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Aussie Rules FAQs


How many players in a side?

There are 18 players on the field per team during a match and four interchange players per side.


How long does a game go for?

There are four quarters of 20 minutes each. Time-on is added to make up for lost play, usually after a goal is kicked, the ball goes out of bounds or there is an injury. Most quarters run 26-30 minutes.


How big is the field?

The exact size of the field varies, but the biggest AFL venue is Subiaco Oval, which is 175.6m long and 122.4m wide, and the smallest is the SCG, which measures 149m x 136m.


How high are the goalposts and how far apart are they?

The two goalposts need to be a minimum height of 6m and they are 6.4m apart. The smaller point posts are a minimum 3m high and are 6.4m from each goalpost.


What is the Brownlow Medal?

The Brownlow is the game’s highest individual honour, awarded to the fairest and best player at the end of each season. The three field umpires give 3-2-1 votes for the three players they consider were the fairest and best in each home-and-away match. The votes remain sealed until the Monday night before the Grand Final.


Who has played the most VFL-AFL games?

Hawthorn’s Michael Tuck played 426 matches from 1972-1991. Tuck also played in the most finals (39) and won the most premierships (seven).


Which club has won the most premierships?

Both Carlton and Essendon have won 16 premierships. Fremantle is the only club that hasn’t won one.


Which club has won the most wooden spoons?

St Kilda has finished on the bottom of the VFL-AFL ladder 26 times. Adelaide, Port Adelaide and West Coast have never finished last.


Who has kicked the most goals?

Tony Lockett kicked 1360 goals in 281 matches for St Kilda and Sydney from 1983-1999 and 2002. Lockett averaged 4.84 goals a match.

 

Let's Get Started

Play begins with a field umpire blowing his whistle then slamming the ball into the turf – the bounce. Three field umpires control general play, paying free kicks where necessary and reporting players for serious rule breaches.

Two boundary umpires judge when the ball has gone out of play and return it by throwing it over their heads, and two goal umpires control the scoring.

 

Off and Running

Four players from each team are allowed in the centre square for each restart of play – the ruckman and three midfielders, or onballers.

Though they start in the centre, midfielders cover all corners of the field and run up to 20km during a game. They regularly have more than 30 disposals (kicks and handballs). Known as their team’s engine room, midfielders come in two types: in and under players who specialise in winning the ball in tight contests, and outside players who run and carry the footy before delivering it downfield.

Another type of midfielder is a tagger or run-with player, whose job is to contain an opposition star.

 

kick start

The best way to gain distance, and the only way to score a goal, is by kicking. The most common kick is a drop punt, which spins end over end, making it easier to mark (catch). Players going for extra distance sometimes use a torpedo punt, or torp, and on tight angles a banana kick or snap is often used to curl the ball through the air.

Other slightly less official kicks are worm-burners (which keep low), rain-makers (which fly high in the air) and clangers, which go straight to an opponent or into the crowd.

 

settling the score

The only thing a forward loves more than kicking a goal is being hit on the chest lace out by a perfect kick.

If a pass is off target, players may have to attempt a contested mark. This is one of the most difficult skills in the game, but one of the most spectacular, especially when a player soars over a pack to pluck the ball from the air metres above the ground: a mark known as a speccy or hanger that is bound to bring the crowd to its feet.

Ruck and Roll

A team’s tallest player usually plays in the ruck, contesting bounces and boundary throw-ins. The ruckman’s aim is to punch the ball forward or tap it to his teammates.

 

When not jumping to win hitouts, talls have to offer other skills – often helping out in defence by plugging the hole (filling space in front of opposition forwards) or sneaking forward to try to kick a goal.

 

Gotcha!

Tackling, and bumping, is permitted between the shoulder and knees.

A good bump is called a hip and shoulder or a shirtfront. A good tackle (and some bad ones) will bring a cry of “Ball!’’ from the crowd – a plea for a holding the ball free kick. (A loud “Yes!’’ soon after indicates the plea has been answered.)

An umpire will pay “holding the ball” if a player doesn’t kick or handball on being tackled, but the tackler can give away a free if he grabs too high, holds a player when he doesn’t have the ball or pushes him in the back.

 

on your marks

Most goals are kicked by key forwards (tall, marking players) or crumbing forwards (smaller players who lurk front and square in front of packs to grab the ball when it hits the ground), but any player can kick a goal – midfielders and even backmen are regular contributors to the scoreboard. A goal, worth six points, is scored when the ball passes untouched over the goal-line between the two tallest goalposts, or big sticks.

A miss to either side, inside the shorter posts, is a behind, worth one point. If you’re not sure, wait for the goal umpire to signal a goal (by raising two fingers then waving two flags), a behind (one finger, one flag), or just the noise of the crowd. You’ll soon get the hang of it!

 

getting involved

AFL is a game for everyone, from kids to parents or even grandparents. AFL NSW/ACT runs programs for schools from Year 2 to Year 12, as well as coaching and umpiring programs.

You can also join your local AFL club.

 

Just call (02) 8333 8030 or visit www.playafl.com.au

 

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