I think it is absolutely clutching at straws to think the new rule has had any part to play in our current demise.
Firstly, the notion that we had some secret manning the mark technique that no other club was doing is not correct. Everyone was trying to be aggressive on the mark, everyone was trying to protect the corridor. We've lost no more on the mark than any other side has.
Secondly, the big deficit in our game this year has been scores from turnover. Our turnover game isn't about stop plays, it's about denying stop plays for the opposition, by swarming pressure making them either loose the footy in the contest or having to blast kick out. If they have found the target, we have failed to execute as we hoped.
Thirdly, we have always conceded the uncontested lateral kick anyway, which is the big creation of the stand rule. We have always allowed the opposition an extra number centre back, so we can create the extra number in the backline. If a side chose to take that up (like Collingwood always did), then they could take the uncontested chip and mark to 70, and then we would back our structure and strength of intercept to take it back in the narrower ground. The stand rule hasn't changed anything when it comes to that play.
Lastly, our style has been to create that turnover at half back and then stretch the ground out by bursting forward. The stand rule should be at least as much advantage in that ball movement as anything we lose the other way.
Our issues this season are about personnel, preparation and perhaps a little bit of the difference between effort and absolute fanatical effort. Not to mention a bizarre tinkering with the way we play for reasons that escape me.
If we had a different run with injuries this year, particularly to a guy like Vlastuin, who is essential to much of what I describe above and has played about 5 games fully fit, I'm sure we wouldn't even be talking about the stand rule.