Cluster
A type of zone defense consisting of a grid-like arrangement of fifteen or more players, particularly used to oppose a kick-in.
Coach
The manager of the team who controls the team's tactics during a match.
Contest
An in-game scenario where two or more players have an opportunity to win the ball.
Contested possession
A possession achieved as a result of winning a contest.
Corkie
Colloquialism for a corked muscle, which is a deep bruise, usually in the leg.
Corridor
The imaginary strip of the ground that runs through the centre from goal to goal; a team who moves the ball in this area is said to "play through the corridor”.
D
Designated kicker
a player who is given the ball by another player who has a set shot for goal, so that the receiving player may have a shot on the run for a long-distance goal or a supergoal. Typically done when the designated kicker is known to have a better likelihood of scoring the goal than the player taking the set shot.
Disposal
Indicates that a player disposed of the ball legally by either hand or foot. Synonymous with possession or touch.
Dribble goal
A goal kicked using the grubber technique. It is often utilised from the boundary line at a tight angle with players manipulating the bounce of the ball to bend it through the goals.
Drop kick
A kick that is executed in such a way that the foot contacts the ball at the same time as, or immediately after, it has been dropped to the ground on its end. No longer in common use in AFL due to its perceived inaccuracy. See stab pass.
Drop punt
A kick that is executed by contacting the ball on its end, so that it rotates around its mid-point end over end. Usually considered the most accurate of kicks, and is by far the most commonly used kicking style in Australian rules football.
Dropping the ball
See holding the ball.
E
Emergency umpire
A qualified field umpire who sits on the interchange bench during a game. He can pay free kicks only for interchange infringements and may report players, and can replace an injured or fatigued umpire.
End to end
Also, slingshot, a goal where the ball is moved from one end of the field to the other in a short amount of time.
F
Field umpire
See central umpire.
Fifty
Short for "fifty-metre penalty".
Fifty metre line
An arc drawn at each end of the ground indicating that the distance from the goal line is fifty metres.
Final siren
The siren that sounds to signal the end of the game.
Finals
The post-season series of games that decide the premiership.
Flag, the
Common expression for the Premiership, based upon the practice of awarding a flag for winning the premiership.
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 diffi
cult 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").
Poster
Common expression for a kicked ball which hits a goal post, resulting in a behind being scored rather than a goal.
Premiership
Awarded to the winner of the Grand Final. See the flag.
Premiership quarter
A colloquialism for the third quarter of a match.
Prior opportunity
(Sometimes shortened to prior) a player who has had the ball for long enough to make a reasonable attempt to dispose of it before being tackled is said to have had prior opportunity. This is important for holding the ball decisions, where a player who has had prior opportunity must dispose of the ball immediately, while a player who has had "no prior" has a few extra seconds to dispose of the ball.
Protected zone
An imaginary corridor 5 metres to either side of a player who is taking a free kick, into which no players from either team are permitted to be.
Q
Quarter
A period of play. Each game is divided into four quarters of equal length. Quarters in the AFL and other senior last 20 minutes plus time-on.
Quarter-time
The gap between the first and second quarters.
R
Rebound
The act of moving the ball forward after winning it as the result of a turnover in the defensive end of the ground.
Red time
The final few minutes of playing time in any quarter.
Reported
The state of a player after an umpire has written their name into a notebook, during play, for an act that may result in the player being suspended.
Rookie
A player who is on an AFL club's playing list, but who cannot play senior games unless replacing a long-term injured or retired player.
Rotation
A planned interchange designed to minimise fatigue of midfielders.
Rubbed out
Colloquialism for being suspended.
Ruck
(Or ruckman) a tall player who contests the ball-up or throw-in.
Runner
A club official whose job is to run onto the ground to give the players messages from the coach during play.
Running bounce
(or simply bounce) the act of a player bouncing the football on the ground and back to himself while running, which must be done once every fifteen metres.
Rushed behind
The concession of a behind for the opposition team. A behind which is deemed to have been deliberately rushed by a player under no pressure is penalised by a free kick, but in all other circumstances it concedes one point.
S
Screamer
A spectacular high mark, usually in a contested situation. See specky.
Season
A year of a competition.
Set Shot
An attempt to kick a goal from a mark or a free kick. See shot.
Shepherd
A block placed on an opposing player. This can be to stop him tackling a teammate in p
ossession of the ball, or attempting to gather it; to stop him intercepting a ball heading for goal; or just to stop him possessing the ball himself.
Shirtfront
An aggressive front-on bump.
Shot
An attempt to kick a goal.
Siren
A loud sound used to signal the start and end of the game, and the start and end of each quarter.
Sit
The best position from which to take a mark.
Smother
The act of stopping a kick immediately after it leaves the boot. Generally undertaken with the hands or body.
Snap
A shot at goal, usually executed under pressure from an unlikely scoring position. It is almost invariably a kick across the body (i.e., for a right footer, a kick aimed to far left) and typically exaggerates the natural tendency of the ball to drift slightly right to left from a right footer, and left to right from the left footer.
Soccer
(Verb) to kick the ball off the ground, i.e. without first taking the ball in the hands, as is the primary means of disposal in the sport of soccer.
Specky
(Or screamer, hanger; also spelt speccie, speckie, etc.) short for "spectacular mark". Generally refers to the act of leaping onto another player's back or shoulders to take a high mark, usually in a contested situation.
Spell, to have a
To be interchanged off the ground.
Spoil
A punch or slap of the ball which hinders an opposition player from taking a mark.
Substitute
An interchange player who cannot be freely interchanged, but may be brought onto the ground to replace a player for the rest of a game.
Suspended
The state of a player who has been refused permission to play by a legislated tribunal. See reported.
T
Tackle
The grabbing of an opposition player in possession of the ball, in order to impede his progress or to force him to dispose of the ball quickly.
Tagger
A defensive player whose task is to prevent an opposition midfielder from having an impact on the game.
Bounce Down: 1st Quarter: Start of Play Page 19