The Holding the Ball Rule

[El_Scorcho]

It's paid that way anyway though.

If you've had prior and you've been tackled without instantly getting a disposal away, they always pay a free. It has to be an actual completed tackle though, and not just a basketball steal

 

[FunkyFreo2]

maybe it's just me who sees many many occasions each week where a player has prior op, gets tackled, ball gets knocked out in the tackle "play on". But yes not if it's a bump it does actually need to be a tackle.

 

[carlton2dabone]

What we have seen the last couple of years is a clear interpretation from the umpires where they wont ping a guy that takes a run, gets tackled and drops the ball BUT will ping a guy that fights for the ball on the ground and is immediately piled on by 4 other players.

How many times have this year have I seen a player attempt to take on an opposition player by either trying to run around him or break his tackle, get caught, drop ball and play on is called.

Yet at the same time I have seen countless instances where players have fought for the ball either on the ground or whilst standing up in a ball up situation, get wrapped up in a tackle almost immediately and get pinged for not attempting to get the ball out.

So basically we have situations where players take on tackles and don't get legal disposal out and play on is called, whilst players who ftry to be first to the ball and are unable to dish off a proper disposal because they are tackled immediately are pinged for not flopping around like a fish to look like they are attempting a disposal.

IMO, 1 or 2 seconds is more than sufficient time for a player to get a legal disposal off if he elects to take possession of the ball, 1 or 2 seconds should be more than enough for prior opportunity to come into effect. Shame the umps have a stupid interpretation od how long is required for prior opportunity to be exercised.

Pathetic.

 

[davis_756]

a couple of things need fixing here

#1 If a player has possession of the ball and drops it without having another player make physical contact with the ball to knock it free then it should be a free for incorrect disposal

#2 Stop trying to pay a htb decision to stop repeat ball ups because the AFL have instructed them we want free flowing football. Prior opportunity means if you don't have a legitimate chance to dispose of the ball before being tackled its a ball up. It does NOT mean the player who can fake the best epileptic fit gets a ball up and the bloke that can't get pinged.

Like it or not umpiring decisions are majorly effecting the flow of games, momentum shifts are more frequently coming off the back of free kick goals based on pure rubbish.

 

[davis_756]

Problem is too many are getting pinged without prior op. So often I mutter, 'Now why would you go and get the ball?' - and quite often it's MY team receiving the free kick. I'm as biased as they come but I hate seeing a bloke penalised when he's had no chance whatsoever to dispose of the ball. And I especially hate that one where a player is so pinned that he can't even wriggle his little finger yet the ump pauses (as though giving him more time in his 'strait jacket' will help) pings him and then tells him he needed to make a genuine attempt - in this situation this could only mean miraculously boring a hole in his torso (and the torsos of the three opponents on top of him) and making the ball go through them.

This is another pet hate, a guy gets tackled and whether the umpire is bored and blows his whistle straight away or feels the need to give a free so he puts it away determines who does/doesn't get penalized. Not blowing the whistle when someone is tackled without prior opportunity does not = he had prior opportunity you muppets.

 

[Bob_vic]

And here I thought holding the ball was about "holding the ball"...

The basic HTB rule is if you get tackled, you are given a reasonable time to dispose (or attempt) of it. You "hold onto the ball", then you get penalised (in general).

Players aren't allowed to just "give up" as soon as they're tackled or pretend they can't get it out, just because they had no prior opportunity before the tackle. They purposely play for a ball up as a defensive tactic and try to rely on the umpire being lenient.

This is the way it's always been since the HTB was introduced before most of us were born.

Although, I do agree with Strawbs that some HTB frees have been incorrect because you cannot make an attempt where there's no chance of getting the ball out. Each situation needs to be judged on its merits.

 

[BG32]

was absolutely a shamozzle today. in the first 2 minutes where chris dawes wrapped up a Richmond player who had just took 3 guys on then just drops the ball, when that s**t gets called play on that sets the precedence for an inconstantly s**t game

 

[theyellowsash]

agree with the above. both the holding the ball and in the back rule today were absolutely non existent. pathetic non-calls all day (not favouring either team) with the odd pathetically soft free thrown in. if they actually paid the frees that were there you wouldnt get so much congestion, because one team would get the free and be able to move the ball. this is the single biggest threat to the health of the game, much more than the game supposedly becoming 'soft'.

 

[Strawbs]

Could not agree more with the last two posts. It was staggering how many times players took on opponents yesterday, were tackled, dropped the ball, yet were not penalised. The moronic 'put the whistle away' crew must have loved that game. It descended into farce very quickly. You could do almost anything you liked. In the back, holding the man, you name it. It seemed at half-time that the umps were told they had to actually do their jobs, thus the first part of the third quarter rained early frees for things nowhere near as significant as those let go in the first half. My usual lament: if they're not going to pay frees, that's fine - but they must remove those rules from the rule book.
PS: this is not a 'wounded Tiger' whinge. We were no worse off than Melbourne in the 'anything goes fest' that was a shocking game to watch, partly due to the lack of umpiring.

 

[BG32]

theyellowsash
Strawbs
the umps weren't rewarding chase down tackles rather that 'player pinning the ball against another' gets rewarded which is disappointing for the game

 

[Rors]

As mentioned previously, it is agonizingly frustrating watching blokes that have just run 4,5,6,7 steps get viciously mowed down in a tackle, the ball come loose & see the umpire waving his arms above his head shouting "play on, play on", then compare that to seeing some poor bloke who bent down to pick up the footy, get tackled instantly with the ball pinned beneath him & they pay a HTB free kick! It almost goes against what the essence of "holding the ball" means!

Some seriously stupid interpretations of this rule are evident every single week. Drives me insane. Even my wife who isnt a huge footy fan is sometimes watching a game & will make the comment "why wasnt that a 'baaallll'? The guy ran about 5m then got tackled & didnt kick or handball it, isn't that a holding the ball?"

It's not rocket science, it just s**t interpretation!

 

[JoondalupJ]

I know there is the umpires board for this sort of stuff, but I feel this has wide significance to the league. It has become a joke IMO. Players just know they will be able to try and shrug tackles drop the ball stone cold and have no free paid against them. Now, the only HTB frees they pay are the ridiculous "no attempt" or "dragging the ball in" ones, which are usually accidental/just wrong. Last night was the worst I've seen it in a game. Players from both teams would get caught with plenty of prior opportunity, drop the ball and no free would be paid agains them. It has well and truly become ridiculous IMO.
Thoughts?

You are totally correct. This creation of scrums too by umpires who wait that extra bit to blow the whistle, then make a guessed perception decision.Its shocking.
But the amount of times watching a game this year and seeing a player caught and then release the ball in which ever way he likes and not get pinged for holding or dropping , well its ruining the game for me.
I used to be able to see and pick frees just as they happened and then the whistle, not now. This year is the worst and I thought it may have gotten better. It hasn't.
Where are we going with our game?

 

[JoondalupJ]

As mentioned previously, it is agonizingly frustrating watching blokes that have just run 4,5,6,7 steps get viciously mowed down in a tackle, the ball come loose & see the umpire waving his arms above his head shouting "play on, play on", then compare that to seeing some poor bloke who bent down to pick up the footy, get tackled instantly with the ball pinned beneath him & they pay a HTB free kick! It almost goes against what the essence of "holding the ball" means!

Some seriously stupid interpretations of this rule are evident every single week. Drives me insane. Even my wife who isnt a huge footy fan is sometimes watching a game & will make the comment "why wasnt that a 'baaallll'? The guy ran about 5m then got tackled & didnt kick or handball it, isn't that a holding the ball?"

It's not rocket science, it just s**t interpretation!

Its also not the umpires fault. This is where new administration needs to show some leadership and give us back a bit of what we expect our own game to be.
This is absolute , if it wasn't why are so many people raving on about the stupid way the rules are worked that make the job damn near impossible for umpires.
Hijacked a sport, these AFL mongrels, and continue to make it worse. I'd like to ask WHY? ALL THE CHANGES .

 

[JoondalupJ]

If someone breaks the rules, a free kick should be paid.

I dont care if there are 100 free kicks a game as long as they are there to be paid.

I think what Quotemokc said, is saying is that there are so many infringements committed that are looked on as OK, that if they were pinged you'd have so many more free kicks it'd be a joke. A brilliant example is the in close "THROW"! Happens every week they are NOT HANDBALLS, illegal disposal every game every week, I blame some of that on the pack forming allowance where the ump give the players extra time before the whistle, and they get rid of the ball any which way, its bloody awful , and when a player gets caught around the arms and he juggles/jiggles his whole body to get free, its like when a rugby player is tackled and shakes his body to get up to toe tap the ball backwards, that's not our game.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

I think what Quotemokc said, is saying is that there are so many infringements committed that are looked on as OK, that if they were pinged you'd have so many more free kicks it'd be a joke. A brilliant example is the in close "THROW"! Happens every week they are NOT HANDBALLS, illegal disposal every game every week, I blame some of that on the pack forming allowance where the ump give the players extra time before the whistle, and they get rid of the ball any which way, its bloody awful , and when a player gets caught around the arms and he juggles/jiggles his whole body to get free, its like when a rugby player is tackled and shakes his body to get up to toe tap the ball backwards, that's not our game.

Yeah, but it wouldn't have got thisfar if it had been stamped on once it started happening.

 

[Armadeo]

I think it should be quite easy, if you take possession while off your feet and can't get rid of it then HTB. If you drag the ball underneath another player, HTB. I never really understood how an umpire could pay holding the ball against someone who has not taken possession of the ball but been given the ball by the opposition.

 

[Hawthorn United]

http://www.afl.com.au/video/2013-02-04/2013-laws-of-the-game-dragging-the-ball-under

What happened to this rule? Don't think it's ever been paid.

 

[Damon_3388]

If someone breaks the rules, a free kick should be paid.

I dont care if there are 100 free kicks a game as long as they are there to be paid.

Would be boring as batshit, stop-start rubbish. And infinitely more frustrating than anything that's going on currently too.

 

[base615]

Watching the Cats / Blues game right now and the non-calls of HTB is becoming a joke. Running with the ball, perfect tackle, ball dropped, umpire shouts "PLAY ON!".

Ridiculous.

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

Would be boring as batshit, stop-start rubbish. And infinitely more frustrating than anything that's going on currently too.

You're missing the point. It would only be for a couple of weeks until the players realise that they cant get away with infringing anymore.

 

[Righteo]

First thing that needs to happen is go back to basics and that's re-introduce the emphasis on "prior opportunity" rather than the disgusting "make an attempt" scourge. Also think the one who drags it in should be penalised, if a player is on the ground and 2-3 opposition players pile in on top of him, all holding the footy to or under the prone player than how the * does he get penalised?

They should pay a free kick against the players trapping it in, it's completely against the spirit of what I imagine the rule originally was (I say imagine because I have NFI what the AFL is trying to achieve with this current implementation of the rule).

 

[Damon_3388]

You're missing the point. It would only be for a couple of weeks until the players realise that they cant get away with infringing anymore.

 

[Effes]

The in the back against Waite instead of HTB was hilarious

 

[quotemokc]

Being paid a lot in the Eagles Hawks game

 

[smoovy]

Had an absolute gutful of the 'no genuine attempt' HTB rule. It completely random.

For those playing at home, it is the part of the rule when you DO NOT have prior opportunity, however you then MUST make a genuine attempt to dispose of the ball.

The most confusing thing is not so much when the free kick is paid, it is when it is not. So often a player will be instantly tackled and then the umpire will call for a ball up BEFORE the player tackled has had even a chance to make a genuine attempt.

Please explain!