How to Apply the Rules of Hockey | Early Breaking Defenders | #RuleyTuesday Ep. 9

Control the chaos of repeated early breaks by defenders on the penalty corner with this #RuleyTuesday!

Transcript

What happens when a defender breaks early on a penalty corner, and then it happens again? Utter chaos? Dogs and cats living together? Not once you’ve checked out this Ruley Tuesday! Let’s do this.

Hey third team friends! I’m Keely Dunn with FHumpires and here’s your latest Ruley Tuesday, a hot take on one rule in the book. 

This one is courtesy of a long-time friend of FHumpires, Matt Allan, from everyone’s favourite global hockey podcast, The Reverse Stick. Matt’s been umpiring a LOT lately and wanted to know: what you do when multiple defenders break early on the penalty corner?

Let’s cover the rules first. 

Rule 13.6(c) – Early Breaking Defenders

Under 13.6 (c),

…if a defender, other than goalkeeper, crosses the back-line or goal-line before permitted, the offending player is required to go beyond the centre-line and cannot be replaced by another defender: and the penalty corner is taken again.

The guidance continues,

If a defender at this or any subsequently re-taken penalty corner crosses the back-line or goal-line before permitted, the offending player is also required to go beyond the centre-line and cannot be replaced.

Rule 13.6(d) – Re-Taken Penalty Corners

We learn what a re-taken penalty corner is under sub (d):

A penalty corner is considered as re-taken until any of the conditions of Rules 13.5 for its completion are met. A subsequently-awarded penalty corner, as opposed to a re-taken penalty corner, may be defended by up to five players.

Rule of Hockey 13.5 – Completion of Penalty Corners

Finally, 13.5 gives us those 7 conditions that complete a penalty corner:

a) A goal is scored
b) A free hit is awarded to the defending team
c) The ball travels more than 5 metres outside the circle
d) The ball is played over the back-line and a penalty corner is not awarded (15m free hit)
e) A defender commits an offence which does not result in another penalty corner (a free hit to the attack inside the 5m dotted line)
f) A penalty stroke is awarded, or
g) A bully is awarded (unless it’s the end of a quarter).

(EDIT: Under the January 2021 update of the 2019 Rules of Hockey, a bully now results in the retaking of the PC.)

So this means that while a penalty corner is proceeding, for all of the retakes that constitute that same penalty corner, an early-breaking defender is not permitted to come back to defend from the end-line. This means that if a defender takes one in the foot after an early-breaking player has been sent to the centre, the penalty corner is being retaken and the defenders still start with 4. If on the next or any penalty corner that is part of that same sequence, in that the penalty corner has not been completed under 13.5, another defender breaks early, they will lose *another* defender and play with 3. And 2 and then we have dogs and cats truly living together.

The legal beagles amongst you may be wondering why the definition of a retaken penalty corner is under sub (d) where it deals with goalkeepers breaking early and not (c), or somewhere that it’s clear it applies in both situations. And I know, if you apply the legal interpretation principle of implied exclusion, for example, you’d come to the opposite conclusion that what I’ve expressed. However, as evidenced throughout the rule book, it’s not exactly the best-drafted document and what makes sense is that we treat defenders who break early the same way, whether the breaking player was a field player or a goalkeeper.

Chaos Contained!

Was this #RuleyTuesday the cat’s meow and help you get back to being the big dog on the pitch? Slide into the comments and replies, and tag a friend who would benefit from hearing all this! Also, I’d be purrfectly delighted if you’d offer your support with a $3 monthly Blue membership. Head to  fhu3t.com join the FHumpires Third Team.

Chau for now!

#tuesdaytip #hockey #fieldhockey #hockeyumpire #fieldhockeyumpire #rules #umpirelife #thirdteam #FIH #FIHumpire #rulesofhockey #rulesoffieldhockey #hockeyumpiring #fieldhockeyumpiring