Australian rules football

Here are some of the basics of Australian rules football as set out in the “laws” of the sport.

Full-out play involves 18 players per team. Women’s competition may involve a modified nine-a-side version of the game.

Four posts, aligned in a straight line and separated by 6.4 metres, are erected at both ends of the oval. The ground may vary between 135 and 185 metres in length and between 110 and 155 metres in width. A modified women’s game, with fewer players, features a smaller field.

Players in possession of the ball may be tackled. “Shepherding,” similar to blocking in North American football, allows teammates to place their bodies between the player with the ball and opponents trying to make a tackle. Any player within five metres of the ball can be “bumped” away with a side-on hit with the hip and shoulder, similar to bodychecking in hockey. Players may not deliberately strike opponents.

The ball is advanced through a combination of running with it, hand-passing (punching it from the open palm of the other hand) and kicking. When a player has possession, the ball must be bounced or touched to the ground at least once every 15 metres. Any player catching a kicked ball on the fly, “taking a mark,” is awarded a free kick.

There are two types of scoring. A kick between the opponent’s taller middle posts is a “goal” worth six points. Kicking the ball between a shorter end post and the nearest tall post is a one-point “behind.” A behind is also scored if the ball passes between the centre posts without being kicked by the offensive team, such as bouncing off the hands of a player or being kicked by the defending team, or if a kicked ball strikes a centre goalpost. A “rushed behind” occurs when defenders deliberately force the ball between any of the posts.