After observing the problems the bye rounds caused for a few coaches this season and considering how to make coaching as easy as possible for coaches during the bye rounds, given our busy lives, the following rule change will be implemented from season 2024.
As always a HFFL coach may make coaching changes to their team during a round as long as all the players being changed have not played in the AFL yet.
Currently a player in a team that has a bye in a AFL round was considered to have “played” at the start of that AFL round.
The rule change: from season 2024 they will be considered to have played at the end of that round.
This effectively means that the player on a bye will be able to be replaced anytime up until the start of the last game of the round, but as always, only with players who have not yet played in that round.
This rule change has been made by Administrative Decision.
The RGC were consulted on this rule change and were in general agreement and other coaches such as Lyle and Twadds were also in agreement making a formal vote unnecessary. The risk of gaming is minimal and outweighed by the benefit to coaches.