Reduce stoppages/packs..?Can't we just pay "Holding the Ball" if a player is caught with it.

[speedpeck23]

I know its a tired old subject but I can't help thinking the game would be so less congested if the umpires were allowed to penalise the player who was unable dispose of the ball irrespective of the circumstances. Certainly he should be given a chance to get rid of hit by hand ball or kick but if he remains in possession or the ball doesn't spill free a free kick should be paid.

A good tackle would be properly rewarded, the play would be easier to adjudicate, congestion would decrease generally because it would be better for a player to dispose of the ball quickly or just punch it clear in preference to taking possession when it was obvious he was going to be caught and then be penalised.

At present the player caught with the ball is given too much opportunity and often this just results in congestion and another ball up.

A ball up should only occur when the umpire deems that no player has taken clean possession of the ball.

Footy looks too much like League and Union at present....? Maybe thats what the AFL want.

 

[jake_tha_peg]

This is my pet hate with the rules committee who keep bringing in unecessary NEW rules when we only need to change the interpretation of the ones we have. All we need to do is revert to the old interpretation of holding the ball ie unless when tackled you kick or handball OR make a reasonable effort to do so - then its holding the ball. Immediately this would rid the game of players taking possession and just standing there in the tackle with no effort to get rid of the ball as they know the umpire will call "no prior opp" and ball it up. The way we have it now - there is very little incentive to tackle at all as there is rarely any reward for the tackler.

If we put the onus back on the player in possession to get rid of it (or make a reasonable attempt) then there will be less scrimmages and the ball keeps moving.

comments?

 

[Slattery_20]

I don't think there's too many stoppages, I don't want to see it become even more free-flowing (ie even more about running) & I don't want to see them paying more free kicks.
I'm pretty sure they tweaked this in about 2006 or so after Sydney won to try & free it up a little and I think, since then, the balance has been about right.
There's rarely a 2nd ball-up in a row these days & 3rd are almost unheard of.

 

[Bob_vic]

If we put the onus back on the player in possession to get rid of it (or make a reasonable attempt) then there will be less scrimmages and the ball keeps moving.
comments?

This part of the rule never actually changed...

(b) has not had a prior opportunity to dispose of the football, the
field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against that Player if,
upon being Correctly Tackled, the Player does not Correctly
Dispose or attempt to Correctly Dispose of the football after
being given a reasonable opportunity to do so.

 

[jake_tha_peg]

This part of the rule never actually changed...

(b) has not had a prior opportunity to dispose of the football, the
field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against that Player if,
upon being Correctly Tackled, the Player does not Correctly
Dispose or attempt to Correctly Dispose of the football after
being given a reasonable opportunity to do so.

I know the RULE never changed - I am talking about the interpretation of the rule which has changed. The umpires on here pre-1990 had never even HEARD of prior opportunity. That came in mid 90's when Channel Seven execs started to change the rules/interpretations to suit the television audience (and to hell with the actual footy lovers). and of course the greedy AFL were only too happy to bend over and touch their toes all for the love of money.

 

[Bob_vic]

I know the RULE never changed - I am talking about the interpretation of the rule which has changed. The umpires on here pre-1990 had never even HEARD of prior opportunity. That came in mid 90's when Channel Seven execs started to change the rules/interpretations to suit the television audience (and to hell with the actual footy lovers). and of course the greedy AFL were only too happy to bend over and touch their toes all for the love of money.

Partly agree...

Pre-1994, the ANFC (Australian National Football Council) were the ones that took care of the rules. Then in 1994, the AFL disbanded the ANFC, took over the rules and formed their own rules committee. Not long after, they introduced having to correctly dispose where there was prior opportunity.

In the 80s, prior opp did actually exist, but only if a player had prior opp and and the ball was held to the player in the tackle. In that case, holding the ball was paid. If a player ran 100m, was tackled (ball not held to player) and made an attempt to dispose (even if the player missed the ball), is was a "play on" call.

Also in the 80s, you had to knock the ball out while being tackled, if you dived on the ball or dragged it underneath. It was the same as it is now.

Having to attempt to dispose upon being tackled when the ball isn't trapped, has been the rule since it was introduced in the 1930s.

Part of the confusion is from, in many cases, experienced commentators, who still vent frustration at HTB being paid when there is no prior opportunity, even though players have always needed (and still do) to make genuine attempt to dispose of the ball, way before the concept of "prior opportunity" even existed in football. Coaches then complain to the AFL, then inevitably, umpires are told to be more lenient. It's all a vicious circle...

If people just read the rule book and its accompanying umpires manual (which have existed for over 50 years in some form, currently as accreditation courses) and do what they say, there wouldn't be a problem...

The other problem is, people read the rule book, then still don't know what certain rules mean because they haven't read the umpires manual to have a broader understanding of what the law-makers were meaning.

Then to make is even more confusing, sometimes umpires do make mistakes or cannot see everything to make the correct call.