Rushed behind
In Australian rules football, a rushed behind occurs when the ball passes through the goalposts and was last touched by a defending player. A rushed behind scores one point for the attacking team, but it also prevents the attacking team from scoring a goal, worth six points.
A rushed behind typically occurs when a defending player touches the ball after it has been kicked and as it heads toward the goal; by touching the ball, the defender ensures that the attacking team scores only one point rather than the full six. It may be less risky for a defending player in possession of the ball to deliberately concede a rushed behind rather than try to prevent any score outright. A deliberately rushed behind results in a free kick to the opposing side unless under extreme pressure.
Rushed behinds are statistically credited to no player; scoresheets will simply include the tally of total rushed behinds credited to a team's score. This is comparable to extras (aka sundries) in cricket.
It is impossible for a defending team to directly concede a "rushed goal" worth six points. In other words, if a player kicks what would be the equivalent of an own goal in soccer, only one point is conceded.
Free kick for conceding a deliberate rushed behind
Since 2009, it has been illegal in AFL matches for a defender to deliberately concede a rushed behind when he is not under any pressure from the attacking team. In the event that a defender does this, the umpire awards a free kick to the attacking team on the goal-line at the spot where the defender conceded the score. The defender may still deliberately concede a rushed behind if he is under pressure from an attacker.
Two high-profile incidents during the 2008 AFL season were largely responsible for the introduction of this rule. In Round 16, Richmond's Joel Bowden rushed two behinds in a row while kicking in to use up time towards the end of their game against Essendon, reducing the margin from 6 points to 4 points, but enabling Richmond to win the game.[1][2] Then the 2008 AFL Grand Final saw Hawthorn rush a record 11 behinds against Geelong.[3][4][5]
Prior to the 2008 season, a variation had already been trialled in pre-season matches in which a deliberate rushed behind conceded three points instead of one; this was never introduced into premiership matches.
The new rule change, especially its early implementation, caused a lot of confusion, as many players were unsure what constituted pressure as far as the umpires were concerned, leading to some players illegally conceding behind without pressure and giving up a free kick and near-certain goal; conversely, some players would refuse to concede a behind out of fear of giving away a free kick—even if such a concession would have been legal in that context.[6][7] The rule intermittently came back into focus again between 2016 and 2018, as a change to the rule renewed the confusion.[8] AFL Legend Kevin Bartlett said in May 2017 that the rule "lacks common sense", referring specifically to an incident where Jayden Short was in a footrace to the goal line with Essendon’s Josh Green. Green, unbeknownst to Short, gave up the chase, but Short conceded the behind anyway and was penalised with a free kick due to Green not applying adequate pressure in the umpire's mind to legally allow Short to rush a behind.[6]
References
- ^ "Joel Bowden Rushed Behinds (AFL, Richmond v Essendon, Round 16, 2008)". YouTube. Channel93. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ Cooper, Adam and Clark, Laine; Bowden raised anomaly: Lions coach; 21 July 2008
- ^ "2008 AFL Grand Final Geelong vs Hawthorn - Rushed Behinds". YouTube. BotsMaster. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ FootyStats Rushby Hinds
- ^ Connolly, Rohan; 11 rushed behinds: rule change needed; 29 September 2008
- ^ a b "KB's Take | Deliberate rushed behind rule lacks common sense". www.sen.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Confusion reigns on rushed behind rule". SBS News. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "AFL coaches confused over deliberate rushed behind crackdown 'memo'". 3AW. 22 May 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2022.