THE AFL has written to clubs on Tuesday morning with a host of umpiring reminders, most notably reinforcing that players must not improve the angle on shots for goal when taking a kick after the siren.
The memo, written by the League's football boss Greg Swann and seen by AFL.com.au, clarifies contentious issues relating to six different rules and suggests a further crackdown on players pushing opponents into stoppages and beyond the boundary line in the coming weeks.
It also goes into depth on what players can do when shooting for goal after the siren, after Hawthorn superstar Nick Watson controversially saw a goal disallowed last month for going off his line.
The memo states that players can approach their shot "from any direction as long as the location of the kick does not improve the angle to the goal posts", but clarifies that goalkickers are not allowed to "move off their line in an attempt to kick around a player on the mark".
The League ticked off on the Watson call back in May, with a statement from the AFL later saying the correct decision was made after the Hawks forward "moved off his line to the right and didn't kick the ball over the man on the mark".
Pushing, bumping and tackling beyond the boundary line is also highlighted in the League's email, saying umpires will have a "lower tolerance beyond the boundary line because of the higher risk of injury".
The AFL is also set to stamp out recent examples of players being pushed into stoppages, particularly at centre ball-ups, as they attempt to create separation from their opponents.
Reminders on what constitutes high contact free kicks and umpire contact charges also feature in the memo, with the email highlighting an "unacceptable number of charges for careless contact to umpires" recently.
Gold Coast is a chance to become the first side to face an increased sanction for a fifth charge of making careless contact with an umpire, with fines of up to $50,000 for multiple offences now in place.
The memo also delves into the 'stand' rule and goes on to clarify: "Please note that 'stand' does not mean 'freeze' … a player directed to 'stand' may turn and face the player with the ball."
The email included a link with several video examples of the six rule clarifications, which you can watch above.
