"Advantage" after a whistle

[TigerCraig]

This is my pet hate in footy and something I'd love to see changed. I hate it when the umpire blows the whistle for a free, sees everyone stop, then calls play on advantage.

If you want advantage you shouldn't blow the whistle - just call out "play on advantage" like in other sports. Thay way everyone knows you saw it, but play doesn't stop.

If you do blow, then bring it back for the kick. The defending team can't win. If they keep playing and knock the guy over it's fifty metres, if they stop when the whistle blows their man gets away.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

If AFL football wasn't so obsessed with the "free kick count" in every game they'd probably be able to do this.

 

[mr_cellotape]

If you want advantage you shouldn't blow the whistle - just call out "play on advantage" like in other sports. Thay way everyone knows you saw it, but play doesn't stop.

That's how they do it in rugby union I think. And yeah, prevents the whole "pause, then unpause" effect it seems to have on players. It looks really dopey and surely annoys the players.

 

[Super Goalie]

The best way to fix the problem would be to scrap the rule entirely. Only "advantage" free's to be after disposal - down the ground. That way there'll never be a problem

 

[mr_cellotape]

-deleted-

 

[TigerCraig]

That's how they do it in rugby union I think. And yeah, prevents the whole "pause, then unpause" effect it seems to have on players. It looks really dopey and surely annoys the players.

Unions a bit different - as is gridiron. There they signal the advantage (by hand and voice in union, by throwing a flag in gridiron), allow play to continue for a phase then award the penalty if no advantage accrues. Wouldn't work in footy as too fast moving.

I like the soccer way - call and signal advantage and if the advantage doesn't accrue in 2-3 seconds, blow whistle and call it back.

 

[borgsta2006]

Unions a bit different - as is gridiron. There they signal the advantage (by hand and voice in union, by throwing a flag in gridiron), allow play to continue for a phase then award the penalty if no advantage accrues. Wouldn't work in footy as too fast moving.

I like the soccer way - call and signal advantage and if the advantage doesn't accrue in 2-3 seconds, blow whistle and call it back.

I think it would work in footy. We have a signal and we call out advantage it's the same as in union.

Personally think it would be better for the players and spectators.

 

[TigerCraig]

I think it would work in footy. We have a signal and we call out advantage it's the same as in union.

Personally think it would be better for the players and spectators.

But in union you can come back a minute or more later

 

[BK Eaglesfan]

I like the soccer way - call and signal advantage and if the advantage doesn't accrue in 2-3 seconds, blow whistle and call it back.

I don't think there's any reason this couldn't work very successfully in AFL. Perhaps even the umpire could signal as he calls advantage so those interested could see that yes the umpire had acknowledged there was a free kick.

I think that's been why they have held onto the whistle blow to now. To acknowledge to players and fans that the umpires have control. Imagine a player (particularly say in a lower grade) gets tackled high and doesn't think a kick has been paid so goes looking for his own retribution.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

I think that's been why they have held onto the whistle blow to now. To acknowledge to players and fans that the umpires have control. Imagine a player (particularly say in a lower grade) gets tackled high and doesn't think a kick has been paid so goes looking for his own retribution.

If his team comes away with the ball he should have more important things to think about than retribution. Besides, that's why umpires in other sports call "play on, advantage" or similar, so everybody knows he saw it.

 

[BK Eaglesfan]

If his team comes away with the ball he should have more important things to think about than retribution. Besides, that's why umpires in other sports call "play on, advantage" or similar, so everybody knows he saw it.

I agree with you...just thinking out loud that it's perhaps why they have left it as is. On your point though, I'm not talking os much about instant retribution, but the effect a non decision may be seen to have on the overall mindset of the players....nothing worse than a game of footy where the players feel the umpire isn't controlling the game and decide to look to do it themselves.

 

[mr_cellotape]

Unions a bit different - as is gridiron. There they signal the advantage (by hand and voice in union, by throwing a flag in gridiron), allow play to continue for a phase then award the penalty if no advantage accrues.

Yeah I know. I just meant the 'not blowing the whistle' aspect would the similar and work well. I don't advocate the 'if it turns out there was no advantage, come back and pay the free' aspect of it. Players stop for the whistle to avoid giving away 50 metres, so the umpires should signal the free by gesturing, but not blow the whistle. That way, the players don't stop.

 

[gadj1976]

I heard the Geish say some time back that players would learn why they gave away the free if the whistle is blown. On the other side, if they didn't blow the whistle, they'd not know what the free was for. What a load of bollocks.

All that does is confuse the beejeezus out of everyone when someone plays on and most stand around wondering what the free was for in the first place.

 

[westdog54]

But in union you can come back a minute or more later

While the flow of the game is a bit different its a similar principle.

Of all the sports I know of that have an advantage rule, I believe that ours is the most flawed.

Someone should ring up KB and ask him what he thinks of the idea.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

I heard the Geish say some time back that players would learn why they gave away the free if the whistle is blown. On the other side, if they didn't blow the whistle, they'd not know what the free was for. What a load of bollocks.

What absolute bullshit.

Funny how players in other sports don't seem to struggle with understanding the rules without umpires help.

This isn't Auskick - the umpire is not out there to help the players learn about the game.

 

[borgsta2006]

What absolute bullshit.

Funny how players in other sports don't seem to struggle with understanding the rules without umpires help.

This isn't Auskick - the umpire is not out there to help the players learn about the game.

Agree with you wholeheartedly here mate but sometimes the rules are so grey area based in AFL that the umpire needs to explain them so players get it.

 

[gadj1976]

What absolute bullshit.

Funny how players in other sports don't seem to struggle with understanding the rules without umpires help.

This isn't Auskick - the umpire is not out there to help the players learn about the game.

That's where Union sh1ts all over Aussie rules with the advantage rule. Even NETBALL gets it right, so why can't we?

 

[eddiesmith]

Advantage rule is fine except they seem to be reluctant to bring it back

A good example on Saturday, a player is hit after he gets rid of it, the umpire pays advantage and the next player kicks the ball under pressure straight to an opposition player, now as there was no advantage at all the ball should have been brought back

 

[Emerald]

I've always had trouble with this.

I think the rule is fine, but blowing the whistle is stupid because it's practically second nature to stop when the whistle is blown.

To me, the player that decides to run on anyway has always looked like a naughty kid - sure the whistle has gone but I'm gonna run anyway.

Then his opponent looks around, not sure if he should chase.

By the time everyone has realised it's play on the advantage is too large. Don't blow the whistle. Simple.

 

[Chewy]

The problems with the Advantage rule would be fixed if the umpire chilled out, held back from whistling for the free kick, but instead, yelled out and signalled advantage. Then if no advantage developed, he could whistle the play back and award the original free kick.

But the problem with this is that the AFL panders to all of the brainless footy followers. They think this would be too confusing for us all. It can be confusing for some people when the umpire is marginally late to blow his whistle, but I think this is because we're all conditioned to hearing an "instant whistle" as soon as an infringement occurs.

Personally, I think it would be better if the umpires took that half a second longer to whistle for a free kick. Their decision-making would be less hurried and more accurate. We wouldn't see any of those dodgy marks paid. They take ages to call for a ball up, or pay holding the ball (dragging the ball in) yet they are so quick to blow the whistle on other occasions.

Bottom line is: there are inherent problems with the existing advantage rule.
We need an advantage rule - it's good, it's there for a reason - but at the moment we asking too much of the players. They are conditioned to play to the whistle, but then we make this exception... We also ask the guy with the ball to guess 50/50 which way the decision has gone, then penalise him 50m if he guesses incorrectly.

I've been harping on about this for over 10 years - however long we've had the Advantage Rule - it has amazed me that we've put up with this mistake in the game for so long.