Buddy’s arc gone in another rule shake-up
– Sam Landsberger
The “Buddy Franklin kicking arc” is dead.
As the football world goes into meltdown over footage of a 50m paid in an Essendon intra-club match, the Herald Sun can reveal there is a secret twist to the controversial new rule governing players standing on the mark.
AFL umpires have been instructed to call “play on” whenever a player deviates off his line after taking a mark or being awarded a free kick.
The kicker now has to be in a direct line with the attacking goals, no matter where on the ground the mark or free kick is paid.
This could spell problems for Franklin who has an exaggerated arc to the left when he has kicking at goal.
This stricter interpretation has been coached to umpires over the pre-season, but it has not yet been communicated publicly by the AFL. Clubs have been informed, but footy fans have not been.
Given that the player on the mark has effectively been “spared” — made inactive because he now has to remain stationary or give away 50m — the expectation is that the kicker must execute along the correct line.
Without that rule in place, the player in possession could simply evade the man on the mark by running around him.Signalling “play on” will bring the man on the mark back into action.
According to umpires, no longer will Franklin be allowed to wheel on to his left foot — in what has become one of football’s most symbolic sights — without “play on” being called.
The Herald Sun has contacted Sydney Swans for feedback.
Similarly, any AFL player who strays from that straight line in search of extra distance will also be called to play on.
Multiple umpiring sources have confirmed that if any player wanders off their direct line of kick – either through a natural arc or to get an advantage – play on will be called, so long as it is obvious to the umpire that has occurred.
Umpires are privately being told to be vigilant. The new rule has not gone down well with some, who fear they are on a hiding to nothing this season. They have voiced their feedback to AFL House.
The league bent its own rules to protect Franklin’s arc 10 years ago.
In 2011 umpires were told that players “who have a natural arc in their kicking action” would be allowed leeway before being called to play on.
But AFL umpires’ coach Hayden Kennedy reiterated at a recent training session that the rule had been tightened by rule makers, and they must now call play-on as soon as players go off their direct line.
The whistleblowers immediately raised Franklin as an example, and were told that he, too, has to kick over the player on the mark.
They are sceptical because it is yet another grey part of the game to police.
Any time a player backs off, and it is noticeable to the umpire that he has backed off more north-south, it will be called “play on”.
The player must be on the most direct line as possible approaching the kick as well.
AFL umpires say this new interpretation hasn’t been put to the test yet. They are awaiting an example at the upcoming trial games.
The new man on the mark rule was almost a non-event at the Western Bulldogs-Hawthorn match.
Onlookers said that Marcus Bontempelli gave away a 50m penalty late in the game, but simply forgot about the new rule and immediately put up his hand to apologise.