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Mark (Australian rules football)
A mark in Australian rules football is the catch of a kicked ball which earns the catching player a free kick. The catch must be cleanly taken, or deemed by the umpire to have involved control of the ball for sufficient time. A tipped ball, or one that has touched the ground cannot be marked. Since 2002, in most Australian competitions, the minimum distance for a mark is 15 metres (16 yards or 49 feet).
Marking is one of the most important skills in Australian football. Aiming for a teammate who can mark their kick is the primary focus of any kicking player not kicking for goal. Marking can also be one of the most spectacular and distinctive aspects of the game, and the best mark of the AFL season is awarded with the Mark of the Year, with similar competitions running across smaller leagues.
The four most prolific markers in the history of the Australian Football League – Nick Riewoldt (2,944), Gary Dempsey (2,906), Stewart Loewe (2,503) and Matthew Richardson (2,270) – also stand out for each achieving a career average of around eight marks per game. A 2003 AFL match, between St Kilda and Port Adelaide, set a record of 303 marks in a single game.
Upon taking a mark, the umpire will blow the whistle to signify the mark and a player is entitled to an unimpeded kick of the ball. The nearest opposition player stands on the spot where the player marked the ball, which is also known as 'the mark' and he becomes 'the man on the mark.' When awarded the free kick, the player can choose to forego their kick to play-on and run into space, with the defending players then allowed to tackle as normal. The player has 10 seconds to move the ball on after a mark unless they are taking a shot on goal in which case they have 30 seconds to take their kick. If the player takes too long to complete their free kick, the umpire will call play-on, rescinding the award of the free kick, which also allows the defenders to tackle as normal.
A mark must be caught cleanly, with the player having complete control of the ball, even if only for a short time. As such, if the ball is punched out from between the player's hands after it is caught, or the ball is dislodged upon hitting the ground, a mark is still paid, even if the ball was held for only an instant.
Although the rules make no provision for two players marking the ball simultaneously, by convention the umpire will award the mark to the man in front, i.e. the player who has the front position in the marking contest. If he cannot determine which player is in front, then a ball-up will result.
The mark has been included in the compromise rules used in the International Rules Football series between teams from Australia and Ireland since 1984.
The current minimum distance the ball must travel for a mark to be awarded is 15 metres in any direction; a cleanly caught ball which travels a shorter distance is called 'play on'. This has been the case since 2002; for more than a century before that, the minimum distance was ten metres or ten yards. There are very few ground markings on an Australian rules football field which could be used to measure this distance precisely, leaving the decision on distance up to the best judgement of the umpire; a kick which is too short will typically be met with shouts of 'play on' or 'not fifteen' by the umpire.
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Mark (Australian rules football)
A mark in Australian rules football is the catch of a kicked ball which earns the catching player a free kick. The catch must be cleanly taken, or deemed by the umpire to have involved control of the ball for sufficient time. A tipped ball, or one that has touched the ground cannot be marked. Since 2002, in most Australian competitions, the minimum distance for a mark is 15 metres (16 yards or 49 feet).
Marking is one of the most important skills in Australian football. Aiming for a teammate who can mark their kick is the primary focus of any kicking player not kicking for goal. Marking can also be one of the most spectacular and distinctive aspects of the game, and the best mark of the AFL season is awarded with the Mark of the Year, with similar competitions running across smaller leagues.
The four most prolific markers in the history of the Australian Football League – Nick Riewoldt (2,944), Gary Dempsey (2,906), Stewart Loewe (2,503) and Matthew Richardson (2,270) – also stand out for each achieving a career average of around eight marks per game. A 2003 AFL match, between St Kilda and Port Adelaide, set a record of 303 marks in a single game.
Upon taking a mark, the umpire will blow the whistle to signify the mark and a player is entitled to an unimpeded kick of the ball. The nearest opposition player stands on the spot where the player marked the ball, which is also known as 'the mark' and he becomes 'the man on the mark.' When awarded the free kick, the player can choose to forego their kick to play-on and run into space, with the defending players then allowed to tackle as normal. The player has 10 seconds to move the ball on after a mark unless they are taking a shot on goal in which case they have 30 seconds to take their kick. If the player takes too long to complete their free kick, the umpire will call play-on, rescinding the award of the free kick, which also allows the defenders to tackle as normal.
A mark must be caught cleanly, with the player having complete control of the ball, even if only for a short time. As such, if the ball is punched out from between the player's hands after it is caught, or the ball is dislodged upon hitting the ground, a mark is still paid, even if the ball was held for only an instant.
Although the rules make no provision for two players marking the ball simultaneously, by convention the umpire will award the mark to the man in front, i.e. the player who has the front position in the marking contest. If he cannot determine which player is in front, then a ball-up will result.
The mark has been included in the compromise rules used in the International Rules Football series between teams from Australia and Ireland since 1984.
The current minimum distance the ball must travel for a mark to be awarded is 15 metres in any direction; a cleanly caught ball which travels a shorter distance is called 'play on'. This has been the case since 2002; for more than a century before that, the minimum distance was ten metres or ten yards. There are very few ground markings on an Australian rules football field which could be used to measure this distance precisely, leaving the decision on distance up to the best judgement of the umpire; a kick which is too short will typically be met with shouts of 'play on' or 'not fifteen' by the umpire.