Following a five-year hiatus, the AFL reintroduced substitutes for season 2021.
Between 2011 and 2015, the ‘sub rule’ allowed clubs to tactically include a player in the match-day 22 who they felt could make a difference at some stage of the game.
But it did come at the expense of a teammate.
The new rule extends the interchange bench to five players with one unable to play a part until a match-ending injury or concussion is sustained by a teammate.
So it brings about a case of fortune (or misfortune depending on who you are), rather than considered planning.
Across 198 matches in this home and away season – and 396 opportunities for it to be used – the medical sub was implemented on 199 occasions. This tells us there is a 50 per cent chance that the two medi-subs in the 2021 Grand Final will get a run.
When it was purely about tactics, there was a much higher proportion of subs used. Now it’s on a needs-only basis in the event of a mishap.
The last time we saw a sub grace the field on Grand Final day was in 2015 when Hawthorn comfortably accounted for West Coast at the MCG. For the victorious Hawks, Matthew Suckling replaced big man David Hale in the third quarter and went on to contribute with a telling goal from his eight disposals as his side completed a remarkable three-peat.
Suckling knows intimately the feelings experienced by a Grand Final sub. Having featured in all but one home and away game that year, he provided an impact in three finals before the big day.
He kicked two goals in the preliminary final win over Fremantle in Perth, including a monster bomb after the three-quarter time siren which gave his side a 17-point buffer. After that, he could be forgiven for feeling a little harshly done by when learning his fate for the final act of 2015.
But he understood coach Alastair Clarkson’s reasoning.
“I found out just before the Grand Final Parade on the Friday morning,” he told the AFL Record.
“I think it was just due to the quality of the side we had at Hawthorn at that time.
“‘Clarko’ gave me the tap on the shoulder just before we shot off to the parade.
“I had been playing multiple roles and, come Grand Final day, I suited the sub role pretty well, being that I could play forward, back or wing.”
Suckling knew he would get a chance on the day. It was just a matter of when.
He was also acutely aware of the strength of a side that had been without the season’s leading goalkicker Jack Gunston for the semi-final and preliminary final due to an ankle injury.
With the quality around him, he simply needed to play his role.
“I wouldn’t say there was any real disappointment,” he said.
“I knew it was a really important role to play and I was happy to play anywhere.
“On that front, we had a really good side, plus Jack Gunston had come back in for the Grand Final.”
In Suckling’s mind, the greater good was for Hawthorn to win the flag, not for him to be the hero. The Hawks had enough of those at the time.
“I sort of had the best seat in the house for the most part,” he recalled.
“The boys put on a show. I remember it was mid-30 degrees and guys were coming off just absolutely exhausted.
“(Norm Smith medallist) Cyril (Rioli) and ‘Hodgey’ (captain Luke Hodge) were really playing well and we put a good gap on West Coast.
“I seriously think I had the best seat in the house knowing that it was looking positive the whole day and I was going to get to run out at some stage and enjoy it.
“That was a surreal feeling. It came to fruition coming on in the third quarter when the game was probably out of reach for West Coast and being able to run around, get involved and feel pretty free.”
Suckling made an immediate impact after replacing Hale late in the third term. It came in the form of a customary left-foot snap to give the Hawks an unassailable 50-point lead.
The memories remain vivid to this day.
“I ran on with a heap of energy and was missed on a lead. It went out of bounds and then I kicked a goal with my first touch,” he said.
“It felt pretty good to get involved on the scoreboard and I enjoyed it in that respect.
“I suppose in a Grand Final you never totally feel safe, you’re always on edge. It wasn’t until the latter stages of the last quarter that it was really enjoyable.”
Looking at it in isolation, you could assume Suckling was lucky to be along for the ride to experience the highs of a second successive premiership. What some might forget is the preceding lows he endured.
Being on the wrong side of a Grand Final result hit hard before injury struck, denying him glory with his mates as Hawthorn’s golden run started in 2013.
“Playing in the 2012 Grand Final and losing to Sydney, then missing with an ACL in 2013, made 2014 and 2015 pretty special,” Suckling said.
“I felt I had been in and around it so often and it was just nice to have a medal around your neck.
“Because you’re so competitive with your mates and you see them getting their third and you’re only getting your second, it’s a weird feeling, but really, really special. I look back on it now with fond memories.”
Before Suckling’s sub day in the sun, Taylor Duryea (2014) and Jonathan Simpkin (2013) tasted success having started Grand Final day sporting the luminous green vest before donning the brown and gold.
The trend Suckling is hoping Duryea and the Dogs can snap
Simpkin’s story in particular is footy folklore. Well, perhaps it’s more of a heroic Hawks anecdote, but it’s intriguing nonetheless.
He had crossed from Geelong, via Sydney, after failing to break through and the shift between enemy outfits proved a masterstroke.
Six days before the 2013 Grand Final, Simpkin starred for Hawthorn’s VFL affiliate Box Hill as it won the flag.
Having played the sub role to perfection at times during the season, the midfielder-forward was called up to replace the injured Brendan Whitecross for what was his 18th AFL appearance.
“He (Simpkin) was always someone that came into the side as a perfect sub,” Suckling said.
“He could just get involved in the game and go and accumulate possessions really well.
“He was the perfect little impact player to have. He did a great job on Grand Final day.”
Geelong’s Mitch Duncan was the first premiership sub in 2011.
The then 20-year-old came on to replace injured key forward James Podsiadly in the second quarter and played an important role, kicking a team-lifting goal from 50m when the Cats were trailing Collingwood during the third term.
To the older generation, any discussion about subs is quite normal. It’s been a regular part of the game even if in a different form.
There is a trendsetter, a pioneer, the original pin-up boy, if you will, of subs.
His name is Ted Hopkins and he will go down in history as the most prolific 19th man we’ve seen on the big stage.
It happened in the 1970 Grand Final. Carlton trailed Collingwood by 44 points at half-time and in a bid to breathe life into proceedings, legendary coach Ron Barassi swung a surprise change.
Hopkins replaced Bert Thornley and kicked three third-quarter goals as the Blues piled on seven in 11 minutes.
He added a fourth in the final term as Barassi’s Blues claimed the flag on a day that was coined “the birth of modern football”.
Hopkins’ career finished on just 29 games, but he will be forever remembered for his deeds on that day.
While acting as the substitute may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and the most recent cases haven’t overly impacted the final outcome, there is hope they can have a major say for their team.
It may only be a tiny window of opportunity, but who will grasp the chance in this year’s concluding piece of the 2021 puzzle?
Impact or not, as long as their team wins, it won’t matter to them.
The result will be a treasured flag for their club. That is why they play.
Throw in the added honour of becoming the first 23rd man medi-sub in history to receive a premiership medal and it will be a role worth reminiscing in years to come.