Back for the second time as the AFL's director of umpiring, Peter Schwab has outlined a few key priorities with the pre-season competition now less than a month away.
Most recently the list manager for the Brisbane Lions, the three-time Hawthorn premiership player and coach was the umpires boss for two years from 1998.
Schwab told SEN on Thursday that his initial focus will be to bed down the three major changes to interpretations in 2017 – deliberate rushed behinds, the ban on the third-man up at ruck contests and the tighter call on high tackles.
"You'll find it's a lot stricter," he said of the deliberate rushed behinds interpretation.
"If a player has had the opportunity to clear the ball and dispose of it to someone else, but chooses not to do it and it goes through the goal line then you'll find they're going to be penalised.
Schwab said defenders under extreme pressure would still be afforded some leeway. He also said a nine-metre zone will come into play and "if you kick or handball it through you'll be penalised.
"It will take some time and adjustment, but it will be obvious watching the game there has been a change."
Schwab forecast an adjustment period for players and umpires following the banning of the third-man up at ruck contests.
"The umpires need to be clear on who is contesting the ruck, and you don't want the game delayed for too long because of that.
"Are we going to wait for someone to take the throw in or the ball up? We'll have to work through that one logistically, but I don't think it will be an issue," he said.
One quirk that has already been identified is the occasional boundary throw-in where the ball falls short of the waiting ruckman. In that instance, Schwab said no player would be able to contest the ball until it hit the ground.
Schwab inherits a department that is as well-resourced and structured as ever. He said trials with a fourth field umpire would continue, but the move wouldn't be made permanent until there were enough competent umpires and it made sense financially.
"You (also) need evidence to suggest that the fourth umpire will increase decisional accuracy to the point where it needs to be brought in," he said.
The clamour for full-time umpires also continues, although Schwab created the strong impression that he was not a fan.
"I'm more inclined to ask what is the best amount of time for us to have access to the umpires in order to achieve the best results on the weekend.
"Two full days or three half days should be our thinking on that rather than a Monday-Friday regardless," he said.
Schwab also forecast a strong focus on communication with clubs and the media.
"We have to have dialogue with our clubs because ultimately we are providing a service and we want that to be as strong as it can be," he said.
"And you shouldn't hide away from engaging the media because then you're engaging with the public."
