Rules The new man on the mark rule is utterly ridiculous.

This is utter garbage, one of the worst changes to the game ever made. Has to be scrapped before season proper.




 
Jan 18, 2002
11,936
8,353
A bay at Rotto
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
East Rottnest
This is utter garbage, one of the worst changes to the game ever made. Has to be scrapped before season proper.






With the Freo v Eagles one, can some please explain. The player on the mark stepped back, not forward or sideways. Took a step back, if anything, advantaging the attacking team.

As I say regularly, please umpire with common sense.
 
I can argue that the first one was there given the player moved off the mark, but how was that second one not called as play on at any stage for moving off the line?

Agreed.
The first was stupid, but it was there.
The second...Why even have anyone on the mark? I'd stand a meter back from 'the mark', and make it clear to the ump that I wasn't on the mark so I still had freedom to move.
 

Tugga27

Brownlow Medallist
Jun 19, 2017
12,686
18,698
AFL Club
West Coast
With the Freo v Eagles one, can some please explain. The player on the mark stepped back, not forward or sideways. Took a step back, if anything, advantaging the attacking team.

As I say regularly, please umpire with common sense.
Once the ump calls stand, you're not allowed to move sideways or back and forward.

Nothing about commonsense.
According to the rule, the ump was correct.
 

banzai

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 14, 2003
5,064
5,792
AFL Club
Richmond
Agreed.
The first was stupid, but it was there.
The second...Why even have anyone on the mark? I'd stand a meter back from 'the mark', and make it clear to the ump that I wasn't on the mark so I still had freedom to move.

What is the actual rule on this as to how close you have to be to be considered on the mark? If its only a few meters, even 5, surely you would never have a player on the mark outside of defensive 50.
 
May 5, 2006
62,726
70,017
AFL Club
West Coast
Can anyone explain to me what problem this rule solves? Did anyone watch footy in 2020 and say 'gee that man on the mark moving 30cm sideways is ruining the game'?

I mean I get things like the 666 and third man up rules. They have end goals. People don't always like them, but you can see why they were introduced.
 
What is the actual rule on this as to how close you have to be to be considered on the mark? If its only a few meters, even 5, surely you would never have a player on the mark outside of defensive 50.

Considering you can have a man on the mark, and another half a step behind him, I don't think there is a distance as such.
 
Once the ump calls stand, you're not allowed to move sideways or back and forward.

Nothing about commonsense.
According to the rule, the ump was correct.

Do you need to hear the ump call stand?

What if the player is in motion at the time?
 
Apr 23, 2016
30,510
42,674
AFL Club
Essendon
I actually think the general change isn't too bad, it's the interpretation in that top video that fails. As a rule, the fact that it's a simple move / don't move option, should mean we don't have the infuriating 'interpretation' based decisions we see on deliberate OOB / incorrect disposal type things.

The West Coast player was walking back to take a set shot, so common sense would suggest it was a pause in play, and therefore the man on the mark stretching was probably not one that should have been penalised. It's good that it's happened in a preseason game though as it'll bring up a scenario where the AFL need to work with the umpires to set how the rule should be umpired. If my team lost by a goal because of that, I'd be furious, but at the same time, as professionals, shouldn't players be aware that they simply can't move at all?
 
Nov 23, 2000
57,838
125,441
Country Victoria
AFL Club
Richmond
its a farce.And it'll become a bigger farce by the end of rnd 1 because whats stopping the player with the ball from running closer and closer to the man on the mark to within 2 mtrs and baulking him.By the time the umpire has called play on the player with the ball would already be 3 mtrs beyond the mark.
Coaches arn't stupid.It'll be already in practice.

U/10's stuff.
 
Feb 5, 2004
1,380
2,349
Melbourne
AFL Club
Melbourne
Can anyone explain to me what problem this rule solves? Did anyone watch footy in 2020 and say 'gee that man on the mark moving 30cm sideways is ruining the game'?

I mean I get things like the 666 and third man up rules. They have end goals. People don't always like them, but you can see why they were introduced.

Clubs are working on the premise that the rule will encourage more overlap run and therefore quicker transition of the play, as one defender is banned from moving for several seconds and there's a protected zone in place.

In reality, what we'll likely see is more players dropping off behind the ball once a mark is taken/free kick paid. The player who nominally manned the mark may even drop back to block space.
 
Apr 29, 2012
24,113
34,585
Perth
AFL Club
Carlton
Agreed.
The first was stupid, but it was there.
The second...Why even have anyone on the mark? I'd stand a meter back from 'the mark', and make it clear to the ump that I wasn't on the mark so I still had freedom to move.
But the Umpire won't listen to you. It happened to Ed Curnow in the Carlton game the other day. Essendon player takes a mark on the boundary at the intersection of the 50m arc. Takes about two steps back of his mark. Ed Curnow stops about 8m short of the 50m line (i.e about 10m from the player and 8m short of the spot where the mark was taken) and starts doing the flailing arms, side to side that players would ordinarily do. Umpire call's 50m immediately. Curnow throws his hands up ointing to the mark and the Umpire has NOTHING of it. Advance, penalised for daring to flaunt the AFL's agenda.
 
Aug 18, 2009
1,688
4,709
AFL Club
Richmond
So ridiculous, that I am finding it hard to not become conspiratorial about its underlying motivations (more ads). Especially when considering the powerful voice of our AFL broadcasters, & the somewhat compromised fiscal position of the league
 
Apr 23, 2016
30,510
42,674
AFL Club
Essendon
So ridiculous, that I am finding it hard to not become conspiratorial about its underlying motivations (more ads). Especially when considering the powerful voice of our AFL broadcasters, & the somewhat compromised fiscal position of the league

I don't think it's conspiratorial to suggest one of the big motives for increasing scoring is that the broadcasters want more ad time. That and scoring probably is a bit lower than would be ideal for a spectacle, games often get bogged down in defensive zone kick-to-kick between the arcs for long periods the last few seasons.
 

living_in_syd

Norm Smith Medallist
May 2, 2009
6,259
10,488
sydney
AFL Club
Richmond
The worst one is the Joe daniher one. Because if he was dangerfield and the guy on the mark was mason cox, he would just keep running... this is going to be hilarious.
 
Aug 11, 2006
33,042
27,534
Perth
AFL Club
Hawthorn
Other Teams
Timberwolves, Crystal Palace
First one is correct, But incredibly s**t.

Second one the umpire just didn't do his job and basically gifted Daniher a play on. You are going to let some players as a poster pointed out, start a run and carry and the defender is at the mercy of the umpire to call play on, taking a player out of the contest, naturally if he moves or wants to get into a position to guard space, he's going to give away a 50

I think you'll see if these dogshit rules stay players are going to play on from a mark close to where they took it and either draw a 50 from the man on the mark moving his foot, or suddenly he's 4m behind the play standing still before the umpire calls play on
 
Jan 18, 2002
11,936
8,353
A bay at Rotto
AFL Club
Fremantle
Other Teams
East Rottnest
Once the ump calls stand, you're not allowed to move sideways or back and forward.

Nothing about commonsense.
According to the rule, the ump was correct.

Fair enough.

Well yep, the rule is stupid. Moving forward or sideways, I can see why the umps are trying to stop that, but backwards ......
 
Back