The deliberate OOB rule

More could be done to penalise the players who shepherd a ball out of bounds making no effort to keep it in.
They’re ensuring the ball goes out, isn’t that what the free kick is paid for?
If a player can keep it in, it shouldn’t be deliberate out of bounds.
Where a player runs 20 meters behind a ball making no effort to collect it in the hope of getting a free is a joke

8 Likes

The logic of that one would suggest that, if it had rolled through for a goal, it should have been disallowed.

2 Likes

You’re so oobish.

1 Like

Surely as its Deliberate Out Of Bounds it should be Doob?

Show us ya doobs, UMPY!!!

1 Like

Your right, but the umpires have come out and said that it’s all about the intent of the kicker

Exactly.

The rules have been constant since their instution until this year

Except for, oh,

1918
Steward system abolished because of complaints by players and umpires that they obstructed play.

1920
Boundary umpires were required to throw the ball into play a distance ranging from 9m to 22m instead of 4.5m to 13.5m.

1921
Boundary umpires first required to return the football to the centre after a goal was scored.

1924
Only one player was permitted to stand on the mark.

1925
Free awarded against player who kicked or forced the ball out of bounds was introduced.
Boundary umpire required to bounce ball 5m in from boundary instead of throwing in.
Handball rule clarified. Ball to be punched out not just struck. (Flick pass was permitted previously.)

1927
Goal umpires required to compare scorecards at the conclusion of each quarter.

1930
Use of a replacement (19th man) permitted for the first time. Once replaced a player could not return to the field.
Holding man-holding ball rule amended. A player was not permitted to drop the ball when tackled. A handpass or kick had to be attempted. The amendment was repealed two months later because of its unpopularity.

1933
System of determining percentage altered. Points for were divided by points against and multiplied by 100. Previously points against were divided by points for and multiplied by 100.

1934
Handball rule altered. The ball could be held in one hand and knocked with the other (ie the flick pass was again permitted).

1938
Shepherding in ruck duels prohibited.
Introduction of rule allowing a player the option of another scoring opportunity if he is interfered with after the all-clear has been given.

1939
Reintroduction of general boundary throw-in. Frees were no longer awarded when the ball was kicked out of bounds.
Holding man-holding ball rule revised. Free to be paid against player who deliberately dropped ball when tackled.

1940
The centre circle was increased from 2.4m to 3m.
Introduction of rule determining that the ball could not be kicked in after a behind had been scored, until the goal umpire had finished waving the flag.

1945
Introduction of a free downfield if player is interfered with after disposing of the ball.

1946
Two reserves (19th and 20th men) permitted for the first time. Once replaced, a player could not return to the field.
Siren replaced bell at the MCG.

1950
Siren replaced bell at all venues.

1952
White footballs used in wet conditions.

1953
June: Trainers banned from delivering coaches’ messages.

1955
Introduction of 15-metre penalty for time-wasting.
Coaches’ runners (a trainer) used for first time. They were permitted to talk to team members during matches.
Boundary umpires’ whistles first used in place of white handkerchiefs.

1960
New ball used in each quarter when unfavourable conditions prevailed.

1964
Coaches were permitted to address players on field at quarter-time for the first time.
Goalposts fitted with protective padding.
Coaches’ runners were permitted to speak to team captains and vice-captains only on the
field during matches.

1965
Coaches’ runners were again free to speak to all team members.

1966
June 2: Flick pass outlawed. Ball had to be struck with a clenched fist.
Centre rectangle (45m x 27m) experiment used by coaches Ron Barassi (Carlton) and Bill Stephen (Fitzroy).

1968
An opponent became obliged to return ball to recipient of mark or free if the opponent had possession of the ball at the time of the umpire’s decision.

1969
Introduction of the free against player kicking ball out of bounds on the full.

1972
Umpires required to toss coin for captains for the first time.

1973
Centre diamond (sides 45 metres long) introduced. Four players only from each team permitted in the area at centre bounces.

1975
Centre diamond amended to become centre square.
Video-tapes of incidents became admissible evidence at VFL tribunal hearings.

1976
Introduction of the two field umpire system.

1978
Interchange player system introduced.
Goal umpires required to touch goal post if the ball had hit post. Also two flags were positioned at one post and one flag at the other to save time when signalling scores.

1980
Introduction of line across centre circle to avoid physical interference at centre bounces. Ruckmen had to stand on the defensive side of the line.
Fifteen-metre penalty extended to include kick-in after behind scoring situations.
Field umpires required to carry notebooks to record details of reportable incidents.

1981
Fifteen metres instead of 10 metres allowed for running with ball without it making contact with the ground.

1986
Fifty-metre arcs in goal areas introduced.
Video investigations for on-field misconduct introduced.

1988
Player awarded free obliged to kick the ball.
Replacement of 15-metre penalty with 50-metre penalty.
Player kicking in from goal-square obliged to clear ball at least two metres from the goalsquare before regaining possession.
Emergency umpires were empowered to report players.

1990
Player awarded free again given option of kick or handpass.

1994
Playing time for a quarter amended to 20 minutes plus time-on instead of 25 minutes plus time-on.
Introduction of third field umpire.
Introduction of third interchange player.
Introduction of third boundary umpire, using rotational interchange system in pairs.

1995
Revised system of adding time-on. Recorded when boundary or goal umpires signal, until the next act of play.
Tripping by hand becomes reportable. Penalty: Free & 50 metres.
Tripping by foot remains reportable. Additional penalty: Free & 50 metres.
Player must kick ball back into play following the scoring of a behind immediately after one warning from field umpire. Penalty for delay: Ball-up on centre of kick-off line.
Player kicking in after a behind is allowed to kick ball clear of hand and foot within the goal-square before playing on.

1996
Any player receiving treatment from medical staff required to be removed from centre square prior to centre bounce.
Protected area around player taking set disposal from free or mark changed from 10-metre semi-circle to five-metre corridor on either side.
Amendment in the interpretation of the holding ball law. If player has had a prior opportunity to dispose, he must kick or handball immediately once tackled.
Deliberate tripping by hand incurred a free plus 50-metre penalty. The offence was no longer reportable.

1997
Repeated abusive language to an umpire incurred a free plus 50-metre penalty. The offence was no longer necessarily reportable.

1998
Introduction of fourth interchange player.

1999
Bringing the ball into play from a mark or free permitted beyond the boundary line provided that the player moves in one direction while in the act of disposal.
Tripping by hand reverted to being reportable.

2000
Introduction of free against team whose team official interferes with the play. Fifty-metre penalty automatically imposed on a player when reported for an offence. (Rescinded after Round 17.)

2001
Time-saving second goal umpiring behind flag introduced. It was placed on the same post as the goal flags.

2002
Minimum distance of ball travel for a mark increased from 10 metres to 15.

2003
Play-on to be called if a player unnecessarily delays disposal after mark or free.
Playing on from a kick-in after the registering of a behind permitted provided that the ball is kicked clear of hand and foot within the goal-square.
Shepherding at centre bounce ruck contests outlawed.
Elimination of advantage free from a centre square infringement.
Penalty introduced for deliberate tapping of ball out-of-bounds on the full in a ruck contest.
Player catching ball from centre or field bounce or throw-in to be deemed to have had prior opportunity to dispose of it.

2004
Size of centre square increased from 45m to 50m.

2005
Introduction of a 10-metre diameter outer circle, where ruckmen must be positioned at centre bounces.

2006
Removal of the requirement of a player kicking in after the scoring of a behind to wait until the goal umpire completes waving the flag. The kick-in can occur as soon as the goal umpire signals the score as a behind.
Allowance of a set shot at goal from a mark or free awarded within the goal-square to be taken from directly in front.
Introduction of automatic time-on from when a field umpire crosses his arms until a ball-up.

2007
Introduction into official laws of the game of an automatic free kick to a player with his head over the ball or if any high contact made in any way. This also became an automatic reportable offence.

2008
Interchange rule violation penalised with a free kick against the offending team, 50 metres forward of the centre circle (introduced mid-season).
Introduction of a four-boundary umpire system (introduced in round 21).

2009
Umpires empowered to recall an errant bounce at a stoppage and replace it with a throw-up.
Penalty for interchange rule violation became a free kick, plus a 50-metre penalty from wherever play is stopped.
A free kick paid against a player engaged in any form of misconduct.
The scoreline to be aligned with the back of the goalpost padding.
A player in possession of the ball, when the play is stopped for stretcher usage, to retain it when the game restarts.
If an umpire impedes a player when setting the mark for a shot at goal, play to be stopped and the mark to be re-set to avoid a disadvantage.
After the all-clear is given for a score and an infringement against the defending team occurs before play restarts, the free kick to be taken either where the infringement occurs or 50 metres from the kick-off line, whichever is to the advantage of that team.

2011
Interchange: three interchange plus one substitute. The three interchange players able to rotate off the bench as four have done in previous years. The substitute player empowered to go on at any time to replace a player. The player he replaces cannot come back on to the ground.
The infringed player, rather than an umpire, given the power to determine the advantage rule.
A player who elects to apply a bump in any situation will become liable if he makes forceful contact with the head, unless: the player was contesting the ball and did not have a realistic alternative way to contest the ball; or the contact was caused by circumstances outside the control of the player which could not be reasonably forseen.
Emergency field umpire empowered to award prohibited contact free kicks from interchange bench.
Stricter interpretation placed on deliberate out of bounds rule to focus on less benefit of doubt for the player who has the ball and walks over the boundary line.

2012
Goal line technology introduced to assist goal umpiring decisions.

2013
A free kick to be awarded against any player who makes forceful contact below the knees of an opponent (does not apply to smothers with the hands or arms).
Umpires to throw the ball up for all field stoppages during the game. The bounce will continue to be used at the start of each quarter and after goals.
Separation of ruckmen at stoppages, with no contact permitted until the ball has left the umpire.

But apart from that, there’s been no change before, so why start now??

4 Likes

I wish the AFL would stop changing the rules!!!

So, what’s your point?

1 Like

The oob rule was fine before this year. The obvious ones were paid, any of the grey area ones were a throw in, and we didn’t have players and fans appealing every time the ball goes out of play.

In the space of one week they’ve managed to top the Kelly one, with both Zaha and Kersten, which are both in contention for umpiring howler of the year.

That Zaha one was the worst deliberate call I’ve ever seen and if it hadn’t been in the dying minutes of a blowout we might have actually seen a replay at the time. How someone can hack a kick forward from the centre circle, in the general direction of a forward teammate and have it paid deliberate after it skews of the boot and rolls out is beyond me. There is no way Zaka had any intention of getting that ball to the centre wing boundary and it doesn’t appear as if the Adelaide players had any interest in appealing for the kick. At no point would Zaka have even been thinking about the boundary line in that scenario.

In regards to the Kersten he seemed to have been punished for not doing everything he could to keep the ball alive rather than deliberately putting it out of bounds, which is a bit rich when the ball could have conceivably rolled through for the match winning goal. Keeping the ball alive only seems to apply to the team that disposed of the ball though, not the opposition who we are repeatedly seeing escort the ball over the line in situations where they could have easily taken clean unpressured possession. While Kersten probably woudn’t have been unhappy to see the ball go over the boundary, he would have been much happier with a goal and surely he was just trying to create a situation where his team could have potentially scored. At any rate I’d like to see anyone prove that he had any other intent given the varied possible outcomes of that kick and its proximity to goal. All this crap from the umpires department about “grass cuts” is a weasily excuse from cowardly little men who aren’t prepared to admit that they’ve made a mistake.

Why do we need to punish players for kicking long into their own forward line? Loose balls rolling towards the goal while competing players aim to run them down can be some of the most exciting moments in a game. It’s a classic case of the AFL finding something that wasn’t broken and trying to fix it anyway.

2 Likes

Tradition!

I’ll also put out there the most bleeding obvious statement in the history of the bleeding obvious

Each club has probably 6 or 8 full time coaching staff. These people are, largely, not stupid.
Every year they watch hundreds of hours of tape, to try and work out where they can sneak an advantage wherever they can, or nullify another club’s advantage.
This has the effect of every club working, in some ways, against the best spirit of the game. Coaches are not paid to entertain or make football watchable, they’re paid to make their team competitive and ultimately successful, by and large they couldn’t care less how it looks.
It’s the league’s job (and one they do fairly poorly IMHO) to force the teams, via rule changes, to play football in something approaching the spirit of the game.

Yes that means rule changes. Exactly as often as the coach’s try and get one over the umpires, which is all the time.
The herald sunners will rant and rave regardless.

2 Likes

I don’t mind it.

The zaka one was clearly wrong and the Kerstin one debatable but it is pretty chest kicking long for touch is a no no. Under the old role the umps would pick and choose when to post deliberate for that sort of kick (Dyson getting called for one or of nowhere against Sydney stands out in my mind), now they just pay it.

Off course you still get the odd call which is overly officious or just wrong but the general intent of this rule and the tightening of the rushed behind rule is to keep the ball alive which is a good thing imo

15.7 FREE KICKS – RELATING TO OUT OF BOUNDS
15.7.1 When Awarded
A Free Kick shall be awarded against a Player who:

© Kicks, Handballs or forces the football over the Boundary Line and
does not demonstrate sufficient intent to keep the ball in play;

It’s not just the odd calls that are made, it’s the calls that are not made.
I’ve seen players walk the ball over the line, under no more pressure than players getting a clearing kick in, and the free is not given.

And HAP, yes, I understand what you’re saying. Coaches tell their players to go for the stoppage rather than turn the ball over.
And rules changes happen.
That doesn’t alter the fact that this particular new interpretation is ■■■■■■■ pants.

2 Likes

Haven’t read through so someone may have said, but this is exactly where the logic of the rule fails. If umpires think this player is fine with guiding the ball out, they’ve horrendously misjudged his intent. If they can’t judge intent here then how can they judge it for the player who disposed of it?

Also, they act as if penalising is thwarting some kind of sinister gain. If the ball gets thrown in anyway, the gains are limited for that team. A player would much rather keep it in if not under pressure and pass to a teammate. No one wants to give up possession, it’s a last ditch attempt when under pressure. So you create a 50/50, so farking what?

It’s a shithouse rule, ditch it.

Posted exactly the same thing at the start of the thread.
Makes perfect sense to me.

1 Like

I concur but I don’t hold a grudge against the Bloos jerkhole for chaperoning the ball over the line to win a free. In fact, fair play to him for understanding the rule.

1 Like

Exactly. Not only does Simpson risk getting a DOOB called against him if he fumbles it, but he’s got a high chance of it being called his way if he watches it go over.

The rule is so stupid now, people are calling DOOB when the ball hasn’t even crossed the line yet.

1 Like