2003 Wizard Home Loans Cup

The 2003 Wizard Home Loans Cup was the Australian Football League competition played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's 2003 Premiership Season began. The AFL National Cup is also sometimes referred to as the pre-season cup because it is played in its entirety before the Premiership Season begins. The final was won by Adelaide for the first time in its history, defeating Collingwood by 31 points

2003 Wizard Home Loans Cup
Season	2003
Teams	16
Winners	Adelaide (1st title)
Matches played	15
Attendance	265,976 (average 17,732 per match)
Michael Tuck Medallist	Andrew McLeod (Adelaide)

The AFL introduced a range of innovations for this pre-season competition, the Wizard Home Loans Cup, to make the game faster and more exciting. Five new rules changes were trialled in the competition, which in itself resorts back to a knock-out format after three years as a round-robin series. In the most notable innovation, players were awarded nine points for goals kicked outside the 50-metre arc in a move designed to bring the game’s longer kickers into play. The player must have his back foot on or beyond the 50m arc if kicking on the run and the player on the mark must be on or beyond the 50m arc if the kicker is taking a set shot. The ball can still bounce through for a goal. With a running shot at goal, the ball must leave the player’s back foot planted on or outside the 50m line.

The other rules trialled included:

• teams will concede three points for rushed behinds instead of one point.
• umpires calling play-on, and not awarding a mark, for players kicking backwards to team-mates outside the attacking 50m arc,
• the centre square will be expanded from 45 metres to 50 metres,
• defenders will also be able to kick out after a behind straight away, rather than wait for the goal umpire to wave his flags, in a move designed to speed up the game.

In other changes, the field umpires wore orange shirts and black shorts instead of the traditional white, while goal umpires waved different coloured flags for the different scores. The new rules were used in conjunction with those incorporated last year: an expanded interchange bench, and the ball to be bounced only for the start of the match, and then thrown up.

Games

Week 1

Week 2

Semi finals

Grand final

	Grand Final
Saturday, 15 March, 7:45 PM	Adelaide	def.	Collingwood	Telstra Dome (crowd: 43,571)
	0.4.0.1 (25) 1.8.0.3 (60) 1.9.0.4 (67)  2.13.0.8 (104)	Q1 Q2 Q3  Final	0.3.0.2 (20) 0.4.0.4 (28) 0.6.0.7 (43)  1.9.1.7 (73)	Umpires: Brett Allen, Darren Morris, Scott McLaren, Stephen McBurney Michael Tuck Medal: Andrew McLeod (Adelaide) Television broadcast: Nine Network
Andrew McLeod, Rhett Biglands		Super Goals	Scott Burns
Ian Perrie 3, Mark Stevens 2, Rhett Biglands 2, Wayne Carey 2, Tyson Edwards, Chris Ladhams, Andrew McLeod, Graham Johncock		Goals	Alan Didak 2, Chris Tarrant 2, Jarrod Molloy, Rupert Betheras, Andrew Williams, Ryan Lonie, Shane Woewodin
Matthew Bode, Andrew McLeod, Matthew Clarke, Simon Goodwin, Brett Burton, Tyson Edwards, Mark Stevens		Best	Rhyce Shaw, Tarkyn Lockyer, Andrew Williams, Nathan Buckley
Nil		Injuries	Nil
Nil		Reports	Chris Tarrant (Col) for unduly rough play (charging) against Brent Reilly (Ade) in the third quarter. The charge against Tarrant was withdrawn by the AFL on the following Monday

See also

• List of Australian Football League night premiers
• 2003 AFL season

References

• Australian Football 150 Years > Home