Ball-up
A general ball-up is staged after all other neutral stoppages in play, with the exception of after the ball goes out of bounds, which is restarted by a boundary throw-in.Prior to this, a common strategy was for one ruckman to block the other while a team-mate entered the ruck contest and won the tap-out, becoming what was known as a third man up.[10] The 10m circle was introduced in 2005 to limit the length of the ruckmen's run-ups, as posterior cruciate ligament injuries caused by front-on knee clashes at centre bounces had become a common problem over the previous years.[11] An umpire may recall an errant centre bounce which skews in such a way that it does not create a fair contest between the two ruckman, stopping play and re-setting the players to execute a second ball-up by throw.Prior to this, the ball was kicked off from the centre of the ground by the team who was scored upon (or, as determined by the coin toss at start of the game).[12] The skill of being able to bounce an obloid-shaped ball vertically upwards on a grass surface is unique to Australian rules football, and is much loved by traditionalists.These two effects are compounding, with physical demands limiting the amount of time umpires can spend perfecting the craft.[13][14] Long run-ups and front-on knee clashes during centre bounces became a common cause of posterior cruciate ligament injuries for ruckmen in the early years of the 21st century.
Matt StevicCarltonSt KildaAustralian rules footballLaws of the Gamejump ballfaceoffdropped-ballfield umpireposterior cruciate ligament1999 preseasonAdelaideShaun RehnThe AgeterminologyClangerHandballafter the sirencheckside puntdrop kickdrop puntgrubberplace kickset shotup and undertorpedo puntKick-inMark of the Yearspectacular markOne percenterRunning bounceShepherdTacklechicken wing tacklefend-offspear tackleFree kicks50-metre penaltyCoathangerDeliberate out of boundsHolding the ballHolding the manPush in the backBehindrushed behindcoast-to-coast goalGoal of the Yearsuper goalBannerFather–son ruleFloodingGuernseyPositionsPriority draft pickRookie listTime-onUmpireFooty gods