50-metre penalty
Encyclopedia
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.
Some (particularly amateur) leagues and competitions use a 25-metre penalty. Examples include the SANFL, VAFA, Australian Football International Cup
and Australian Amateur Football Council
.
Players are given a short period of time to follow the play down the field before the clock is restarted.
N.B. A player cannot play on after the field umpire has called a 25-metre or 50-metre penalty. The field umpire must blow time-on.
Infractions which can result in a 50-metre penalty include:
With the exception of interchange infringements, a player must already have a free kick or a mark to receive a 50-metre penalty. Often, crowds will call for "fifty!" when they see a player hurt behind play or in a marking contest. However, many fans are unaware that unless the mark is taken, fifty metres can never be awarded. There was an exception to this rule made in 2000, when a 50-metre penalty would automatically be awarded against any player who was reported for a non-wrestling offence; so unpopular was the change that it was repealed after seventeen rounds.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
, the 50-metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions when a free kick
Free kick (Australian rules football)
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.-Protocol:...
or mark
Mark (Australian football)
A mark is a skill in Australian rules football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it or the ball hitting the ground....
has already been paid.
Some (particularly amateur) leagues and competitions use a 25-metre penalty. Examples include the SANFL, VAFA, Australian Football International Cup
Australian Football International Cup
The Australian Football International Cup is an international sport competition in Australian rules football...
and Australian Amateur Football Council
Australian Amateur Football Council
The Australian Amateur Football Council is the governing body of amateur Australian football in the states of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania in Australia.The council was formed in 1933....
.
Rules
When the umpire pays a 50-metre penalty, he calls time on, measures out approximately fifty metres from the spot of the mark by running in a straight line towards the goals, and setting the new mark, unless:- the player is already within 50 metres of goal, in which case the mark becomes the exact centre of the goal line.
- in the AFL's NAB Cup preseason competition, where a goal kicked from beyond 50m scores nine pointsSuper GoalA Super Goal is an innovation used in the Australian Football League's pre-season competition in the sport of Australian rules football.The Super Goal was introduced before the 2003 Wizard Cup, and is awarded nine points instead of the regulation six. For a goal on the run to be considered a Super...
instead of six, a team may choose to cut short a fifty-metre penalty at the fifty-metre line and take the higher-value, longer-range set shot.
Players are given a short period of time to follow the play down the field before the clock is restarted.
N.B. A player cannot play on after the field umpire has called a 25-metre or 50-metre penalty. The field umpire must blow time-on.
Infractions which can result in a 50-metre penalty include:
- Arguing with, disputing the decision of, or using abusive language towards an umpire.
- Scragging the player who has taken a mark; that is, to tackle the player or impede him from taking the kick as quickly as he would like. This rule has been applied more stringently since 2006 to give defensive players less time to floodFlooding (Australian football)Flooding is a tactic used in the sport of Australian rules football. It involves the coach releasing players in the forward line from their set positions and directing them to the opposition forward area, congesting the area and making it more difficult for the opposition to score. It is commonly...
the defence, and to keep the game more flowing. - Running over the mark; the man standing on the mark cannot move forward, and must respond if called to recede by the umpire.
- Failing to return the ball quickly and on the full to a player who has been awarded a free kick, again to prevent flooding.
- Wasting time, deliberately or inadvertently, by kicking the ball forward after one's team has conceded a free kick.
- Using unnecessary roughness against a player who has already taken a mark.
- Running through the mark; defensive players may not run across the imaginary line between the man standing the mark and the man taking the kick, unless following his direct opponent.
- Entering the protected zone; defensive players may not impede an opponent by entering or remaining within the corridor of space extending five metres either side of the imaginary line between the man standing the mark and the man taking the kick, and extending backwards, unless following his direct opponent.
- If any free kick infraction is paid against the defensive team while a mark or free kick is to be taken, the umpire either pays the free kick to the violated player at the spot of the foul, or awards a 50-metre penalty to the player with the ball, depending upon which penalty brings the attacking team closer to goal.
- Any free kick resulting from an interchangeInterchange (Australian rules football)Interchange is the term used to describe a team position in Australian rules football, consisting of the players who are off the ground at any time...
infringement or a line-up has an additional 50-metre penalty applied to it; these are the only circumstances under which a 50-metre penalty is automatically applied to a free kick without further infringement.
History in the VFL/AFL
The rule had existed as a 15 yard/metre penalty as far back as the 1960s, however it applied only to crude, late challenges on the player with the mark. In 1984, umpires began to apply 15-metre penalties for time-wasting. It was increased to 50 metres in 1988 when it was determined that the fifteen metre penalty was insufficient to deter such behaviour.Rationale
Fifty metres is the average length of a long kick. As 50-metre penalties are awarded only to players who have already taken a mark or been awarded a free kick, the penalty is the equivalent of having made a long pass downfield (with the playing area being over 150m long). This interpretation allows the fifty metre length to be adjusted to appropriate values for lower age groups.With the exception of interchange infringements, a player must already have a free kick or a mark to receive a 50-metre penalty. Often, crowds will call for "fifty!" when they see a player hurt behind play or in a marking contest. However, many fans are unaware that unless the mark is taken, fifty metres can never be awarded. There was an exception to this rule made in 2000, when a 50-metre penalty would automatically be awarded against any player who was reported for a non-wrestling offence; so unpopular was the change that it was repealed after seventeen rounds.
Famous 50-metre penalties
- The most famous 15-metre penalty occurred in the 1987 preliminary final1987 VFL seasonResults and statistics for the Victorian Football League season of 1987.-Night Series: defeated 8.10 to 8.6 in the Final at Waverley Park.-Leading goalkickers:...
, in an incident where MelbourneMelbourne Football ClubThe Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
's Jim StynesJim StynesJames "Jim" Stynes OAM is an Irish former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a businessman, philanthropist, writer, youth worker, qualified teacher and chairman of Melbourne Football Club since 2008....
ran across the mark against HawthornHawthorn Football ClubThe Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
. Gary BuckenaraGary BuckenaraGary Buckenara played Australian rules football for the Hawthorn Football Club in the VFL during the 1980s.Buckenara first played senior football for Subiaco in the WAFL from 1979 to 1981. Subiaco agreed to lease him for three years for $210,000 and after a court case began his career at Hawthorn...
, needing a 55-metre goal after the final sirenAfter the siren kicks in Australian rules footballIn Australian rules football, if a player takes a mark or is awarded a free kick before or as the siren sounds, the player is allowed to take the kick...
for Hawthorn to steal the victory, was brought 15 metres closer to goal. Buckenara converted the goal, Hawthorn advanced to the Grand Final, and Melbourne's long premiership drought continued.
- In 2005 an incident where EssendonEssendon Football ClubThe Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
's Mark JohnsonMark Johnson (footballer)Mark 'MJ' Johnson is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and Fremantle in the AFL.-Early life:Johnson is commonly known as "Mr...
called an opposition player from SydneySydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
a "weak dog" when he wouldn't get up and was playing for a free kick was rewarded with a 50-metre penalty to the Sydney player. It was also believed Johnson engaged in abusive language with the umpire which may have influenced the decision.
- During the infamous St Kilda vs Fremantle "Sirengate" gameAFL siren controversy, 2006The AFL siren controversy of 2006 surrounded the conclusion and result of an Australian rules football match played on 30 April 2006 during Round 5 of the Australian Football League's 2006 season...
in round 5, 2006, St Kilda full-forward Fraser GehrigFraser GehrigFraser Gehrig is a retired Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League who played for the St Kilda Football Club and the West Coast Eagles...
abused and argued with the umpire, gave up five consecutive free kicks: a free kick in defensive goal square, three consecutive 50-metre penalties (spanning the entire length of the field, yielding a certain goal to Fremantle) and an additional free kick to Fremantle after the goal.
- In Round 1, 2007, umpire Stuart WennStuart WennStuart Wenn is an Australian rules football field umpire in the Australian Football League. He has umpired 193 career games in the AFL.-Famous matches and reports:...
awarded a short fifty-metre penalty against Collingwood'sCollingwood Football ClubThe Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
Heath ShawHeath ShawHeath Shaw is an Australian rules footballer playing for Collingwood in the Australian Football League-AFL career:...
after a mark by the KangaroosNorth Melbourne Football ClubThe North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
' Shannon GrantShannon GrantShannon Grant is a retired Australian rules footballer who was known as one of the premier midfielders in the AFL. He began his career at the Sydney Swans in 1995 before moving to the Kangaroos in 1998 and being a part of their 1999 premiership side, in which he also won the Norm Smith Medal for...
with three minutes remaining on the game. Wenn positioned Shaw approximately on the kick-off line when he should have been on the goal line. Grant missed the 15-metre set shot, and the Kangaroos lost the game by three points.
- In Round 11, 2009, triple 50 metre penalties occurred when Sydney SwansSydney SwansThe Sydney Swans Football Club is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Sydney, New South Wales. The club, founded in 1874, was known as the South Melbourne Football Club until it relocated to Sydney in 1982 to become the Sydney...
Barry HallBarry HallBarry Hall is a former Australian rules footballer. Hall is considered to be one of the best forwards of the modern era, being named All-Australian, leading his club's goalkicking on nine occasions and captaining the Sydney Swans to their 2005 AFL Grand Final victory...
put his arm around the neck of HawthornHawthorn Football ClubThe Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
's Jarryd RougheadJarryd RougheadJarryd Roughead is an Australian rules footballer playing for Hawthorn in the Australian Football League .-Early life:Born in Leongatha in southern Gippsland, Roughead played Gippsland Power...
, who ended up in his own goal square. Hall was benched beside his coach, and Sydney lost by just 11 points.