Historical Interchange Rules and Tactics
In the VFL/AFL, the number of interchanges allowed has followed the following time-line:
- Prior to 1930 – there was no means for either substitution or interchange. A team played with 17 on the field (19 prior to 1899) if a player was injured.
- 1930 – the introduction of a single substitute
- 1946 – the introduction of a second substitute
- 1978 – the replacement of two substitutes with two interchanges
- 1994 – the introduction of a third interchange
- 1998 – the introduction of a fourth interchange
- 2011 – the replacement of four interchanges with three interchanges and a substitute
This time-line is for the VFL/AFL only, and there has not necessarily been uniformity between it and the other leagues in the country.
Historically, the interchange bench was used sparingly, and mostly to take poor-performing or players who were injured and unable to continue out of the game. There was a marked change in this at the top level as professionalism grew in the sport between 2000–2010, and the interchange bench began to be used much more frequently as a means of rotating players to manage player fatigue through the game and offer rest periods for hard working players and game time for young/old players. The average number of interchanges in the AFL doubled between 2007 (56 changes per team per game) and 2010 (113 changes per team per game) as coaches sought to give frequent rests to their running players.
| Positions on the Australian rules football field | |||
| B: | Back Pocket | Full back | Back Pocket |
| HB: | Half-Back Flank | Centre Half-Back | Half-Back Flank |
| C: | Wing | Centre | Wing |
| HF: | Half-Forward Flank | Centre Half-Forward | Half-Forward Flank |
| F: | Forward Pocket | Full Forward | Forward Pocket |
| Foll: | Ruckman | Ruck rover | Rover |
| Int: | Interchange | Interchange | Interchange |
| Substitute | |||
| Coach: | coach | ||
Read more about this topic: Interchange (Australian Rules Football)
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