AFL field umpire Nathan Williamson says new ruck rules opens door to all shapes and sizes to dominate

The AFL’s best ruckmen are being tipped to take radically different approaches to centre square contests this season in a bid to take advantage of both the abolition of the bounce and key rule changes. Ruck reform was a key part of the AFL’s law changes over summer as the league looked to end the ugly sight of the game’s big men constantly wrestling in the middle of the ground. Ruckmen will no longer be allowed to cross the centre line before making contact with the ball, and umpires will now throw the ball up to ensure they have a predictable contest. AFL field umpire Nathan Williamson said it was already clear to him that ruckmen had different views on how to take advantage of the changes. “The players are really adapting to it. They are trying to work out what they can and can’t do,” he told The West Australian. “I would anticipate a few players will change their strategy in 2026 to what they were doing in 2025. It will be really interesting to see what happens during the pre-season games when they start to play opposition clubs what they all do. “I am not seeing as much wrestling as we did last year. Last year we saw players cross the line to protect the ball drop and then go back to tapping the ball. Now if they cross the line it is an immediate free kick “What I am seeing is ruckmen who are really thinking. They’re asking us a lot of questions so they can work out what they can do. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they do. “If you think about the old-school style of two players starting at the back of the circle, running and jumping and having a collision in the air, that is legal. And ruckmen can still use their arm though to block an opponent if the timing if sufficient. You still have to be contesting the ball though. “So I’m not seeing players crossing the line, but they are still trying to work out how to protect the ball drop. The one thing they cannot do is cross the line because that will be an immediate free kick.” Williamson spent Friday morning at Fremantle where he officiated match simulation that included Sean Darcy, Luke Jackson and Mason Cox. All three ruckmen take different approaches to their work. Darcy uses his strength, Jackson focuses on his athletic leap and Cox’s biggest advantage is his height. The are all attempting to devise the best way to maximise those advantages under the new rules. The Dockers have pre-season games against West Coast and Melbourne before facing Geelong in round one. Williamson will also visit West Coast on Monday. Williamson said players were also still coming to terms with the stand rule, given they can no longer retreat away from the mark. “It’s the most significant one,” he said. “Last year if you were within five metres of the player who took the mark or received a free kick, we would allow them to move out. Now, they can’t move out. Williamson returned to Perth for WA Football’s ‘Come and Try’ day for prospective umpires. He hosted a training session in South Perth on Friday and will spend Saturday meeting with the state’s umpire coaches. “It’s great to come home to Perth and speak about my journey and encourage people to have a go at both field, boundary and goal umpiring,” he said. “There’s some amazing skills you can learn and umpiring is a great way to stay involved in the game. It’s also important for me to help to encourage coaches and remind them of the influence they can have while taking them through some sessions we have had shown to us.”