Back in round 2 of the 2026 season I came across a new-ish tactic being used by the Swans more so than anyone else but it is also an extension of what the Lions have been doing for a year or 2 now.
Here’s what I posted back in March this year on “the most important space in football today”:
“…AFL in 2026 has come with a bunch of rule changes but also with a shift in how teams are moving the ball on offense.
Yes, the stand rule allows for play tempo to be maintained but teams are already on the run anyway, they're now just more confident continuing to go fast and to not hold the ball up.
The biggest change for mine has been the use of handball through the center of the ground that some teams were doing previously (GWS/Hawks especially with their high half forwards), but it is wide-spread now and in a variety of ways.
Last week I highlighted how Sydney were using space through the center of the ground and I doubled-down on watching for it this round and it was pretty clear at times.
Like most tactics/strategies, once you see it you can’t stop seeing it!
The Swans tended to open this space up to run and handball through the middle of the ground, the Lions have more of a kicking focus and Gold Coast were doing it early in the season for kick or handball when they were up and going early in the season.
Other teams represented in the following clips are Geelong and Port Adelaide.
I’ll run through how different teams use this from different parts of the ground starting from kick out and finishing with from the mid 50.
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