Attacker Offences During PCs | How to Apply the Rules of Hockey | #RuleyTuesday Ep. 16

Keeping track of the various offences attackers can commit during penalty corners and what each of their remedies are is a bit of a challenge. Burrow down to the key points in this handy #RuleyTuesday episode so you won't be caught by surprise in your next game!

Transcript

Bothered by breaches during penalty corners? On this #RuleyTuesday, we’ll break down all the bad stuff attackers can do and bust all misconceptions. Let’s do this!

Hey friends! I’m Keely Dunn of FHumpires, and you look great today. We’re back with a hot take on one hockey rule as we burst the bubble on attacker fouls on penalty corners.

Rule 13.6

Let’s browse through the best bits of Rule 13.6, shall we?

For an offence during the taking of a penalty corner: 

a) the player taking the push or hit from the back-line does not have at least one foot outside the field: the penalty corner is taken again

b) the player taking the push or hit from the back-line feints at playing the ball, the offending player is required to go beyond the centre-line but is replaced by another attacker: the penalty corner is taken again.

If this feinting leads to what otherwise would be a breach of this rule by a defender, only the attacker is required to go beyond the centre-line.

e) an attacker enters the circle before permitted, the offending player is required to go beyond the centre-line: the penalty corner is taken again. 

Attackers who are sent beyond the centre-line may not return for re-taken penalty corners, but may do so for a subsequently awarded penalty corner

f) for any other offence by attackers : a free hit is awarded to the defence.

Except as specified above, a free hit, penalty corner or penalty stroke is awarded as specified elsewhere in the Rules. 

A Foot on the Line: No Big Whup

Going back to sub-clause a), this was a hot topic after the 2012 olympics in London. I’ll dub this the KRW rule, after the venerable GB captain was spotted on a video referral to have her back foot on the end line on a penalty corner injection and the goal scored subsequently had to be ruled out and another PC awarded. The VR regulations were amended immediately after to discourage teams for referring on these kinds of technical grounds as unlikely to be successful in the future. The key here is to be proactive and ask for an injector’s foot to be moved back before the injection even happens.

Injectors Sent to the Centre Line

Sub b) deals with a feint by the injector, where the injector is sent to centre and the penalty corner is reset. Further, sub e) has the same remedy for attackers who break early from the top of the circle – the injector gets sent.

It may seen odd that an injector must be sent to the centre-line but can be replaced by a teammate and the PC is retaken, consider that first, an early-breaking gets the same treatment and the PC is reset. That part seems fair. The reason they can be replaced and the attackers don’t have to “lose an attacker” from the top of the circle is because there is no maximum number of players they can put there in the first place. How can you enforce a subtraction from a completely changeable number?

Given that we can’t figure out any other way to discourage attackers from breaking early, the rule that the injector must go was introduced in 2019 so that at least an identifiable, specialized player could be penalized and there could be a disruption to the attackers’ preferred set piece options.

Injectors Injecting Early

As covered in a recent #FeatureFriday post, feinting also includes attackers pulling before the umpire has indicated that the penalty corner is ready to go.

Anything Else: NOW It's a FHD

The last clause reinforces that “any other foul” by attackers other than those listed result in a free hit against their team. A common one is that the injector flubs the injection and approaches within playing distance or plays the ball a second time.

Have I blown away your misbeliefs about attacker blunders on corners?  Broadcast your beliefs in the comments and bust on that like button. Also, we’ve got an upcoming FHumpires workshop entitled “Player-Proof Your PCs” where you’ll get a step-by-step management plan to boss this business. Fhu3t members will get a bonus PC decision-making flow-chart covering this #RuleyTuesday episode and every other bit of this blueprint. Check out the workshop link and your membership options at fhu3t.com.

Chau for now!

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