Running too far - should it be extended to 20m?

[Rabish Binney]

Change it to how it's actually adjudicated, 15 steps. Watching this game for years, you get a feel of what is and isn't running too far. Rankine was right on the line. I think pretty much everyone just counts steps.

So you want the Umps to count the steps now?

Good luck with that.

 

[Fadge]

It should be quite simple for umpires to police now - just pull up a player if they CLEARLY exceed the 15 metres, which is the way the rule is (and should be) applied in 99.9% of cases.

There's no way Rankine should have been pulled up in the Collingwood game, for instance.

 

[Cripps 'n' Blue Bloods]

Mason Cox has come out and suggested getting rid of the bounce altogether.

It's worth thought, but I don't think we should go that far. It would change the game more than people think, I can imagine players tucking the ball under the arm and really going for it.

Mason Cox's opinion means less than my nearly 12yo daughter's when it comes to footy.

 

[caveman72]

A simple solution could be is get rid of the flashing advertising signs during play and standardize then to 15M to make it a lot easier on the umpires

 

[Cyclonus]

Razor Ray on SEN yesterday said you cant see the stripes at ground level.

There you go. Short of painting lines on the ground, don't know how else to mark it.

 

[Cyclonus]

A simple solution could be is get rid of the flashing advertising signs during play and standardize then to 15M to make it a lot easier on the umpires

That might help on the wing, it won't help in the middle.

 

[Fadge]

This, and particularly the point about 'it feels almost unfair to make the player have to bounce the ball'.

I vote to remove it, and in doing so remove another grey area in the rules of the game...

Kingy's been stalking my posts on BigFooty.

 

[hawkman]

It should be quite simple for umpires to police now - just pull up a player if they CLEARLY exceed the 15 metres, which is the way the rule is (and should be) applied in 99.9% of cases.

There's no way Rankine should have been pulled up in the Collingwood game, for instance.

Of course he should have since he ran 24 metres. It was clearly too far

 

[FreoGirl]

Bobby Hill seems to be able to run as far as he likes

 

[Cmarsh]

I think you shouldnt have to bounce the ball at all.

 

[Werewolf]

Yes make it 20m, but enforce it. The 15m rule was first made when players were slower. Now they run almost 20m in the same time it used to take them to run 15m.

 

[wce4premiership]

You should have to bounce the ball all the time like a basketball.

 

[zyzzbruh]

So you want the Umps to count the steps now?

Good luck with that.

It's not so much counting the steps, more of a feel thing. We all naturally have a guage on what feels too far and that threshold usually kicks in once the player reaches the 15 step mark. Player usually breaks away, has a few strides before a few more steps in the setting themselves for the kick process.

It is what it is last thing we need is more strict interpretations, end up with the shit show like we did with htb this weekend. There's nothing wrong with it, no one has a problem with it, and it's barely ever contentious. Happy to just leave it to the gut feel of the ump. If you start being strict on metres then the game will just look weird af, everyone has different stride length and will look awkward trying to get a kick out in time.

 

[tigs2010]

From a kick in it seems like the unofficial rule is you can run 30 before bouncing

I'm hanging out for that to be random rule of the week in the opening game of a round. See how many blokes get done before they adapt

 

[kreuze_missile]

No.

 

[skipper kelly]

Surely in this tech savvy world a GPS could track the ball and if it is not bounced after 15m then it explodes and a free kick is given.

 

[situationz]

Make it 15 steps, not metres.
Much easier to enforce, and pretty much matches how it's enforced already.

 

[Pugnacious1874]

Surely in this tech savvy world a GPS could track the ball and if it is not bounced after 15m then it explodes and a free kick is given.

That's exactly what the AFL are trialing. A long way to go I expect before if can be used in real time on game day.
In the meantime leave it as it is, 15m, somewhat leniently adjudicated, and the occasional 'Lewis Jetta running into an open forward 50' exception.