A subtle but physical breakdown foul is missed on the near sideline in front of the 23m line. The umpire is running the outside line with her head turned, making it difficult to see the push in the …
INDvARG VR stick obstruction no foul no bully Pibworth Rule
The initial decision on the penalty corner was a free hit for the defence. The attacking team referred it for a stick obstruction. On review, the video umpire found simultaneous fouls by both the …
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NZLvBEL No attacker touch inside the circle before crossing the goal line
For a goal to be scored, an attacker must touch the ball inside the circle before it crosses the goal line. There was no touch by an attacker here, and also no defender, so the correct decision is a …
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BLRvNED Rolling and raised ball
Two separate elements can be highlighted in this passage of play. First, after the ball is rolled in from the ball patrol on a 9m free push, the defender puts the ball into play without making a …
AUSvARG GC breakdown quickly given
The defender takes an extra bite on this tackle as a clear attempt to slow down the attacker by making little attempt at the ball and just throwing her stick in the way. A green card is (quickly) …
NZLvUSA GC reckless stick
On this attempted tackle, the defender recklessly uses her stick and strikes that of the ball carrier. A green card is awarded. To access this content, you must purchase FHU3T Green, FHU3T …
NEDvAUS Opponent within 5m of initial receiver on aerial
As this aerial goes up, two opposing players may have been within 5m of each other in a receiving area. However, from where the ball is heading there is an initial receiver from the attacking team who …
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ESPvBEL Aerial to attacker 5m infringement before control
Attacker is occupying the space and is the intended receiver of this aerial. Before the attacker can control the ball to the ground, the defender infringes on the 5m space. As the play …
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AUSvARG Missed YC for breakdown from behind
What would have been the second yellow card of the game to ARG is missed on this breaking tackle involving a push on the back that takes the ball carrier to ground. These can be difficult to spot if …
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AUSvNED Shoot-out intentionally off backline by GK
The umpire mistakenly awards a penalty corner (which isn’t possible in a shoot-out anyway), or a retake, when the goalkeeper plays the ball intentionally off the backline during a shoot-out attempt. …
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ARGvESP GC breakdown stick tackle 2
The ARG defender comes rushing in at speed, commits one rash stick obstruction and then takes another bite at the ball and breaks the play down by hooking the ball carrier’s stick. The reckless nature …
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AUSvNED Aerial across circle supporting umpire help
Some excellent cooperation on display on this attacking aerial across the circle. The ball travels across the pitch to a receiving area clearly occupied by an attacking teammate. A defender is in the …
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GERvKAZ Hit out of mid-air
A crossing pass is deflected slightly into the air on the attempted interception. It bounces once but before it settles onto the court the oncoming attacker hits is out of mid-air into the goal. The …
NZLvGBR No stop on the free hit
The ball deflects off the surrounds and back towards where it needs to be taken on the sideline. The attacker takes the ball in full flight and doesn’t stop the ball. Given where the defenders are, …
NZLvARG Playing ball after whistle
An early instance where the defending team taps the ball away has the intended effect of allowing the defenders to get back in front of the ball in numbers. Although this particular moment may not …
NEDvBEL GC timing
Consider the timing of when you give cards. Although the foul itself was reckless it had no effect on the development of the play and the attacking team was in full possession with options available …
NZLvUSA Dangerous 3D skills
An attacker picks up the ball on a 3D dribble and goes straight at the upright defender, without making any attempt to go around. The umpire correctly calls this as dangerous. Switch your focus to the …
UKRvAUS Trapped ball on board for FP
When the ball carrier gets caught without many options on the right side-board, she eventually pushes the ball into the defending player's stick and causes the trapped ball obstruction, resulting in a …
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ARGvESP VR for foot outside circle – NAP
The defending team requests a video referral after a penalty corner is awarded after a foot is given just inside the circle on the basis that there was a foot by an attacker immediately before. The …
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AUSvBEL Green card for reckless tackle
On the attempted tackle, the defender comes through the back of the receiver in an uncontrolled manner. Although the attacker may have gone down a little too easily, the defender didn’t try to step …
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ESPvNED Aerial to undetermined receiver
An attacking aerial is thrown beyond and equally between two opposing players and the free hit is awarded to the defending team. One way to interpret this situation is that the ball is receivable in …
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AUSvNED Playing ball after whistle warning
This is the first time a player has played the ball after the whistle in this game but, given the number of seconds left in the half, the effectiveness of this misconduct to prevent any last-second …
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AUSvGBR Penalty corner collision
This collision on the penalty corner is worth examining, for a variety of reasons. For context, there was a significant incident at last year’s Pro League Finals during the semi-final between these …
ARGvNED Playing ball away for PC upgrade after aerial mistrap
A player mistraps the reception on the aerial and clearly plays the ball off her own foot. She then pokes the ball away in a subtle but cynical motion to ensure the opposition can’t take a quick free …
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ESPvGER 5m infringement or not
A foot foul brings a quick whistle from the umpire. With the ball slightly moving, the attacker takes a self-pass and a third defender comes in to attempt the tackle. This scenario shows the …
NZLvUSA Ball placement accuracy and flow
The umpire corrects the ball placement after the free hit had been taken, forcing the ball to be replaced and flow is broken. Also of note is reading whether the potentially incorrect ball placement …
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INDvNED Green card for breakdown stick tackle
Either just before or on the 23m line, a defender throws in a tackle that lands halfway up the ball carrier’s stick. These tackles can be dangerous so it’s a good time to show a green card and try to …
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AUSvNED Obstruction body shield
The attacker approaches the top of the circle just as 3 defenders converge to all cut off his pathway to the goal. The defender to the attacker’s left, in particular, has good positioning and a …
NZLvARG VR not available
One for the video referral nerds out there: after ARG concedes a goal, they attempt to refer a free hit decision outside their attacking circle at the other end. This decision isn’t referrable because …
CHNvGBR VR aerial 5m infringement
Description to follow …
BELvUSA Aerial interception attempt for PC
Two slightly different concepts are at play regarding aerial interceptions and 5m infringements here. Although the foul is described as missing the aerial interception, the umpire decides that the …
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CHNvBEL Backside stick on tackle
A tackling player attempts to dispossess the ball carrier but uses the back of their stick. If a player tries to use the edge on a shave technique but their stick isn’t flat, there is a good chance …
INDvNED 10′ YC stick to face
The IND attacker lifts his stick dangerously when attempting to evade a tackle and strikes the defender in the face. This isn’t a red card situation, as the play was reckless but within the context of …
ARGvBEL Non-obstruction going to end line
In many parts of the playing field, this tackle may well be deemed a body obstruction as the defender steps in with his shoulder and blocks the path of the attacker. However, when you take into …
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GERvKAZ No goal for hit
Although this doesn’t appear to be a swinging motion, the stick is not in contact with the court at any point before making contact, which doesn’t result in a pushing motion of the ball. …
ARGvNED GC playing ball after whistle
Although the green card was given for playing the ball after the whistle, it could well have been given for the breakdown foul that brought on the free hit. This is the second green card for NED, and …
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NZLvESP Verbal warning for dangerous use of stick
The umpire warns the fouled attacker about flicking his stick up in reaction to the stick obstruction foul. In isolation, this is an excellent intervention. However, we’ve already seen a green card …
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GERvKAZ Advantage goal
As an outnumbered counterattack flows into the circle, the deflected crossing attempt is deflected high off the goalkeeper’s stick. It then strikes his defending teammate in the chest and slowly …
GERvAUT Attacker playing ball in the air
Rule 9.10 permits a player to play the ball in the air only when a legitimate shot at goal rebounds from an opposing goalkeeper, defender or post. The player may “stop” the ball, which is interpreted …
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NEDvBEL Penalty corner upgrade
This is the third breakdown foul by this team so far in the game, and the two previous had been met with green cards. However, the reason this seemingly innocuous stick tackle is penalized this …
AUSvGBR Reversal of free hit
The free hit is reversed at a crucial moment in the game. GBR had held a 4-2 lead until the later moments when they gave up 2 late goals, so AUS were carrying the momentum in the last minute. Whether …
AUSvBEL Video referral for off-ball incident inside circle
A video referral is requested for a push inside the circle. The rushing defender and the drag flicker get slightly tangled, resulting in some reflexive actions pushing each other away. Although the …
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NZLvGBR Back stick no goal
A back stick shot is correctly called in the first instance by the umpire. The slowly looping trajectory of the ball contrasts with the pace of the stick swing, a good indicator that energy has been …
AUSvNED GC breakdown tackle from ground
A defender attempts a tackle from a poor position in behind and interferes with the ball carrier with their arm or stick. Although the defender is on the ground, they haven’t met the criterion for an …
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GERvKAZ Bully for 2 balls on the pitch
A shot rebounds off the boards and is in possession of the attacking team inside the circle when the ball patrol mistakenly throws in a second ball. A bully is called, and the ball is brought back to …
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ESPvARG Early read on the transition
The umpire on the far side recognises early the potential for an end to end counter and, being aware of the attacker high in the circle, moves quickly to get to his “happy place” behind the base line …
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NZLvGBR Aerial pressure from behind
An aerial ball is sent to a space occupied by an opposing player. A teammate of the passer starts behind the initial receiver and begins to close. At this level, is it a disadvantage for a receiver to …
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ESPvGBR Patient whistle on smaller fouls inside the circle
Showing patience inside the circle when little incidents occur can show dividends when an umpire has a thorough understanding of the skill level of the players involved. There is a minor bump by the …
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ARGvNED Aerial into D
An aerial is launched into the circle safely over the heads of the players with established positions, falling into a landing area where only a solitary attacker was making a great cut for the ball. …
ARGvNED Breakaway positioning and GK outside circle
When an attacker breaks away via the through pass, the goalkeeper leaves his circle and plays the ball away legally with his stick. Given that goalkeepers are a bigger, more heavily-equipped player, …
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