Have you ever read the AFL Rules? BE HONEST!!!

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I think most people stop after about five minutes when they can't find dropping the ball or kicking in danger in the index.
 
Cover to cover twice before the season, refresh two or three sections every Friday, read it all again before finals. Raise grey areas and interpretations with the relevant umpire coach as they come up.

Helps confidence if you know exactly what the rules are when the blue-moon situations occur. Had a bad experience early on and resolved not to let it occur again... :)
 

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Over The Post said:
Cover to cover twice before the season, refresh two or three sections every Friday, read it all again before finals. Raise grey areas and interpretations with the relevant umpire coach as they come up.

Helps confidence if you know exactly what the rules are when the blue-moon situations occur. Had a bad experience early on and resolved not to let it occur again... :)
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You're just taking the piss out of all umpires
 
Over The Post said:
No, I just don't pretend to already know it all.
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I don't think anyone here does, but geez if supporters took the time to at least read the key rules of our game, it would probably give people a better idea of what they're complaining about!
 
borgsta2006 said:
I don't think anyone here does, but geez if supporters took the time to at least read the key rules of our game, it would probably give people a better idea of what they're complaining about!
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Dunno Borgsta, anyone who has seen you umpire would be of the opinion that you're a bit of a know it all. Good thing you retired!
 
The main issue is that there are 2 components - the laws of the game and the interpretations. Anyone can grab a copy of the laws and read them but interpretations are really only outlined by the advisor at the weekly lectures after training.

I've often been frustrated by the fact that most of the players seem to know fairly well about 70% of the laws. At times I've tried not to laugh when a player starts berating me during a match - once a guy was trying to tell me he was within his rights to run straight out of the goalsquare kicking in after a behind when I called play-on. Some of them don't realise how much they're embarrassing themselves the more they rant and rave.

It seems to be universal that coaches concentrate on skill drills and fitness at training - and I wouldn't expect otherwise. It just appears that laws of the game are expected to be known anyway as something you pick up from when you start in the U/10's or from watching TV (a problem in itself)!

I've occasionally asked players after a match if they've ever had a coach sit them all down one night and go through aspects of the rule book - none have ever had that happen.
 
Sorry, should have made it clearer - I'm referring to the all-inclusive VAFA handbook, not just the bare-bones rules section. Even I am not nerdy enough to read the bare rules on their own.

So Dylza, how do you get on when players ask you to explain a rule or another umpire's decision during a game? Or in the rooms afterwards while consuming a well-earned with the multitudes?

Not being aggro, just being curious...
 
I honestly think the holding the ball rule could be turned into an operetta. We'd have an instant number 1 hit on our hands here...

I am also wondering if some of the rules have disappeared fro the rule book entirely. I had a 50 metre penalty, where a player on the same team wanted to keep holding onto his opponent. Naturally I stopped the 50m penalty immediately (like the VFL had absolutely drilled into us) as the infringement wasn't worthy of reversing the free kick (just halting the 50m). Now do you think that is written anywhere in the rule book? Is it my imagination or has that vanished from the rules? Or was it never in the rules in the first place?

The one thing that did changed from the rulebook were the words "The Game of the People for the People" being removed when Wayne Jackson took over the reins of the AFL...
 
Blommy said:
I honestly think the holding the ball rule could be turned into an operetta. We'd have an instant number 1 hit on our hands here...

I am also wondering if some of the rules have disappeared fro the rule book entirely. I had a 50 metre penalty, where a player on the same team wanted to keep holding onto his opponent. Naturally I stopped the 50m penalty immediately (like the VFL had absolutely drilled into us) as the infringement wasn't worthy of reversing the free kick (just halting the 50m). Now do you think that is written anywhere in the rule book? Is it my imagination or has that vanished from the rules? Or was it never in the rules in the first place?

The one thing that did changed from the rulebook were the words "The Game of the People for the People" being removed when Wayne Jackson took over the reins of the AFL...
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Correct me if I'm wrong Blommy but I thought you were never actually on the VFL panel?
 
Over The Post said:
Sorry, should have made it clearer - I'm referring to the all-inclusive VAFA handbook, not just the bare-bones rules section. Even I am not nerdy enough to read the bare rules on their own.

So Dylza, how do you get on when players ask you to explain a rule or another umpire's decision during a game? Or in the rooms afterwards while consuming a well-earned with the multitudes?

Not being aggro, just being curious...
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To be honest, I don't think I've ever read the rule book cover to cover. I've gained all my understanding through coaching, match footage and simple discussions. Yet I would be able to give you the correct answer on 99/100 umpiring/rule related questions including 'blue mooners'
 

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One of the other problems I see a fair bit - the suburban comps mirror the AFL laws to a great extent, but not 100%. Often a player will see a rule being enforced watching TV on a Friday night but then scream at you on Saturday when it doesn't get applied the same way. They don't realise it's a law which has not been adopted at the local level.
 
Mine sits next to the loo Makes good light reading when you are dropping the kids off at the pool and also comes in handy when you forgot to give them a towel:D
 
ManInWhite said:
It seems to be universal that coaches concentrate on skill drills and fitness at training - and I wouldn't expect otherwise. It just appears that laws of the game are expected to be known anyway as something you pick up from when you start in the U/10's or from watching TV (a problem in itself)!

I've occasionally asked players after a match if they've ever had a coach sit them all down one night and go through aspects of the rule book - none have ever had that happen.
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Having played basketball since I was 6 years old, thinking back, it doesn't happen at junior levels of that sport either. I learnt more about the rules of the game and different nuances of play from either playing on the court or watching on television, rather than anything a coach told me.

ManInWhite said:
One of the other problems I see a fair bit - the suburban comps mirror the AFL laws to a great extent, but not 100%. Often a player will see a rule being enforced watching TV on a Friday night but then scream at you on Saturday when it doesn't get applied the same way. They don't realise it's a law which has not been adopted at the local level.
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I can understand why this might happen in International sports such as basketball or soccer, but I don't quite get it with footy. You'd think seeing as we're really the only country who properly play footy (I know they play it in other countries, but it's obviously nowhere near our level), and our league is the "lawmaker" so to speak, that the rules would be pretty much uniform across the board.
 
Damon, I'm specifically thinking of rules like deliberately rushing the ball for a behind, etc. A rule adopted at AFL level but not in all suburban / country comps. It's the rules like this where I've had players scream blue murder at me when they're blissfully unaware it doesn't apply in our comp.
 
ManInWhite said:
Damon, I'm specifically thinking of rules like deliberately rushing the ball for a behind, etc. A rule adopted at AFL level but not in all suburban / country comps. It's the rules like this where I've had players scream blue murder at me when they're blissfully unaware it doesn't apply in our comp.
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Yea I know what you mean.

I realise there isn't, but I would have thought footy would be an easier game in which to make the rules uniform across all levels (and that they would in fact make the rules more uniform), because the highest league of play is also the governing body of the game itself, and the sport only gets played at wide level in our country.
 
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