The new rule awards a free kick against a player deemed to have deliberately rushed a behind and has been trialled in this year’s NAB Cup.
The AFL’s general manager of football operations, Adrian Anderson said the rule was being “seriously considered” for use in the premiership season, which begins on March 26.
But Roos said on Tuesday that the new rule was an “overreaction” to last year’s grand final, when Hawthorn rushed 11 behinds on their way to victory against Geelong.
“I’m all for trialling rules in the NAB Cup. I think it’s a really good medium to do that,” Roos said.
“Let’s trial it again next year and let’s see how [this] year pans out with rushed behinds and let’s not overreact to one game, albeit it was a grand final. I think one sample game is not big enough to change a rule.”
Roos said there had been confusion among players and officials about the correct interpretation of the new rule during NAB Cup and NAB Challenge matches.
“We’ve seen a number of mistakes already throughout the competition. We had one the other week against Melbourne and there was one grey one on the weekend [in the Swans-Bulldogs game],” he said.
“I haven’t seen the one that [West Coast coach John Worsfold] was talking about over in Perth, but look, it’s tough for the umpires.
“We had an umpire explain it as best he possibly could but he even seemed a little bit confused as to how it was all going to work.
“I think if there’s confusion amongst the key stakeholders – obviously, the umpires – then I’d suggest that let’s have another trial next year.”
Roos conceded his opinion was just one voice among many stakeholders and said the Swans would simply adjust their strategy if the new rule was introduced this year.
“There’s not much you can do about it. You give your view and I think as coaches, we’re just really a lobby group like a lot of other parts of the industry.
“Each coach will have their different views – some coaches I’ve read like it, others think it’s an overreaction.
“We just try and provide devil’s advocate, or a bit of input, but at the end of the day, we don’t make decisions on the rules. If it comes in, you adjust to it like all the other rules that we’ve adjusted to.”
Roos also said he believed that every AFL club would hire a specialist bench coach once the gloomy economic situation improved.
Roos proved a pioneer among AFL coaches last year when he viewed a number of games from ground level as opposed to the traditional aerial view from a coaches box.
Other coaches are starting to follow Roos' example and while he won't do it every week during the coming season, he believes one of his coaching staff should be down at ground level for each game.
"I think probably as an industry we've come to terms with the fact that we've always been away from the players come match day," Roos said.
"I just think more as an industry that we've probably come to the conclusion now you need better contact with your players on match day.
"We do it through the week then we sort of distance ourselves.
"I would say in two or three years' time once the economy recovers you are probably going to have a designated bench coach that is just a separate coach and just a game day coach."
