lasso

This is the latest rule devised by the governing body of Australian Rules football.  It requires a free kick to be given against the last player to touch the ball before it crosses the boundary line between the two 50 metre arcs.  Previously the umpires had to judge the intent of the player, whether they had deliberately sent the ball over the line or not.  This was difficult and the stoppages were frequent and took up time.  So now all it needs is a decision on who was the last player to touch the ball.  This creates an incentive for players to keep the ball in play and thus to keep the game moving.  In theory judging the last touch seems easier than judging the player’s intent but in practice in a fast-moving game with a crush of players around the ball, deciding who had the last touch can be difficult.

The rule was called the lasso because, before throwing the ball back in, the umpire twirls his hand above his head in a movement similar to that of a circling lasso.  An odd but quite identifiable signal. I’m sure they had fun dreaming that one up!