SANFL head of football Matt Duldig urges AFL to adopt last touch rule in 2026

The SANFL’s head of football, Matt Duldig, says the last touch rule has improved football in the state as the AFL weighs up introducing their own version of the rule.

South Australia implemented the measure in 2014 and enforce it across the ground, meaning the team that touches the ball last via a kick or handball before the Sherrin goes over the line is penalised with a free kick.

The AFL is considering using the rule between the arcs to reduce the number of throw-ins and stoppages in a bid to shorten quarter lengths and ease the burden on the league’s struggling umpires.

The league has been wary of the move, with assessments suggesting there could be three or more last-touch calls per quarter.

However, Duldig says now that teams and players have adapted to the change, those free kicks are down to 4.7 per game.

“From my point of view, I played under it and then from an administration point of view we love it,” he told The Herald Sun.

“It’s great for umpires, it’s black and white all over the ground. We only have about five per game that are paid. Our boundary throw-ins are down to 16 a game, and so players have adjusted quickly. They come back inside the ground and use the corridor, so our metrics are through the roof.

“After three years, scoring plateaued as coaches adjusted, but scoring is still four or five per cent up on 2014 when we brought it in.

“Five of them were paid in this year’s grand final, and three were inside 50, and the player stands on the mark, the opposition grabs the footy, and we are playing again straight away.

“There is no time for people to whinge and complain. We love it. We copped two weeks of abuse: ‘’What have you done to our game’, and then people moved on.”

The AFLW already uses the rule between the arcs.

Duldig said while the concerns around the rule change were valid, it would end up improving the overall product with more passages through the corridor and fans not having to sit through endless throw-ins.

“There was a stat that there are about three a quarter in the AFL that would have been paid as last possessions. So talking about 10-12 a game made them nervous. But the fact we are down to 4.6 a game shows players adjust really quickly,” he said.

“And we don’t stop the clock in exactly the same way as the AFL, but we average around 27 minutes for quarters, and it plays a big role. The player picks it up, the umpire has the same signal as out on the full, and the player plays on.”