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Sport Nation
AFL legends call for minimum marking distance to be changed
Nicholas Quinlan • April 19th, 2025 4:55 pm
Adam Simpson and Dermott Brereton want to see a change in the minimum kicking distance for a mark to be paid.
Both men would like the distance to be increased from 15 metres to 20 metres to help avoid confusion about the distance and put greater emphasis on moving the ball further.
Clubs had noticed that throughout the season that umpires were not as lenient on the rule as they had been in previous years.
On SEN’s Crunch Time, Simpson felt bewildered at why the AFL decided to crack down on the rule.
“The 15-metre rule is ridiculous at the moment,” Simpson said.
“Maybe I'm on my own here.
"But there was one last night; it was just a standard kick-in from the Bombers and now, no one knows.
“If you plan on straight away when gee that was actually a mark or you don’t play on and get caught and done for holding the ball.
“It’s getting ridiculous, and I don’t know the answer.
“I don’t know why they’ve tightened up on it, make it 20 metres if you are worried about it.
Dermott Brereton was in firm agreement with Simpson believing that it would be a logical answer to this issue.
“I’m with you Simmo,” Brereton exclaimed.
“20 metres would be a more logical distance and we're seeing so much short passing, I think it would help with the game a little bit as well.”
It would not be the first time that the AFL has changed the rules regarding the minimum distance for a mark.
Although the last time it changed was back in 1981 to its current distance of 15 meters from 10 meters.
Sam Edmund made note to the fact the 15-metre rule is paid differently across the ground.
“All I know is that when the ball gets kicked in the back half, the threshold seems higher.”
Simpson was also clear in making the point that the change was not the umpire’s fault and that they were merely enforcing what they were told.
“It’s not the umpire’s fault, it’s obviously an instruction from someone."
