WARRNAMBOOL and District Football Netball League’s under 17.5 substitute rule has been axed after executives voted to scrap the feature from senior football.
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The rule allowed a nominated junior to replace a senior player on the field and was often used as insurance for injuries or fatigue.
It was also implemented to help clubs blood junior players into senior teams.
However, The Standard understands substitutes will no longer feature after a board ruling which is set to take effect in round one.
It is also understood about six WDFNL clubs have voiced support for the optional substitute feature since its axing.
Nirranda co-coach Shane Threlfall said while he was in favour of junior substitutes, he believed it could be altered for further improvement. “It was fantastic in that it gave a chance to play a few kids. But I’d tweak the rule,” he said.
“I think our club put a recommendation in that you could tweak the sub rule and activate it after half-time, without subbing somebody out.
“Sometimes you’d leave the younger player on the bench for a fair while in case there was an injury.”
Former WDFNL president and current East Warrnambool president Justin Balmer said it was a valuable asset as it allowed clubs to choose if they nominated a substitute.
“I remember an Old Collegians junior, Ben Rantall, started as the sub for the first two or three games and then went on to become a regular for the rest of the season,” Balmer said.
Former WDFNL junior development officer Carey Hackett said the ruling had “dealt a big blow to junior development”.
Hackett pioneered the concept after stumbling across a similar version in northern Victoria’s Picola league.
“I’m a bit flabbergasted,” he said.
“I think the success rate was instant when we brought it in. There might have been 15 under 17.5 players who had a taste of senior football before it, and the first year it was in, there were about 70 or 80.”
The WDFNL executive declined to comment.