Steve Hocking, the AFL’s general manager of football operations, has given the tick of approval to how the medical substitution rule was implemented on Thursday night.
Both Richmond and Carlton used their subs in the 2021 season opener, with Jack Ross replacing the crocked Nick Vlastuin for the Tigers, and Oscar McDonald stepping in for the injured Jack Silvagni for the Blues.
Both subs had a positive impact for their respective sides as the Tigers edged away late to beat the Blues by 25 points at the MCG and both sides implemented the rule well, according to Hocking.
“I had a front row seat as to how it was all implemented,” he said on SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“I’ve only got complimentary remarks to make about how both the clubs instituted it last night.”
Regarding the respective knee and shoulder injuries sustained by Vlastuin and Silvagni, the AFL’s footy boss says scans will be taken into account by the independent medical officer when assessing the players for next week’s games.
“That’s part of the process,” he added.
“There’s those avenues and there’s a range of other things. That’s a process that (Dr) Peter Harcourt will look into during the week.
“As we do, we’ve got MRO and umpiring reviews as well, that will all happen early in the week.”
Hocking further outlined his faith that clubs will not be able to exploit the rule for their own benefit, with many criticising the malleable nature of the rule.
“We’ve got trust in our doctors and we’ve got the right processes in place to address whatever may come out of the medical sub,” he said.
“I come back to the fact that I saw it in full operation last night. I’ll get another look at it tonight (at Western Bulldogs v Collingwood) and as I said openly, we’ll just continue to monitor it as we need to and review it as we go along.
“I’ve got confidence in our doctors and the broader industry.”
Listen to the full chat with Hocking below:
