Bounce Down: 1st Quarter: Start of Play (27 page)

Flags
 

White flag waved by a
goal
umpire
to signal a goal or
behind.

Flank
 

An indicative area of the ground
that lies between the wing and pocket on both sides of the centre.
Also referred to as "half-forward flank" and "half-back flank".

Flood
 

The act of getting as many players
as possible between the ball carrier and the goal a team is
defending.

Four points, to get the
 

Common parlance for winning a
game. The "four points" refers to the number of premiership points
awarded for a win in an AFL game.

Free kick

A
possession of the ball given to a player as a result of an
infringement by an opposition player. These are only awarded by
the
central
umpire
.

Full-back
 

The
area of the ground directly in front of the opposition's goals.
Also the name given to the player placed in that position. Usually
opposed by the
full-forward
.

Full-forward
 

The
area of the ground directly in front of a team's goals. Also the
name given to the player placed in that position. Usually opposed
by the
full-back
.

Full-time
 

The
end of the game. See
final
siren
.

G

Goal
 

A maximum score (equivalent to 6
points) achieved by kicking the ball between the two goal-posts
without it touching either post or any other player.

Goal line
 

A
section of the
boundary
line
that runs from one behind
post to the other, at each end. All four posts (two goal posts and
two behind posts) are set directly on this line.

Goal posts
 

Two tall posts at each end of the
ground indicating the major scoring zone, positioned 6.4m
apart.

Goal square
 

The 6.4×9m rectangle drawn on the
ground directly in front of each goal.

Goal umpire
 

An
official who adjudicates the score, signals the score
(
out-of-bounds
,
point
, or
goal
), waves
flags
to indicate the score to the crowd, and serves as official
scorekeeper. There are two of these umpires per game, one at each
end.

Guernsey
 

The jersey worn by players.

Guts, the
 

Colloquial term for the
corridor
.

H

Half-back

The
area of the ground lying halfway between the
centre
and
full-back
. Also the name
given to the player placed in that position. Usually opposed by
the
half-forward
.

Half-forward
 

The
area of the ground lying halfway between the
centre
and
full-forward
. Also the name
given to the player placed in that position. Usually opposed by
the
half-back
.

Half-time
 

The
long break between the second and third
quarters.

Handball

(Or
handpass
) a legal disposal
of the ball, executed by holding the ball on the flat palm of one
hand and hitting it with the other clenched fist.

Handy point
 

colloquial term for a behind scored near the end of a close
game which extends to one more than a multiple of six
(
i.e.
from six points to seven points, from twelve points to
thirteen points, or from eighteen points to nineteen points); so
called because it means the opposition needs an extra scoring shot
to tie or win the game.

Hanger
 

See
specky
.

Hard ball get
 

See
contested
possession
.

High tackle
 

A
tackle that results in contact to the opposition play over the top
of his shoulders or to the neck or head. This will result in
a
free kick
.

Hip-and-shoulder
 

See
bump

Hitout
 

(Or
tapout
,
tap
or
knock-out
) a
tap
by a
ruckman
to a team's
advantage.

Holding the ball

A free kick awarded to a defensive
player who tackles an opponent and prevents him from legally
disposing of the football.

Huddle

The
grouping of players on the ground at
quarter-time
and
three-quarter-time
breaks, and a tactic used at kick-ins after a
behind where players group together at center-half-back before
breaking to the flanks.

I

Inside-50
 

The act of running or passing the
ball inside the 50m arc. A statistic that is used to evaluate the
effectiveness of midfield players who may not score many goals
themselves, but set them up for teammates.

Interchange
 

The designated area of the ground
where players wait to be allowed onto the field after another
player has left, i.e. one player is interchanged for another.

Interchange gate
 

A
20m zone marked on the
boundary
line
through which players
being
interchanged
must run.

J

Jumper punch
 

Where a player takes hold of an
opponent's jersey and then pushes in a punching motion.

K

Key
position
 

The centre half-forward and the
centre half-back are collectively known as the key positions, and
are considered the most difficult roles to play.

Kick
 

A legal disposal of the ball by
foot.

Kick-in
 

(Or
sometimes
kick-out
) the return of the
ball back into play after a behind has been scored.

Kick-off line
 

The
line on the
goal square
which is parallel to the
goal line
.

King hit
 

An illegal physical attack on a
player behind play, generally to the head which leaves the victim
in a dazed or unconscious state.

L

Ladder
 

The
position of teams on the Premiership list, determined by their
win-loss ratio and
percentage
.

Lead
 

For
a forward to run into space and away from his direct opponent,
hoping to attract a
pass
from his teammate.

Legging
 

See
low
tackle
.

Loose ball get
 

See
uncontested
possession

Loose man in defence
 

A
player who typically spends an entire game without a direct
opponent, who assists other defenders in the team when necessary,
and is often heavily involved in
rebounding
.

Low
tackle
 

A
tackle resulting in contact made to a player below his knees.
Results in a free kick against the tackling player. This is more
commonly referred to by the colloquial term of
legging
the
opponent.

M

Major
 

A
goal
.

Man-on-man
 

The
"traditional" defensive style of a defender playing close to an
opposition forward. See
zone-off
.

Man
on the mark
 

The defensive player who stands
where his opponent took a mark or received a free kick. The man on
the mark holds his arms in the air, in an attempt to block his
opponent's kick, or at least force him to take the kick from
several metres further back to prevent it from being blocked.

Mark

A
clean catch of the ball after it has
been kicked by another player (either by a teammate or by the
opposition), before it has touched the ground, or been touched by
any other player, and after it has travelled a minimum of 15
metres. The term also refers to the spot on the ground where the
mark or
free kick
took place.

Melee
 

An unacceptable gathering of
players involved in deliberate physical contact. Can lead to
suspensions and fines.

Midfield
 

An
indicative area of the ground that covers
half-forward
to
half-back
down the
centre
, and out to
the
wings
and
flanks
.

Midfielder
 

A
player who roams and plays within the
midfield
.

N

"Not 15!"
 

A call by the field umpire when
the football has been kicked less than 15 metres, indicating that a
mark will not be awarded from that kick.

O

Off
the ball
 

An
incident that occurred away from the main contest. Note that off
the ball is not the direct opposite of
on the ball
.

One-percenter

A
defensive act such as a block, bump,
shepherd
,
smother
or chase; "one-percenters" very rarely show up in any typical
statistical analysis of a game, but are generally highly-valued by
coaches, supporters and spectators alike.

Out
on the full
 

A
kick that travels across the boundary line without first being
touched by a player or hitting the ground. This will result in
a
free kick
to the opposition team, taken by the player closest
to the point at which the ball crossed the boundary
line.

Oval
 

The ground on which an Australian
Rules Football game is played. Derived from the common shape of the
ground.

Over the mark
 

a
player from either team who crosses from his side of the
mark
when there is a free kick being taken is said to have gone
over the mark. If the attacking player does this, he is called
to
play on
; if the defending player does this, he is
penalised with a
fifty metre
penalty
.

P

Pack
 

A mass of players from both sides
all attempting to get the ball at the same time. Can be used for
players flying for a mark or scrambling for the ball at ground
level.

Pass
 

A kick that ends with the ball in
the possession of a teammate.

Playmaker
 

A player who directs a team play
by action or deed during a game.

Possession
 

The
act of obtaining the ball. Also used synonymously with
disposal
and
touch
. Often quoted as a
total for a player or team, it is the sum of the number of
handballs and kicks that the player or team had during the
game.

Pocket
 

An indicative part of the ground,
equivalent to the area proscribed by an imaginary arc running from
the goal post to a point on the boundary line halfway to the
fifty-metre arc. There are two pockets at each end of the ground,
referred to as the left and right, forward and back pockets, e.g.
left-forward pocket.

Point
 

The basic scoring unit. Used for
both the total score (10 goals, 8 behinds, 68 points) and can be
used interchangeably with behind ("His shot for goal missed and was
only a point").