Jump to content

Manning the Mark Rule Change

jnrmac
jnrmac
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

Posted

The AFL has warned in briefings to clubs that even the slightest movement to the left or right from the man on the park will incur an immediate 50m penalty.

 

Umpires now warning that this absurd change will be incredibly difficult to police and the effects either way will have a big influence as  50m penalty may be awarded or missed.

 

Remember when they introduced the pritected zone how over zealous the umps were ? This is likely to be a lot worse....

The Rule

1. Players on the mark will be told to “stand” by the umpires. They can jump straight up but have to land in the same spot. 

2. Any lateral movement from the man on the mark before "play on" is called will incur a 50m penalty.

3. It means players on the mark will not be permitted to take a single step to the left or right before "play on" is called. 

4. Once the player in possessions moves off his line and "play on" is called, the man on the mark is free to leave their position. 

 

The AFL are idiots.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Angry 2
    • Vomit 1
     

    It could be a nice, small rule change that opens up play just a little without causing any disruption at all.

    It has just the specific problem of over-riding coach's demands which will have been drilled into players from about 8 years old so it would be appropriate to have plenty of consultation, a good lead-in time for clubs to train the new habit, and a fairly generous interpretation in initial implementation.

    Zero from three.  Good to see the Imperial office maintaining their batting average.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
     

    Add this to the long list of poorly thought out, untested rule changes the AFL have introduced on the back of the myth that high scoring = good football.

    If a player takes a mark, and takes a couple of lateral steps and is clearly about to play on, is the bloke standing the mark seriously just meant to stand there glued to the spot until the umpires call play on? They'll be paying an extra dozen 50m penalties a game. Although that will increase scoring, so I guess the AFL will pat themselves on the back.

     

  • Quote
    • Like 7
    • Angry 2

    It will be interesting to see how this pans out. I suspect there'll be criticism of over-officiating by umpires initially, but if this speeds up the game as intended, it may have the result of stopping flooding. Teams may well have to ensure they keep a couple of defenders well back to stop the breakaway forward movement from having a free run at goal.

    Nevertheless, I would prefer to see this rule change tested properly before it is introduced.  

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    I wouldn’t mind them being this rule in if it didn’t incur such a massive penalty, if it was 25m I think that would be fair. Like @Clint Bizkiti get the theory behind it but I think the execution is going to be interesting to see. I think there’s going to be a lot of frustration in the early rounds. 

  • Quote
    • Like 3

    I think one consequence of this rule change will be that, with the man on the mark anchored, it may well be so much easier to determine when the player with the ball moves off his mark, and hence many more play ons will be called, as opposed to 50m penalties imposed. 

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1

    I would add that if the player with the ball goes off-line 1 step it is play on. No natural arcs, off-line is off-line. If Buddy wants to go off-line he should start a bit further back.

    Edit. Including outside the boundary, off-line is still off-line, play on.

    Edited by ManDee

  • Quote
    • Like 4
     
    2 minutes ago, ManDee said:

    I would add that if the player with the ball goes off-line 1 step it is play on. No natural arcs, off-line is off-line. If Buddy wants to go off-line he should start a bit further back.

    This is the issue, they changed the rule to allow for natural arc, essentially if a player standing the mark can't move left or right using your arc you don't have to kick over the man on the mark.  

    Buddy or anyone that wants to use an arc should have to start 1-2m outside the line of the mark and as soon as he crosses the line of the mark it should be play on.  

    This is a bloody stupid rule, it is natural to follow the kickers arc and also cut off the handball.  What sides might do is have 2 -3 players on the mark, one standing the mark the other 2-5ms either side

     

  • Quote

    they will have to rename the game of australian rules to "australian 50 metres rules"

     

    and we can thank kevin sheedy for even having a 50 metres penalty

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Haha 2

    3 minutes ago, ManDee said:

    I would add that if the player with the ball goes off-line 1 step it is play on. No natural arcs, off-line is off-line. If Buddy wants to go off-line he should start a bit further back.

    Makes sense to me and I could stomach that. The only thing is, when they showed footage of Gawn slotting the mark in the practice match / simulation a couple of weeks ago, didn't he go off his line for a better angle? I could be wrong but IIRC May couldn't do anything but flap and jump. It would infuriate me if players were given license by the umpire to do so.

  • Quote

    someone who i met with this morning plays with the filth's vfl side

    in their practice matches he said that every sweeping half-back flanker who uses overlap run in their game - and his example was john noble - will see their possession total skyrocket as a result of this rule interpretation change

    i asked him who he thought would benefit for the mfc and he said it won't be salem as he doesn't get many handball received, but that it could actually end up being steven may

  • Quote
    • Like 2

    How can you look at where you are standing and the player you are minding  on the mark ? What if you lose balance and accidently fall?  Do you keep your feet together  or apart?   What if Razor Ray is one of the umpires ?      God help us !the robot dancing GIF

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Angry 1

    What is stopping the defensive team of putting another player behind the man on the mark so he can move laterally.

  • Quote
    • Like 3
    • Demonland changed the title to Manning the Mark Rule Change
    28 minutes ago, whatwhatsaywhat said:

    someone who i met with this morning plays with the filth's vfl side

    in their practice matches he said that every sweeping half-back flanker who uses overlap run in their game - and his example was john noble - will see their possession total skyrocket as a result of this rule interpretation change

    i asked him who he thought would benefit for the mfc and he said it won't be salem as he doesn't get many handball received, but that it could actually end up being steven may

     

    I think I nominated Rosman as being a strong candidate for being utilised in this way in the Rosman thread, likewise Isaac Smith at Geelong. 

    Salem might not have aimed to do this much in the past, but I could see this becoming a clear instruction for him going forward.

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    9 minutes ago, djr said:

    What is stopping the defensive team of putting another player behind the man on the mark so he can move laterally.

    I believe the protected zone goes in all directions around the player.  

    This idea might be useful at a kick for goal, but having essentially 2 on the mark leaves an opponent unmanned somewhere in front of the ball.  

  • Quote
    16 minutes ago, djr said:

    What is stopping the defensive team of putting another player behind the man on the mark so he can move laterally.

    or just have no-one on the mark, and put another player behind the man on the mark so he can move laterally.

    they will need to define a no-man area behind the mark.......more opportunity for 50m penalties....lovely

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Love 2

    In the heat battle how is player supposed to just stand still and watch what is happening befoe him,his natural movement is sideways to prevent a player handballing to a player going past,wont be called play on because the player didnt move off his line.Players streaming down the ground with short kicks and handballs could leave ,say 5 players standing still .with no momentum to chase.How is the umpire going to be able to see if a player moves off his line with pace of the game these days

  • Quote

    This has the potential to make footy unwatchable with so many 50m penalties, but the big concern for me is it opens up another option for umpires to influence results. For example if they give one team half a second longer before calling play on after the player has actually played on, the ball carrier will be off and gone. There'll be no stats on it so it goes completely under the radar.

    Of all the rule changes over the last decade, this one has me the most concerned.

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Thanks 2
    • Angry 1
    1 hour ago, ManDee said:

     

    Edit. Including outside the boundary, off-line is still off-line, play on.

    Can not understand the interpretation sometimes 

    How can you run off line if you are out of bounds, if you do that it should be  

    play on, then the ball is over the boundary line

    throw it in !!

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Love 1

    2 hours ago, Neil Crompton said:

    I think one consequence of this rule change will be that, with the man on the mark anchored, it may well be so much easier to determine when the player with the ball moves off his mark, and hence many more play ons will be called, as opposed to 50m penalties imposed. 

    One thing you can be sure of is that the play-on call will usually be made too late, sufficiently after the player has played-on to give him an unfair advanatge.  Yet again I say let the player on the mark make the judgement as to whether the player with the ball has played-on.  If he gets it wrong, then impose a penalty. 

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    The other side of this rule is, I think, it will help players with huge tanks and speed that can run past and receive a handball/pop up kick. If the player on the mark cant roll off and another man take his place, It may open up space on the wings.  Slow and aging mids might get caught on the wrong side of the mark and stranded (or give away 50 if they get to close). 

    Reckon it will help players like Langdon 

  • Quote
    1 hour ago, daisycutter said:

    or just have no-one on the mark, and put another player behind the man on the mark so he can move laterally.

    they will need to define a no-man area behind the mark.......more opportunity for 50m penalties....lovely

    Looophole identified. Well done.

  • Quote
    • Like 2
    • Love 1
     
    2 hours ago, whatwhatsaywhat said:

    someone who i met with this morning plays with the filth's vfl side

    in their practice matches he said that every sweeping half-back flanker who uses overlap run in their game - and his example was john noble - will see their possession total skyrocket as a result of this rule interpretation change

    i asked him who he thought would benefit for the mfc and he said it won't be salem as he doesn't get many handball received, but that it could actually end up being steven may

    Hunt has been moved back for a reason. 

  • Quote
    • Like 6
    • Thanks 1

    This is the worst rule change of the lot. Will be a spectacular mess. Will decide some games.

  • Quote
    • Like 5
    • Angry 1

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • GAMEDAY: Essendon

      It’s Game Day, and the Demons are staring down the barrel of an 0-5 start for the first time since 2012 as they take on Essendon at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round. In that forgettable season, Melbourne finally broke their drought by toppling the Bombers. Can lightning strike twice? Will the Dees turn their nightmare start around and breathe life back into 2025?

        • Haha
      • 38 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie?  Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Haha
        • Like
      • 489 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • 190 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All