Finally, the Australian Football League administration "is prepared to reclaim its game," according to Patrick Smith of THE AUSTRALIAN. Not order change, "not promulgate to the old." But at least the AFL "wants to hold the line, then rectify what has been damaged and enshrine what has enriched the game." The AFL confirmed that "it would initiate a white paper or its equivalent to encourage a full discussion and analysis of the game’s direction and look." A good reason to "do just that" is that football has "veered significantly" from the vision the AFL commission had when it authorized the drawing up of a charter "for the laws of the game committee and associated stakeholders as a reference point on how the game should be played at AFL level by providing guiding principles for the laws of the game and identifying unique characteristics to be encouraged in the game." The charter "came out 12 months ago." Continuous and free-flowing football "is encouraged ahead of repetitive short passages of play." The league heavies "are naturally worried about the exploding number of stoppages of play and the delays which hinder this objective." The average stoppages now top 70 a game "and have reached as high as 85 this year." The potential paper "marks a definitive shift in the AFL’s approach to the long-term development of the game." While "it might signal it fears a growing threat" from football, it "is most telling when seen as a document to halt the unfettered power of coaches to change the game" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/21).