With Richmond's Alex Rance out for the season, Jeremy McGovern is arguably now the best defender in the game.

But the three-time All-Australian has had his fair share of challenges to overcome in the past 12 months.

He's become a new dad and had to overcome internal bleeding from an injury to play in the Eagles' premiership win.

Now, at the start of season 2019, he's been thrown a new hurdle by the AFL in the form of a contentious rule change that directly impacts his style of play.

"We can't do anything about it, so we have to deal with it and get on with it," McGovern said.

"I am not a massive fan of changing the rules every year, I am pretty traditional keeping it how it is, but if the AFL want to do it we have to deal with it."

So as Rance deals with the prospect of a lost season, McGovern is facing up to the reality of an altogether different test.

Richmond's Alex Rance is out for the season after injuring his knee last week. ( AAP: Julian Smith )

Falling foul of the 'six-six-six' rule

Many experts have said the AFL's new starting positions for players, or the "six-six-six" rule, will quell the influence of McGovern because he must be more accountable.

The rule applies to starting positions at centre bounces and requires teams to have six defenders and six forwards within each arc, along with six midfielders between the arcs.

"[There are] a few little things in the past that we can't do now," McGovern said.

"On the weekend we probably did find it a little bit hard.

"I think as a whole back six we are a very good intercepting team, [but] on the weekend we did struggle with it a bit. But it is something we will learn from and have a look at."

McGovern broke the season record for total intercept marks by a player last year. ( AAP: Richard Wainwright )

McGovern finished last season with 77 intercept marks, breaking the previous record of 76 from the Western Bulldogs' Easton Wood in 2015.

He took 75 in both 2016 and 2017.

Against Brisbane last week McGovern had nine intercept possessions, the equal most on the ground alongside Lions' defender Darcy Gardiner, in the premiers' surprise 44-point loss.

He was also one of only two players on the ground — Daniel McStay was the other — to take two contested marks, on what was a slippery night at the Gabba.

It is a small sample size, but McGovern held his own in a defence that was well beaten by Brisbane.

Lowest scoring start to season in 54 years

The rule changes implemented by the AFL are meant to balance attack and defence, and make the game more free-flowing, but round one was the lowest scoring start to a season since 1965.

The league introduced nine new rules for 2019, including the zone setup for centre bounces and the new kick-in rule where a player can play on from within the goal square.

McGovern is one of the players most affected by new rule changes. ( AAP: Darren England )

But teams scored on average 10 points less per game than in round one last year.

"It doesn't surprise me," McGovern said.

"My opinion personally is if you are going to keep changing it, these sorts of things are going to happen.

"They are either going to work or not work.

"If the AFL wants more scores, it didn't work on the weekend."