Richmond Legend Matthew Richardson Criticises AFL Over In-Season Rule Change Following Rhyan Mansell’s Suspension

Richmond Tigers legend Matthew Richardson has expressed concerns that earlier matches this season have been “compromised” following Rhyan Mansell’s three-match suspension.

Mansell faced disciplinary action from the AFL tribunal for pushing St Kilda’s Liam O’Connell during a marking contest, with this decision likely establishing a precedent for the future.

Incidents of a similar nature have been noted both during the pre-season and in the opening rounds, leading to calls for this type of contact to be prohibited.

A memo was issued to clubs prior to the season, cautioning players that they could be held liable if injuries resulted from such actions. O’Connell sustained a significant concussion as a result of the incident.

Richardson argues that the AFL should avoid making rule changes mid-season.

“I didn’t expect him to get off because it was quite evident that the AFL wanted to tighten their grip on such incidents,” he remarked during an interview with 3AW Radio on Wednesday afternoon.

“The issue I have is that we need to stop altering rules while the season is underway. I feel that there were four or five incidents earlier in the year, including in pre-season, that could’ve warranted suspensions.

“Now those games feel compromised.”

“If you’re going to revise rules, it should be done at the beginning of the season and remain unchanged. Changing a rule mid-season affects outcomes from earlier matches, and that’s where the problem lies for me.”

Since the controversial incident last Saturday, the defence of Mansell has centred around the concept of “forward craft,” with Tigers coach Adam Yze addressing the topic on Wednesday.

“The challenging aspect is that he would likely repeat that action if we were training today, especially if he’s in that position where someone is holding him, and he wants access to the ball,” Yze stated.

“That’s part of forward craft, so we need to ensure that we coach them effectively and provide a clear understanding of acceptable actions.

GWS captain Toby Greene expressed sympathy for Mansell while speaking on Fox Footy.

“I appreciate that there’s a level of danger in what he does, but in cases where players are close and push off late, I still believe that’s reasonable and fair,” he commented.

Richardson concurred, but felt the execution of the decision was flawed.

“It’s indeed a part of forward craft to release from your opponent, just perhaps not to push into traffic,” he remarked.

“I understand the reasoning behind their decision, and while I don’t disagree with the idea of suspending players for such actions, my primary concern is the alteration of rules mid-season.”