COMMENT Halfway through another AFL season and as always, the relentless evolution of the game throws up a few changing themes and trends. Clubs and players will attempt to get ahead of the curve. Some will succeed, most will fail. Sydney with only one loss and a percentage of 150 are leading the competition and are clear trendsetters. On-field synergy is so important and the Swans have achieved this in spades.
With so few kicks being paid when an umpire awards a technical free kick, such as what happened late in the Fremantle-Collingwood game when Magpie Lachlan Sullivan gave the ball to teammate Nick Daicos and not the umpire for a ball-up and got pinged for time wasting, all hell breaks loose. Attempting to explain the rules of the game to a newcomer is quite confusing. When they then watch the game it appears there are no rules.