players to put their hands in the back of another player so long as they did not then extend their arms and push.

Healy however believes this rule has led to a lot of pushes in the back going unpaid, which is impacting contests negatively across the board.

“The easing of the hands in the back rule I think has been a disgrace,” Healy told AFL Nation on Friday.

“I think it’s one of the worst things Steve Hocking brought in, in fact I think it’s the only bad thing he brought in.

“Once you allow a player to put the hands in the back, then they just shove out and the umpires are paying about 20 per cent of in the backs.

“There was one on Thursday night, I felt sorry for Ben Brown. He took the front position a number of times and I hear commentators say he’s been edged under the ball. No he hasn’t, he’s been pushed under the ball.

“We had it in and it was working successfully. I think it’s too hard now (for umpires) and they ignore so many push in the backs, it’s embarrassing.”

Healy said that he was a big fan of Hocking’s introduction of the 6-6-6 and 'stand' rules as well as the reduction of interchange.

The Brownlow Medallist added that he would like to see rotations reduced to 10 per quarter to further increase the affect of fatigue in the game.