Michael Voss has revealed that he believes the sub rule should be scrapped in favour of a 23rd player being added to the team on game day.
The Blues coach was speaking on Sportsday when he made the comments, adding to the ongoing debate about the need for the rule admit discussion on whether or not it was being manipulated to be used as a strategic advantage.
“I don’t really see much need for the sub personally,” Voss said.
“I can’t see why we just can’t play 23 (players) and with the cap rotations, it manages itself.
“Everyone will have their own play on it and how it’ll play out, once you have a cap rotation and operate on percentages, if you lose one person you still have four on the interchange bench.
“It doesn’t really affect too much in terms of results so if I had a preference, I’d do away with it and put an extra player (on the bench) just in case we do get those head knocks which is of course very important to us all.”
The medical sub rule has faced criticism from fans throughout the season thus far, with some disappointed with the use of debutants in the role, while other pundits have also raised questions over the legitimacy of those subbed with injuries and named the following week.
Originally introduced prior to the kickoff of the 2021 season, the medical sub rule stated that the club doctor must decide that the injury would leave the player unable to play a game in the following 12 days.
The 2022 iteration of the rule appears slightly more lenient, with several players including the likes of Chad Wingard, Dayne Zorko and Jeremy Cameron all playing the following week after being subbed off.
Despite requiring clubs to submit a medical certificate to the AFL chief medical officer confirming subbed players did sustain an injury, the league only requires those who sustained a concussion to sit out for a mandatory period.
