The 2019 edition of AFLX is almost upon us! GIANTS Media takes a look at the new format of the youngest version of our great game, and the GIANTS who will be taking part.
New Year, New Rules
The inaugural AFLX competition saw all 18 AFL teams compete in the lightning-fast, condensed version of footy, but in 2019, there’ll be four representative teams made up of a host of the biggest names in footy.
The teams – Rampage, Flyers, Bolts and the all-indigenous Deadly – will face off in a round-robin tournament at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on Friday, February 22. Matches are split into two 10-minute halves, with no time on.
The games are played on a rectangular field, measuring 110m long by 70m wide, with eight players on the ground and six on the bench.
The scoring side of it can get a bit tricky – but just enough to get that grey matter working!
Goals kicked from the launch zone (a 10m-wide strip running down the middle of the field, 50m out from goal) are worth 10 points. A 10-point goal will also be awarded if a player kicks from the launch zone or beyond and it is marked and converted by a player within the 15m-wide forward zone – all the more incentive to spot up a good option deep.
A deliberate rushed behind will see a team awarded a point and given a free set shot on goal.
During the last five minutes of a match, each team will nominate a Gatorade Game Changer – a player whose score will count for double during the final bit of play. So if they get a 10-point goal, they’ll be adding a whopping 20 points to their team’s total!
You can read about more of the new rules here.
Who’s Who in Version 2
With a maximum of four players from each club able to be selected via the realestate.com.au AFLX Draft, the GIANTS had already maxed out by pick 19. Lachie Whitfield was taken at pick four – Rampage captain Jack Riewoldt’s first pick in the draft – while Jeremy Cameron (pick 11, Flyers) and Phil Davis (pick 12, Rampage) were taken soon after. Brilliant two-way runner Stephen Coniglio was selected by Flyers captain Nat Fyfe with pick 19.
But is it a real team selection without some late changes? Jeremy Cameron was this week forced to withdraw from the competition with a minor quad injury (he’s still in contention to play the first JLT Community Series Clash in just over a week). In his place, another star GIANT answered the call, with co-captain Callan Ward set to take his place in the Flyers team.
The Fixture
The action all kicks off at 7.10pm AEDT on Friday night, with each team set to play against each other in a round robin, before the top two teams compete in the grand final.
7.10pm Bolts v Rampage
7.37pm Bolts v Deadly
8.04pm Deadly v Flyers
8.31pm Rampage v Flyers
8.58pm Rampage v Deadly
9.25pm Bolts v Flyers
9.57pm Grand Final
How to Watch
If you’re not able to head along to Marvel Stadium on Friday night (buy your tickets here), the game will be shown on the Seven Network (check your local guides) and Fox Footy. The tournament will also be available live via AFL.com.au and the AFL Live App.
Want more info?
For a detailed look at all the rules, news and ticketing information, head to AFL.com.au/AFLX.
