The "held" Rule

[tommy]

What is the rule for an attacking player being held? I have noticed a few times this year in several games from every round the ref is calling held as soon as the player with the ball is being driven backwards from aggressive defensive play. I always thought the ref is only supposed to call held when either the player with the ball is lifted off his feet and carried backwards or when the attacking player and defensive players are at an impasse and ground has stopped being made.

 

[tommy]

 

[Kimlo]

The refs have a "feel" for the rules

 

[Dash]

My favourite is when they wait for the player to be half a foot from the sideline/goal line, call held when it's too late to stop and penalise the defensive team when the player goes over the line.

 

[Jedhead]

My biggest hate in the whole game is when the refs call held, the tackled player then relaxes and the opposition go on with the tackle and put him on the ground. It drives me mad, they were unable to get him to ground that's why the ref called held ffs. But when the opposition go on with it and put them on the ground the refs say nothing.

It shits me to tears, and the Broncs get suckered by this shit every week.

 

[Big Pete]

The player is tackled or held when they cannot make anymore progress or part with the football. The referees will provide leeway if there is momentum in the tackle. However, if the player is lifted off the ground, the players must immediately release him.

The rule came in around 2006 when Daniel Fitzhenry suffered a serious injury against the Warriors I believe.

It saved Queensland in the decider when Wesser was carried into the in-goal and lost the ball in the process.

My biggest hate in the whole game is when the refs call held, the tackled player then relaxes and the opposition go on with the tackle and put him on the ground. It drives me mad, they were unable to get him to ground that's why the ref called held ffs. But when the opposition go on with it and put them on the ground the refs say nothing.

It shits me to tears, and the Broncs get suckered by this shit every week.

That's the biggest blight on the game and has been for decades. In a game where ruck speed is so crucial, it amazes me that this isn't a bigger deal.

 

[Allo]

I just want the ball played on the mark for a change. Players walk about 4 steps off every time and it’s picked up maybe once a game

The grey area of the held call and players wrestling themselves into weird entanglements is most of the cause

 

[Morkel]

A fair while ago it was explained that the refs allowed one more movement by the defence after “held” was called. Which is why the Storm were allowed to twist and manipulate players for 10 minutes, “held” would be called, and then they’d collapse it all and peel off one by one. I thought this had been removed, as well as the “peel” thing (they now have to get off together), but it’s one of those ones that the refs don’t want to call out because it happens to often for them to now police properly.

 

[tommy]

I thought maybe the rule had changed, but obviously not.

 

[Jedhead]

A fair while ago it was explained that the refs allowed one more movement by the defence after “held” was called. Which is why the Storm were allowed to twist and manipulate players for 10 minutes, “held” would be called, and then they’d collapse it all and peel off one by one. I thought this had been removed, as well as the “peel” thing (they now have to get off together), but it’s one of those ones that the refs don’t want to call out because it happens to often for them to now police properly.

It's the collapsing the 'huddle' after held is called that should be stamped out. This puts another couple of seconds on the delay time and sometimes more if they manage to get the player on his back in the process. Which I might add is the majority of cases.

 

[Morkel]

I thought maybe the rule had changed, but obviously not.

I thought so too, but it's still allowed to go on. Maybe because there are so many "entanglements" that often a collapse is unavoidable at times, so the refs don't know which are circumstantial and which are deliberate, so let them all go.

 

[bb_gun]

I thought so too, but it's still allowed to go on. Maybe because there are so many "entanglements" that often a collapse is unavoidable at times, so the refs don't know which are circumstantial and which are deliberate, so let them all go.

It's only penalised somewhat consistently when it happens close to the try line, anywhere else on the field it just appears to be up to the discretion of the refs.

 

[tommy]

It's only penalised somewhat consistently when it happens close to the try line, anywhere else on the field it just appears to be up to the discretion of the refs.

Same with the forcing the attacking player backwards. If they are near their own tryline and the defence has a chance of forcing them back into their own goal for a dropout it is allowed. Anywhere else on the field refs are calling held as soon as the bloke with the ball starts losing ground.

 

[WASSHHH]

2 things, first relating to this and the second to another major gripe of mine.

1. There is no reward for good defence. If the defence starts to drive a player backwards (without lifting them off the ground), held is called. Flip the script and just about every time, the attacking player can keep going all he likes, even offload if he wants. No held call, play on.

2. Someone commented on playing the ball on the mark. Well I cannot stand when a penalty kick is taken, as just about all (particular the third on field ref at the Storm), mark the spot and then kick it from 3 or more metres in front of it. It’s free metres and it needs to stop.

 

[tommy]

Melb's first 2 sets of the game. Each of them a player is called held the very moment he starts losing ground.

 

[Alec]

1. There is no reward for good defence. If the defence starts to drive a player backwards (without lifting them off the ground), held is called. Flip the script and just about every time, the attacking player can keep going all he likes, even offload if he wants. No held call, play on.

There's no point to pretty much anything in defence except wrestling.

 

[tommy]

Saw the same crap at least half a dozen times last night. At one point Lodge was called held while he was still very clearly making ground.

 

[Dexter]

What is the rule for an attacking player being held? I have noticed a few times this year in several games from every round the ref is calling held as soon as the player with the ball is being driven backwards from aggressive defensive play. I always thought the ref is only supposed to call held when either the player with the ball is lifted off his feet and carried backwards or when the attacking player and defensive players are at an impasse and ground has stopped being made.

I'm pretty sure that a player is called held if he is being driven backwards and his own player gets behind and starts pushing forward.
More teams should be aware of it IMO .

Here is the rule

Moving tackled player 2. (a) Where opponents do not make a tackle effective in the quickest possible manner but attempt to push, pull or carry the player in possession, it is permissible for colleagues of the tackled player to lend their weight in order to avoid losing ground. Immediately this happens the referee should call “Held”.

2. (b) Where the tackled player is held in an upright position, the ball shall not be played before the referee indicates that the tackle has been effected