Fix the game with these rule modifications

[frenchfri12]

The game is full of slowness and congestion, and players kicking the ball sideways. Why not implement these simple rules:

1. Mark rule

Team A v Team B. All rules apply vice-versa.

If Team A....

- Is inside their defensive 50: The ball must travel 15 metres, but must not be kicked backwards.

Exception: On a kick out, team A may kick the ball backwards, but may not do so if they play on first. This is to allow Team A's full back to kick into one of the defensive pockets.

- Is between their defensive 50 and forward 50: The ball must travel a minimum of 15 metres. The ball also must travel 15 metres towards team A's goals to be called a mark.

- Is inside their forward 50: The ball must travel at least 15 metres, however may be kicked backwards.
Exception: If the ball is kicked towards Team B's goals, the ball must be marked inside Team A's forward 50 line.

Exception to Exception: In the rase case a player marks a ball just inside the 50 at true centre-half forward (or anywhere inside the forward 50, it is just likely that it will only happen in this position) if they kick the ball sideways or forward, but the ball ends up outside the forward 50, the ball may be marked by Team A:

General Exceptions:
1. Team B can mark any ball in any position, no matter weather it travels backwards or not, as long as it has travelled at least 15 metres in any direction.

2. These rules do not apply for the first disposal after a downfield free kick, a 50 metre penalty, or a free kick for out of bounds on the full or deliberate out of bounds. Any other free kicks, the rules must be obeyed.

Precise info:
- If a player is on the run, what area of the ground they are in is where they are when they kick the ball. If the player is taking a kick from a mark or a free kick not listed in general exception 2, the position is from where the mark is set by the umpire.
- If the mark or kicking location is on a 50 metre line, or the umpire is unsure, the most severe rules (for in between the arcs) should apply.
- This is only for marks. Players are free to kick the ball backwards or sideways anywhere on the ground, it will simply not be a mark for the team that kicked it.


2. Dilberate out of bounds rule

The current kick out rules should apply to all kicks all over the ground.
That is:
Team A kicks the ball.
- If no player from either team touches the ball before it goes out of bounds, it is deemed dilberate.
- If a player from either team A or Team B touches the ball before it goes out of bounds, then current deliberate out of bounds rules should apply

Team A handballs the ball.
- If the ball goes out of bounds without bouncing or any other player touching it, it should be called as deliberate out of bounds
- Otherwise, current rules apply.

If Team A disposes of the ball, and Team B blatantly allows the football to roll out of bounds, a free kick for deliberate out of bounds should be paid to Team A.

 

[krisholio14]

There's two rule changes that need to happen.

1. Limit interchanges to a single figure number per game.

2. Return the wait til the flags are waved before kicking out rule.

 

[frenchfri12]

Also, before I forget, this is not a place for you to post
"The game isn't broken, we don't need to fix it."
This is a place to discuss these rule changes.

 

[D-N-R]

Is this meant to make the game easier to understand?? It's very complicated.

Let's take the first part.

My main issue with rules that don't award marks for balls kicked backwards is quite simply "How do the umpires adjudicate it?"

It's OK in games like soccer and rugby because the grounds in those games are much smaller and they are rectangular. The linesmen can see along the boundary line (it's straight) and across the field. In soccer, the referee simply needs to keep in line with the second last defender to be able to adjudicate offside. The nature of the game means they can do this quite easily and will be rarely caught out of position. In rugby, the linesman can see if a ball is being passed forward by simply keeping up with the ball carrier. Gain, not too difficult because the nature and rules of the game deem that players form lines across the field. Plus they have lines marked on the field to help them. In neither of these sports is it difficult for the officials to do this.

In Aussie Rules, who is going to judge whether the ball is going backwards with any great accuracy? The pitch is ovoid, the boundary umpires have to get themselves as close to the ball as possible to be able to adjudicate OOB. The field umpires will be guessing most times as they won't be in any position to tell if the ball has gone sideways or a little bit forward or a little bit back. It is simply something else for the umpires to get wrong, and they will get this wrong a lot.

In the modern game, passes backwards or sideways are often used to get the ball moving on more quickly. Many, if not most, of these passes result in the receiver playing on anyway. So making a rule is somewhat redundant.

I don't disagree that there is a problem with flooding and congestion, I just don't see this as a viable solution. And all the rules about marking balls from the kick out or kicked from inside the 50 or going 15m forward - the umpires have enough trouble working out if balls have gone far enough now, never mind adding a complication like making sure it has gone 15 directly towards goal or whatever it is you are trying to do. Yuck.

The second part.

I'm not averse to having all kicks or handballs being deemed free kicks against. Personally, I didn't have a problem with the way it was adjudicated 10 years ago, but they have tightened up the rules so much recently they might as well make it deliberate for all kicks and handballs.* They are tightening the rules again this year, so ****-knows what the interpretation will be.

The last bit about shepherding the ball over the line and being penalised is stupid. How will they determine if a player has allowed the ball to go over the line or not? It would simply encourage a player to play the ball near an opposition player and that player would then be compelled to chase that ball down. If he doesn't bother chasing it and it goes out, it's a free against. Unworkable.

*If they were to make it a free against for any kicks and handballs that go over the line without being touched, then I would make the kick-ins 'indirect' like they do in soccer. In other words, if a team has a free kick close to their goal, they can't kick directly for goal.

 

[frenchfri12]

My main issue with rules that don't award marks for balls kicked backwards is quite simply "How do the umpires adjudicate it?"

The same way they adjudicate every other free kick, their own discretion. Plus, having this in the rules would just make the players kick the ball forward of themselves anyway.

Plus they have lines marked on the field to help them.

Then put lines on the field. Its been done before.

In the modern game, passes backwards or sideways are often used to get the ball moving on more quickly. Many, if not most, of these passes result in the receiver playing on anyway. So making a rule is somewhat redundant.

I don't disagree that there is a problem with flooding and congestion, I just don't see this as a viable solution. And all the rules about marking balls from the kick out or kicked from inside the 50 or going 15m forward - the umpires have enough trouble working out if balls have gone far enough now, never mind adding a complication like making sure it has gone 15 directly towards goal or whatever it is you are trying to do. Yuck.

You miss the point of this rule. This stops maintaining possession. It forces players to actually kick the ball forward, creates more one on one contests, and opens the field up, while encouraging a run and carry quick game-style.

Imagine a game where one team is 4 points in front with 28 minutes gone on the clock, and they can't kick backwards to maintain possession.
And umpires are able to pace out a 50 metre penalty. A hundered times a game they already have to judge weather a kick is 15 metres or not. And as I said earlier, when players know that a kick less than 15 metres directly forward won't be a mark, they'll just generally make sure they kick it further

I'm not averse to having all kicks or handballs being deemed free kicks against. Personally, I didn't have a problem with the way it was adjudicated 10 years ago, but they have tightened up the rules so much recently they might as well make it deliberate for all kicks and handballs.* They are tightening the rules again this year, so ****-knows what the interpretation will be.

I'm not suggesting that a free kick be paid against the last team to touch the ball. Simply any kick that goes out of bounds without being touched is out on the full (which is the same rule we currently have for kick ins) and everything else be paid as per current out of bounds rules.

The last bit about shepherding the ball over the line and being penalised is stupid. How will they determine if a player has allowed the ball to go over the line or not? It would simply encourage a player to play the ball near an opposition player and that player would then be compelled to chase that ball down. If he doesn't bother chasing it and it goes out, it's a free against. Unworkable.

I can't think of a specific example of where this happens, but it very nearly happens in Sydney vs Geelong in the 2005 semi final. With about 20 seconds left in the final quarter, the ball is bouncing towards the boundary line very slowly, and a Geelong player is standing right behind it, and its bouncing practically touching time him, but hes being very careful to not follow it at more than a walk so he doesn't touch it and he can't be pinged for deliberate. If the ball had of gone out of bounds, Sydney would of been out of the 2005 finals series. As the ball is about to go out, a Sydney player runs up and smashes the ball out from in front of the Geelong player's chest inside the 50, and Sydney win.
Now if the Sydney player hadn't of come in, and the ball went out, it should be a free kick against the Geelong player for deliberately letting the ball run out of bounds. This happens a few times in each game, but I can't remember any specific ones right now.

I'm not talking about penalizing the player closest to the ball when it goes out, I'm talking about a player practically walking behind a football that is slowly bouncing or rolling to the boundary, making no attempt at all to stop it going out, being penalized for deliberate. This would further encourage players to keep the ball in play.

.

 

[D-N-R]

The same way they adjudicate every other free kick, their own discretion. Plus, having this in the rules would just make the players kick the ball forward of themselves anyway.

This is what you wrote;

- Is between their defensive 50 and forward 50: The ball must travel a minimum of 15 metres. The ball also must travel 15 metres towards team A's goals to be called a mar

So if a player is kicking across the field, even if he kicks it 40m, the ball must also go 15m forward of the position he kicks it from, right? Judging whether that ball has gone 15 metres forward when it has also travelled 40m sideways is very difficult. The fans won't know for certain, players won't have a clue and the umpire will be guessing even more than now. It will be unworkable.

Then put lines on the field. Its been done before.

That might work, but having straight lines crossing arcs (and the 50m arc will now be part of the game) and also crossing the centre square is very messy and with grounds being different sizes...

You miss the point of this rule. This stops maintaining possession. It forces players to actually kick the ball forward, creates more one on one contests, and opens the field up, while encouraging a run and carry quick game-style.

Forgive me if I misunderstand the rule but it is very complicated and convoluted the way you have presented it. And why do you think this will stop congestion? If players have to kick the ball forward and play on all the time the defensive team might simply flood back and wait for a turnover. The offensive team won't have players behind the ball because they will just be manned up, because if the ball is passed to them, it will be play-on. So, the offensive team will have players at least 15m forward of the kicker and maybe a bit extra to make sure the umpire doesn't make a mistake. So if an offensive team has the ball on the centre circle, every other player will be about 20m ahead of that player. i.e. congested in the forward third of the ground.
And if there is a turnover, then what happens? The team with the ball now doesn't have anyone to pass the ball to unless they are 15 ahead of the ball. It will make the game interesting but I doubt it will make it better.

Imagine a game where one team is 4 points in front with 28 minutes gone on the clock, and they can't kick backwards to maintain possession.
And umpires are able to pace out a 50 metre penalty. A hundered times a game they already have to judge weather a kick is 15 metres or not. And as I said earlier, when players know that a kick less than 15 metres directly forward won't be a mark, they'll just generally make sure they kick it further

Teams that try and soak up time now are simply manned up (and it doesn't happen very often), and with the players being called to play on much more quickly, they are forced to kick it forward anyway to avoid turning the ball over with their defence wide open.

I'm not suggesting that a free kick be paid against the last team to touch the ball. Simply any kick that goes out of bounds without being touched is out on the full (which is the same rule we currently have for kick ins) and everything else be paid as per current out of bounds rules.

Many kicks and handballs go out of play without being touched now, but very few are given deliberate. You want to change the rule to make this automatic. Fine. But if you change the rule so that a player can't shepherd a ball over the line...

If Team A disposes of the ball, and Team B blatantly allows the football to roll out of bounds, a free kick for deliberate out of bounds should be paid to Team A.

...then this changes the whole dynamic. Forget what you have seen in games up to now, because this rule never applied. If I am in possession of the ball near the line, I am tackled and have to get rid of it, so I handball it towards the line near an opposition player. How hard does this player have to try to prevent that ball going over the line before he is pinged for 'deliberately' allowing that ball to go across the line untouched? He lunges for the ball but doesn't make contact, so then gets the free because it has gone across the line from a handball untouched? Or does the umpire decides he didn't try hard enough and actually awards the free against him. You say it has to be 'blatant', but that is so subjective it just adds a layer of confusion the game doesn't need.

I can't think of a specific example of where this happens, but it very nearly happens in Sydney vs Geelong in the 2005 semi final. With about 20 seconds left in the final quarter, the ball is bouncing towards the boundary line very slowly, and a Geelong player is standing right behind it, and its bouncing practically touching time him, but hes being very careful to not follow it at more than a walk so he doesn't touch it and he can't be pinged for deliberate. If the ball had of gone out of bounds, Sydney would of been out of the 2005 finals series. As the ball is about to go out, a Sydney player runs up and smashes the ball out from in front of the Geelong player's chest inside the 50, and Sydney win.
Now if the Sydney player hadn't of come in, and the ball went out, it should be a free kick against the Geelong player for deliberately letting the ball run out of bounds. This happens a few times in each game, but I can't remember any specific ones right now.

You can't think of a specific example which means the world probably doesn't need this rule.

I'm not talking about penalizing the player closest to the ball when it goes out, I'm talking about a player practically walking behind a football that is slowly bouncing or rolling to the boundary, making no attempt at all to stop it going out, being penalized for deliberate. This would further encourage players to keep the ball in play.

You seem to want to make a rule because you saw something in a game that nearly happened that you didn't like and thought "hey there should be a rule against that". Or something. See my point above. How obvious is obvious? How hard does that player have to try? Can he pretend to be fooled by the bounce? What if he is fooled by the bounce?

You want to make the game less congested? Have 15 players a side on the field with reduced interchanges. They'll soon learn to stick to their positions on the field and not spend all game sprinting from one end to the other.

 

[jatz14]

The game is full of slowness and congestion, and players kicking the ball sideways. Why not implement these simple rules:

1. Mark rule

Team A v Team B. All rules apply vice-versa.

If Team A....

- Is inside their defensive 50: The ball must travel 15 metres, but must not be kicked backwards.

Exception: On a kick out, team A may kick the ball backwards, but may not do so if they play on first. This is to allow Team A's full back to kick into one of the defensive pockets.

- Is between their defensive 50 and forward 50: The ball must travel a minimum of 15 metres. The ball also must travel 15 metres towards team A's goals to be called a mark.

- Is inside their forward 50: The ball must travel at least 15 metres, however may be kicked backwards.
Exception: If the ball is kicked towards Team B's goals, the ball must be marked inside Team A's forward 50 line.

Exception to Exception: In the rase case a player marks a ball just inside the 50 at true centre-half forward (or anywhere inside the forward 50, it is just likely that it will only happen in this position) if they kick the ball sideways or forward, but the ball ends up outside the forward 50, the ball may be marked by Team A:

General Exceptions:
1. Team B can mark any ball in any position, no matter weather it travels backwards or not, as long as it has travelled at least 15 metres in any direction.

2. These rules do not apply for the first disposal after a downfield free kick, a 50 metre penalty, or a free kick for out of bounds on the full or deliberate out of bounds. Any other free kicks, the rules must be obeyed.

Precise info:
- If a player is on the run, what area of the ground they are in is where they are when they kick the ball. If the player is taking a kick from a mark or a free kick not listed in general exception 2, the position is from where the mark is set by the umpire.
- If the mark or kicking location is on a 50 metre line, or the umpire is unsure, the most severe rules (for in between the arcs) should apply.
- This is only for marks. Players are free to kick the ball backwards or sideways anywhere on the ground, it will simply not be a mark for the team that kicked it.


2. Dilberate out of bounds rule

The current kick out rules should apply to all kicks all over the ground.
That is:
Team A kicks the ball.
- If no player from either team touches the ball before it goes out of bounds, it is deemed dilberate.
- If a player from either team A or Team B touches the ball before it goes out of bounds, then current deliberate out of bounds rules should apply

Team A handballs the ball.
- If the ball goes out of bounds without bouncing or any other player touching it, it should be called as deliberate out of bounds
- Otherwise, current rules apply.

If Team A disposes of the ball, and Team B blatantly allows the football to roll out of bounds, a free kick for deliberate out of bounds should be paid to Team A.

First rule, if your intention is to create congestion and stoppages, great rule, otherwise not so much. When they have it in their backline, zone like **** from 15m forward, pick up any loose players in position to get a handball. Result, bomb long as possible to pack, mass spoiling, rarely a mark, stacks on the mill, ball up. Not watching that shit.