Rules Analysis
At the start of the game, after half-time or after a score, play commences with a throw by the defence, called a "pull".
The pull may be made only after both teams have signalled their readiness by having the puller and a player on offence raise a hand above their head.
The puller is the defender who undertakes the pull. The pulling team may designate a new puller at any time before the pull.
After signalling readiness all offensive players must stand with one foot on their defending goal line without changing location relative to one another until the pull is released.
The offence should be legally positioned and all non-players from the offensive team should be off the playing field before the offence can legally signal readiness.
After signalling readiness all defensive players must keep their feet entirely behind the vertical plane of the goal line until the pull is released.
All non-players from the defensive team should be off the playing field before the pull is released.
If a team breaches 7.3 or 7.4 the opposing team may call a violation (“offside”). This must be called before the offence touches the disc (7.8 still applies).
It is recommended that the opposing team provide a warning to the captain of the team committing this violation before it is enforced. Team should also take into account that calls should only be made where a breach is significant enough to make a difference to the outcome of the action.Offside can only be called by the players on the field, and any call made by a non-player has no consequences. However non players may assist in monitoring offside and may provide advice based on their perspective.A contested offsides call results in a stoppage of play and a re-pull. To contest an offsides call, a player on the contesting team must have perspective at least as good as the person making the call. If the call is made with the assistance of a non-player, only a similarly-positioned person would be deemed to have equal or better perspective.Note:There is no difference to whether a team has been called for their first offside violation, or they have been called offside multiple times, the outcome is the same. If either team has called offside, it is still a “dropped pull” turnover if the offence touches the disc before it hits the ground, and the offensive team fails to subsequently establish possession.If both teams are called for offside on the same pull, both outcomes described in rules 7.5.1 and 7.5.2 would applyWhat:The defence is offside and the offence calls offside after they catch the discResult:The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been calledWhat:The defence is offside and the offence calls offside and then the disc is caught by the offenceResult:The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been calledWhat:The defence is offside and the offence calls offside and then the disc hits the ground and stops in the offences defending endzoneResult:The offence can pick up the disc and resume play from the brick mark closest to their defending endzone. No check is required.What:The offence is offside and the defence calls offside after the offence have caught the discResult:The offside call has no bearing and play continues as if no offside has been calledWhat:The offence is offside and the defence calls offside while the disc is in the air and the pull lands out-of-boundsResult:The offence can still make a “brick” call. The thrower establishes a pivot at the brick mark closest to their defending endzone. All other offence players establish a stationary position. The defence then establish a stationary position. The disc is checked in and play resumes.Extra:If a player makes an incorrect offside call (ie by calling it after it has been touched, or the offence calls offside and also catches the pull) and play had stopped to discuss the call, players should return to where they were when the call was made and resume play with a check.
No player on the defensive team may touch the disc after a pull until a member of the offensive team contacts the disc or the disc hits the ground.
What:A pull hits the ground and starts rolling towards the defending end zone, so a defender stops the disc, even before an offence player has touched it.Result:This is allowed (Rule 8.4). If the defensive player kicked the disc towards the offensive end zone, the disc may be put into play by the offence at the point where it was kicked (Rule 8.4.1)Extra:If the pull is still in the air without the offence having touched it, no defensive player may touch it, even if it flies back towards the defensive end zone (e.g. because of the wind). If a player does touch it, offence may request a re-pull.If the pull lands in the offence’s attacking end zone (i.e. a really short pull), the offence should take it on the goal line.Any offence player can also stop the pull from rolling. That player is not required to pick up the disc after stopping it.
If an offensive player, in-bounds or out-of-bounds, touches the disc before it hits the ground, and the offensive team fails to subsequently establish possession, that is a turnover (a “dropped pull”).
If an offensive player catches the pull and subsequently establishes possession, they must establish a pivot point at the location on the playing field nearest to where possession is established, even if that pivot point is in their defending end zone.
If the disc initially contacts the playing field and never becomes out-of-bounds, the thrower must establish a pivot point where the disc stops, even if that pivot point is in their defending end zone.
If the disc initially contacts the playing field and then becomes out-of-bounds without contacting an offensive player, the thrower must establish a pivot point where the disc first crossed the perimeter line, or the nearest location in the central zone if that pivot point would be in their defending end zone.
If the disc contacts the out-of-bounds area without first touching the playing field or an offensive player, the thrower may establish a pivot point either at the brick mark closest to their defending end zone, or at the location on the central zone closest to where the disc went out-of-bounds (Section 11.8). The binding brick option must be signalled before the disc is picked up, by any offensive player fully extending one arm overhead and calling "brick".
If an offensive player signals and calls “brick”, a different offensive player may pick up the disc.If players who had good perspective on the play cannot agree on if the pull landed out-of-bounds or in-bounds, the midpoint on the sideline between the two proposed pivot locations should be used.