Luke Beveridge previews Opening Round: rookies, a bruised backline and rules that could reshape the game
At a media session at the Gabba ahead of Opening Round, luke beveridge spoke plainly about a season reset: the toll of pre-season, the chance to build early momentum, and the fresh faces he will trust in defence. “It’s obviously great to get to the start of the season, ” he said, setting a pragmatic tone for the night ahead.
What did Luke Beveridge say about the new season?
Beveridge framed the opening as both a reward for preparation and a fresh assignment. “Pre-seasons are always a huge challenge for the players in particular, and we’ve got to this point feeling pretty good about ourselves, ” he said, adding that last week’s match offered an example of the team’s desired direction while earlier selection choices left room to improve.
On the defensive rebuild, luke beveridge named three debutants and described the specific traits that earned them selection. He introduced Lachie Jaques as a developing backman who can play wing and “has great awareness and game sense. ” Michael Sellwood was described as “a really strong, competitive defender” from Western Australia whose large family might travel to Brisbane in force. Connor Budarick was presented as a recruit who spent his youth in the NSW/QLD area and captained the Under-18s Allies team; Beveridge said the club had identified both character and opportunity when they brought him in.
The coach did not shy from the team’s defensive questions. He reminded listeners that two seasons earlier the group had been the number one defensive unit and said the goal now was “that blend of defence and attacking valour. ” He also stressed that responsibility extends beyond the back six: “It’s the other 12 out on the ground with that six, that we all need to be better at. “
How will AFL rule changes alter match-day dynamics?
The opening round will arrive under a set of significant rule changes that are likely to influence both strategy and flow. One high-profile tweak, often called the ‘lasso’ law, awards a free kick when the ball clears the boundary between the 50-metre arcs and the last touch was a clear disposal. An AFL report found that, had the rule been in place last season, there would have been on average three fewer boundary throw-ins per game.
Other changes remove the centre bounce and adjust ruck procedure: rucks will no longer be allowed to cross the centre line before contesting and ruck nominations for around-the-ground stoppages have been abolished to reduce wasted time. The league has positioned these moves as efforts to encourage jumping ruck contests and to shorten stoppage delays—shifts that could favour athletic tall players and change how coaches deploy mids and rotating bigs.
Those rule shifts arrive while coaching staffs juggle personnel questions. Beveridge’s choice to play three debutants in the backline is a direct response to selection and performance debates, and it will be tested immediately under the sharper enforcement and altered stoppage mechanics the rule changes bring.
What is being done in response is straightforward: Beveridge has leaned into preparation and selection. He said the group is prepared, fit and strong, framing the opening as an “opportunity to step off on the right foot and maybe create some momentum early. ” On injuries, he offered a measured update on a sidelined player, noting recovery timelines and progress without overstating return prospects.
Outside the coaching room, the AFL’s institutional changes are already shaping how clubs plan rotations and tactics. The removal of the bounce, tighter ruck boundaries and the lasso law will all prompt in-season adjustments from match committees and game-day coaches hoping to exploit small advantages.
Back at the Gabba, as Beveridge finished and the rookies prepared to head out on the track, the moment felt both routine and significant. A handful of debutants will step into a new noise and a retooled rulebook, and the coach’s repeated refrain—that the team must re-establish itself as harder to play against—now carries the added test of unfamiliar on-field parameters.
When the light hits the turf and the three named backmen find out they’ll take the field, luke beveridge’s blend of caution and encouragement will meet the simplest measurement of all: performance under the new rules in the season’s very first game.
