| Football (australian Rules) Positions |
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The fluid nature of the modern game means the positions in football are not as formally defined as in sports such as rugby or American football. Even so, most players will play in a limited range of positions throughout their career, as each position requires a particular set of skills. Footballers who are able to play comfortably in numerous positions are referred to as ''utility players''. FULL BACK The fullback position has traditionally been a purely defensive role, with the aim of preventing the full-forward from marking the ball and scoring. However, in recent times, where the ability to move the ball out of defense and down the field quickly has become a more important tactic, the fullback often starts a chain of passes up the ground. The defensive aspect of the position remains important, with the ability to accelerate and change direction quickly. Spoiling the ball is also of utmost importance. The fullback often kicks the ball back into play after a point has been scored, although some teams prefer a midfielder for this role, freeing the (typically taller) fullback player to attempt to mark the kick in. ''Notable Full Backs:''
BACK POCKET The back pocket refers to a position on the field deep in defence. Back pocket players need to have good spoiling skills and usually, quality back-pockets are noted for their hardness. Back pockets generally play on the smaller, faster foward pockets and let the fullback play on the stronger full forward. ''Notable Back Pockets:'' CENTRE HALF-BACK The centre half-back ideally needs to be considerably strong, tall, fast and courageous. Centre half-back is considered a key position in defence. There are two main styles of centre half-back. The more defensive, one-on-one centre half-backs, stick to the centre half forwards and try to take them out of the game. Other teams use a more attacking and loose (i.e. not marking his man closely) player at CHB that will try and rebound the ball out of defence and make the transition into attack a lot quicker. An example of this sort of player is Chad Cornes . A traditional centre half-back is a mixture of the two, however in the modern game there is not much difference between a centre half-back and a full-back. A full-back will often play against the centre half-forward if they suit their opponent. ''Notable Centre Half-Backs:'' HALF-BACK FLANK The half-back flank is very similar to the back pocket position. However, a true half-back flanker is more attacking and concentrates on rebounding the ball out of the defensive 50. Sometimes half-back flankers even forgo their defensive duties in order to be more attacking. When a half-back flanker is attacking, they play like a wing-back in soccer (or an attacking full-back), and if they are more defensive then they play like a traditional full-back in soccer. ''Notable Half-Back Flankers:'' MIDFIELD The midfield consists of the centre and the two '''wingmen'''. Centres are normally the silkiest player on the ground and possess fantastic on-the-ball skills (usually on both sides of the body). Wingmen (of which there are two, on the left and right side) have fantastic stamina and are in good cardiovascular condition while having similar skills to that of a centre. ''Notable Centres:'' ''Notable Wingmen:'' CENTRE HALF-FORWARD The Centre half-forward's role is usually the most demanding of any player on field, with a tall frame, good marking skills, strength and most importantly, athleticism, required. ''Notable Centre Half-Forwards:''
Current players: Nick Riewoldt , Warren Tredrea , Scott Lucas , Jonathan Brown , Matthew Pavlich HALF-FORWARD FLANK Standing wide of the Centre Half-forward, the Half-Forward flankers provide an alternate target for balls coming from the midfield. ''Notable Half-Forward Flankers:'' FULL FORWARD Full Fowards are good at one-on-one contests with the opposition and are the main target in the forward line when attacking. This means they can produce mass amounts of goals in a season or match. Contests in the goalsquare require the strength and weight to be able to jostle or wrestle opponents to front position and keep fullbacks at bay and not as much running is required as midfielders. As a result, full-forwards are typically both tall and powerfully built. ''Notable Full Forwards:'' Current players: Brendan Fevola , Fraser Gehrig , Matthew Lloyd FORWARD POCKET The forward pocket is designed as either a role for a second full forward (also known as a third key forward) or for players who are smaller but faster and more agile and capable of kicking brilliantly on the run (this is the more traditional forward pocket). Many forward pockets, like rovers, are quick thinking and opportunistic ''crumbing'' players. This means that they need to be short enough to pick up after it hits the ground from a contest, think and move quickly to evade potential tackles and kick a goal. ''Notable Forward Pockets:''
FOLLOWERS The followers are 3 different roles, the ruck, '''rover''' and '''ruck-rover'''. Also known as the on-ball division, the followers consist of three players - a ruckman, ruck rover, and rover. They are known as followers because they have traditionally been used as players that follow the ball all around the ground, as opposed to playing in a set position (although with modern Australian rules football, there is a decreased emphasis on set positions. That said, followers do cover much more ground than any other player on the field). Ruckman - his role is to contest with the opposing ruckman at centre-bounces that take place at the start of each quarter or after each goal, and at stoppages (ie, boundary throw ins, ball ups). The ruckman usually uses his height (typically players are over 195 cm tall) to palm/tap the ball down so that a ruck rover or rover can run onto it. Ruck-rover - his role is to be directly beneath the flight of the ball when a ruckman taps the ball down, allowing an easy take away, or clearance, from a stoppage. Typically players are not as tall as the ruckman, typically ranging from 170-190cm in height. Rover - his role is to lurk around centre bounces and stoppages to receive the ball from a ruckman or ruck rover and complete a clearance. Rovers are typically the smallest player on the ground. ''Notable Ruckmen:'' ''Notable Rovers:'' ''Notable Ruck-Rovers:'' TAGGERS Taggers, also known as "run-with" players, are not as highly skilled as other players on the field, nor do they have any set position. Their role is to shut down, follow, run with, mark and sometimes nag their chosen opponent. They are considered "negative" players, and are often used on players that are deemed to be the most dangerous and have the most impact in a game. Taggers have only really been used in recent years, and such players to have earned "tag" status include Ben Cousins , Chris Judd , James Hird , Nathan Buckley and Jason Akermanis , all players who are capable of destruction if they are not tightly manned. Jason Akermanis has criticised one of his most frequent tagging opponents, Jared Crouch , for the negative influence he has not so much on Akermanis' game, but the game of Australian rules football in general. Taggers possess a high level of fitness and can run with such star players all day, and often players from an athletic background that do not possess silky skills will be assigned to tag a player. Some players, such as Cameron Ling , who made a name for themselves as taggers have 'stepped up' and become players who frequently get tagged themselves. ''Notable taggers:''
INTERCHANGE BENCH Interchange, also often known as "the bench". Players named on the interchange bench are not permitted to enter the field of play unless substituting for a player during the game. Up to four players can be named on the bench, although this number has steadily increased over the decades from a single player in the 1930s. Representative teams (such as State Of Origin teams or honorific teams such as the AFL Team Of The Century ), practise and exhibition matches often feature an extended interchange bench of up to six or eight players. Up until the 1970s, the single interchange player, known as the "nineteenth man," acted only as a substitution for an injured or out of form player; the player substituted out of the game could take no further part. Since the 1970s, interchange has increased from two to three to four players, and substitutions may be made as often as the coach wishes, with players allowed to be moved onto and off from the ground for several rests during the game. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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