Kick for a mark may be extended

In the debate about congestion and the mill of players around the ball, some commentators have again called for the distance for a kick that is paid a mark to be lengthened. Some have called for it to be 20 metres, with the more radical option of 25 metres also raised.

AFL football operations chief Mark Evans confirmed the topic of extending the minimum kick for a mark to 20 metres had been discussed at the most recent laws of the game committee meeting. But he emphasised it was merely one of a range of topics to be discussed and had not been taken further.

The committee , which receives reports and research from the AFL, is the body that decides whether a rule is introduced.

''There would have been eight or 10 topics thrown up that we said we would come back to the laws committee, once the season had bedded down, for a look at how the game was panning out and where we felt necessary we would take that to a consultation process with the clubs, the coaches, players,'' he said.

Extending the length of  markable  kicks is considered by some commentators as a mechanism that can open up the game. Proponents hope this would create more contested marking and see less of the short chipping that is viewed as ugly by some fans, particularly when the ball is not moved on quickly.

Others say the minimum kick of 15 metres is not properly policed, and that many marks are paid for kicks that are well below that distance.

While the number of stoppages this year has increased, from 62.6 last year to 65.7, Evans pointed out the ball-up number had fallen by about three per game, and it was boundary throw-ins - which had increased by about six per game this season - that accounted for the increase.

Increased ball-ups have a different connotation to throw-ins, given that ball-ups are viewed as a measure of congestion and a swarm of players around the ball - a trend that is considered by many prominent people in the game, including Kevin Sheedy and Leigh Matthews, as a major issue.