Confusing moment proves the AFL is broken

The medical substitute rule was introduced ahead of the 2021 season, but quickly became a point of contention within the AFL community.Watch every blockbuster AFL match this weekend Live & Ad-Break Free In-Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >In the final quarter of the nailbiting Round 19 contest, Richmond defender Ben Miller was subbed off for fleet-footed small forward Maurice Rioli Jr, but there was uncertainty about the exact nature of the 22-year-old’s injury.The Herald Sun’s Jon Ralph initially reported that Miller was subbed off with a “groin injury” before Tigers teammate Nathan Broad claimed he was suffering from full-body cramps.“Benny Miller had the full body cramps. He just couldn’t move,” he told Fox Footy.“He could not move. He genuinely could not move. His whole body had shut down.”Richmond coach Damien Hardwick elaborated in the post-match press conference: “I think he had calf … and was cramping quite significantly towards the end, but I think he tightened up in his calf as well.“Might be OK, I’m not too sure, I haven’t gotten a response yet.”Rioli Jr, who is smaller and quicker than Miller, had an immediate impact after joining the contest, contributing two disposals and two tackles during the tense fourth quarter.The medical substitution therefore raised eyebrows among footy pundits, who questioned whether the change in personnel was a tactical ploy.The AFL legislation states that a medical substitution can only be made if “it is reasonably determined the player will be medically unfit to participate in any match for at least the next 12 days”.But this has not been the case – after 10 rounds of the 2022 AFL season, 15 players had been substituted out of matches and then lined up for their team the following week.“There’s always going to be suspicion around these changes because they seem so tactical in terms of the timing of it,” former Richmond forward Matthew Richardson told Channel 7.“It’s why you’d love the AFL to make a decision cut and dried, they either miss the next week or they can be subbed whenever they want because there’s always suspicion about it.”Richmond doctors are now required to provide the AFL with a medical certificate as evidence Miller sustained an injury, and the club could be sanctioned if found to have broken the medical substitute rule.In what was just the second draw for Fremantle in 622 AFL games, Tigers youngster Noah Cumberland could have been the hero when he took a mark on the 50m line with seconds remaining.But the 21-year-old played on as the siren sounded, consigning the two teams to a 7.10 (52) to 7.10 (52) draw.Thirty seconds before Cumberland’s mark, Fremantle’s Jordan Clark laid a crucial tackle on Richmond’s Liam Baker streaming to goal in the pocket, stopping a match-winning scoring opportunity.And with just 90 seconds remaining, Richmond had another chance to get their noses in front when Fremantle’s James Aish passed it to Andrew Brayshaw at the centre-half back position, but Brayshaw dropped the mark, allowing Baker to pounce and pass it to Noah Balta 55m out from goal.However, the big Tiger took too long to take his shot on goal and was told to play on by the umpire, allowing Michael Frederick to smother the kick.Fremantle were also guilty of wasting opportunities in the final quarter; shots on goal from Caleb Serong, Michael Walters and Will Brodie all failed to score while Griffin Logue missed a set shot from 45m out in front.Richmond defended grimly and after Fremantle drew level, the Tigers got a goal against the run of play via Shai Bolton. Shortly after, Bailey Banfield responded with what would ultimately be the match-tying goal.If the Bulldogs beat Melbourne or, more realistically, St Kilda beat West Coast, then the Tigers will find themselves outside the top eight. Meanwhile, Fremantle will slip out of the top four this weekend if Collingwood defeat Essendon.In a frustrating blow for the Dockers, captain Fyfe hurt himself in the third quarter to put the remainder of his home-and-away season under a cloud.– with Ronny Lerner, NCA NewsWire Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au