Deliberate out of bounds

Last updated

In Australian rules football, deliberate out of bounds is the common name for a rule which results in a free kick against a team which puts the ball out of bounds with insufficient intent to keep the ball in bounds.

Contents

Official rules

The rule is covered by Law 18.10(b) in the 2021 version of the Laws of Australian Football. The official wording of the law is: [1]
18.10 A field Umpire shall award a Free Kick against a Player who:...

In practice, most free kicks under the rule come in one of two situations: either when a player puts the ball directly out of bounds to relieve a high pressure situation; or when a player gains territory from a longer disposal which goes out of bounds without any teammate having a reasonable chance of possessing it.

Rule history

The deliberate out of bounds rule has a long history in Australian rules football, dating back to the 19th century. Prior to the 1883 season, a rule was introduced to award a free kick against a player who deliberately kicked the ball out of bounds from a kick-in after a behind. [2] This was extended to putting the ball out of bounds from an in-play situation at the intercolonial conference prior to the 1886 season. At this time, the rule read almost identically to its present form, stating that a free kick shall be given when a player wilfully kicks or forces the ball out of bounds while in play. [3] The rules were introduced largely to put an end to the disliked strategy of kicking the ball out of bounds as a means of timewasting. [4]

The rule continued to exist in the Laws of the Game more or less unchanged for the next 130 years – with the exception of the period from 1925 until 1938, during which time the basic out-of-bounds rules provided for a free kick to always paid against the last player to touch the ball before it went out of bounds whether it was deliberate or not, making the specific provisions of the rule redundant. Although the rule has been largely unchanged, the strictness of its application has varied over time.

Until 2016, the specific wording of the law awarded a free kick against a player who "intentionally kicks, handballs or forces the football over the boundary line without the football being touched by another player". [5] Following a specific directive to apply the rule more strictly was introduced for the 2016 AFL season in an attempt to reduce the number of boundary throw-ins, [6] [7] the law was formally changed to its current wording in 2017. [8] This eliminated the word intentionally and replaced it with the phrase does not demonstrate sufficient intent – substantially lowering the minimum threshold for awarding a free kick.

The law's historical name "deliberate out of bounds" remains in wide use, despite no longer accurately describing the law – something which causes confusion and frustration among players and spectators. [9] Crowds continue to roar "Deliberate!" when they believe a free kick should be paid under the rule.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian rules football</span> Contact sport originating in Australia

Australian rules football, also called Australian football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by kicking the oval ball between the central goal posts, or between a central and outer post.

The Laws of the Game are the codified rules of association football. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Throw-in</span> Method of restarting play in association football

A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball has exited the side of the field of play. It is governed by Law 15 of the Laws of the Game. In Scotland it is known as a shy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interchange (Australian rules football)</span> Team position in Australian rules football

Interchange is a team position in Australian rules football, consisting of players who are part of the selected team but are not currently on the field of play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark (Australian rules football)</span> Skill in Australian rules football

A mark in Australian rules football is the catch of a kicked ball which earns the catching player a free kick. The catch must be cleanly taken, or deemed by the umpire to have involved control of the ball for sufficient time. A tipped ball, or one that has touched the ground cannot be marked. Since 2002, in most Australian competitions, the minimum distance for a mark is 15 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laws of Australian rules football</span>

The laws of Australian rules football were first defined by the Melbourne Football Club in 1859 and have been amended over the years as Australian rules football evolved into its modern form. The Australian Football Council (AFC), was formed in 1905 and became responsible for the laws, although individual leagues retained a wide discretion to vary them. Following the restructure of the Victorian Football League's competition as a national competition and the League's renaming to be the Australian Football League (AFL), since 1994, the rules for the game have been maintained by the AFL through its Commission and its Competition Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holding the ball</span> Football playing rule in Australia

Holding the ball is an infraction in Australian rules football. The rule results in a free kick being awarded against a player who fails to correctly dispose of the football upon being tackled by an opponent, although not under all circumstances. The rule provides the defending team a means to dispossess a player who is running with the football, and prevents players from slowing the play.

In the Australian Football League (AFL), previously the Victorian Football League (VFL), the pre-season competition, known during its history by a variety of sponsored names and most recently as the NAB Cup, was an annual Australian rules football tournament held amongst clubs prior to the premiership season between 1988 and 2013. The pre-season competition culminated annually in a grand final and pre-season premier.

In the sport of Australian rules football, the 50-metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions when a free kick or mark has already been paid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free kick (Australian rules football)</span>

A free kick in Australian rules football is a penalty awarded by a field umpire to a player who has been infringed by an opponent or is the nearest player to a player from the opposite team who has broken a rule.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kick-in</span> Term in Australian rules football

In the sport of Australian rules football, a kick-in is the common name for the procedure to restart the game after a behind. It involves a defender from the team who did not score kicking the ball back into play from the defensive goal square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball-up</span> Method to restart play in Australian football

A ball-up in Australian rules football is the method by which the field umpire restarts play at a neutral contest after a stoppage within the field of play. It involves the throwing or bouncing of the ball up between two players, known as rucks, who then attempt to win possession for their teams.

A push in the back is a free kick awarded in Australian rules football against a player who illegally tackles or interferes with a player from behind when contesting possession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glossary of Australian rules football</span>

This list is an alphabetical glossary of Australian rules football terms, jargon and slang. While some of these entries are shared with other sports, Australian rules football has developed a unique and rich terminology.

In Australian rules football, a rushed behind occurs when the ball passes through the goalposts and was last touched by a defending player. A rushed behind scores one point for the attacking team, but it also prevents the attacking team from scoring a goal, worth six points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Out of bounds</span> Concept in many sports related to the edge of the playing area

In sports, out of bounds refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. The legality of going out of bounds, and the ease of prevention, vary by sport. Sports that use this term include American football, Canadian football, field lacrosse, basketball, rugby union, rugby league, and association football.

The 1996 AFL Lightning Premiership was an Australian rules football knock-out competition, played in its entirety before the Australian Football League's main pre-season competition began. The Lightning Premiership was held for the only time in the modern era in 1996 - the Centenary Season of the AFL. It was a knock-out competition played from Friday, 9 February until Sunday, 11 February, with four games each evening at Waverley Park, each consisting of two 17.5-minute halves. The game trialled a number of highly experimental rules, including three points awarded both for deliberate rushed behinds and balls which hit the goalposts, and timekeepers not blowing the siren if scores were tied. However, the rule which altered play most significantly was the ball not being thrown in from the boundary line after travelling out of bounds, a free kick being awarded instead against the last team to touch the ball. Essendon won the title defeating Brisbane by 17 points in the Grand Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1938 VFA season</span>

The 1938 Victorian Football Association season was the 60th season of the Australian rules football competition. The premiership was won by the Brunswick Football Club, after it defeated Brighton by 33 points in the Grand Final on 20 August. It was the club's third VFA premiership, and the last top division premiership it ever won.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free kick (association football)</span> Method of restarting play in association football

A free kick is a method of restarting play in association football. It is awarded after an infringement of the laws by the opposing team.

Nicholas Murray is an Australian rules footballer playing for the Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). As a junior, Murray played for the Murray Bushrangers and the Greater Western Sydney Giants' reserves team. He was overlooked at the AFL draft for two seasons in a row before being signed to a rookie contract with Adelaide in early 2021 and making his AFL debut less than three weeks later. Murray has since become an integral part of Adelaide's backline.

References

  1. ↑ "Laws of Australian Football 2021" (PDF). Australian Football League. 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  2. ↑ Goal Post (2 May 1883). "Football Notes". The Sportsman (Melbourne) . Melbourne, VIC. p. 2.
  3. ↑ "Football". The Sportsman. Melbourne, VIC. 2 December 1885. p. 6.
  4. ↑ Goal Post (15 August 1883). "Football gossip". The Sportsman. p. 4.
  5. ↑ "Laws of Australian Football 2016" (PDF). 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "Fans Struggling With New Deliberate Out Of Bounds Rule". Triple M. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  7. ↑ McClure, Sam (13 April 2016). "AFL rules: why I hate the new 'out of bounds' interpretation". The Age . Melbourne . Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Laws of Australian Football 2017" (PDF). 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Chamberlain explains what umpires look for with deliberate out of bounds". SEN. 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.