Sneaking
InfringementA player who is Sneaking must not:
interfere with play;
attempt to gain advantage for his side from being in a Sneaking position.
Penalty: Free-kick or Set-Piece-Bully (only if the infringement was unavoidable).
A player is Sneaking in the following situations:
A player is Sneaking if they have both feet fully in front of the ball when a Behind on their side is “making ground running-with-the-ball”.
Figure 4 – Sneaking: Behind running-with-the-ball (O-1)
A player is Sneaking, if they have both feet fully in front of the ball when any Bully-player or Fly on their side touches the ball, unless the Bully-player or Fly is:
within a Tightly-Formed-Bully
returning the ball to a TIGHTLY-FORMED-BULLY
taking a Free-kick
Figure 3 – Sneaking: Fly or Bully-player touches ball (O-2)
A player remains Sneaking in 1 or 2 above until they are no longer in front of the Bully-player or Behind in question.
When a Behind on their side has kicked the ball, a player is Sneaking if they are in front BOTH of all the opposition Bully-players AND of the ball, unless:
The player is in possession of the ball;
The player is within a Tightly-Formed-Bully;
The player is receiving the ball from a Free-kick;
The player is returning to an onside position and is not attempting to influence play.
Figure 5 – Sneaking: Behind kicks the ball (O-4)
A player remains Sneaking in 4 until they have retreated sufficiently to be in line with a member of the opposition Bully; the umpire(s) should check that both sides are committing equal effort (and covering equal ground) in such retreat running.
A Bully which is continually making ground unfairly or preserving energy by not retreating should be warned, and thereafter penalised with a Free-kick. Individual players may also be warned and penalised in this manner.
A player is “Sneaking-in-the-Bully”, if they have both feet in front of the ball when the ball is in the opponents’ half of a Tightly-Formed-Bully and the player is not within this Tightly-Formed-Bully.
Figure 6 – Sneaking-in-the-Bully (O-7)
8. Sneaking-on-the-Line
A player is Sneaking when the ball is “going-along-the-Line” if:
The player has both feet in front of the ball.
Figure 7 – Sneaking-on-the-Line (O-8a)
The player is a defender who has both feet nearer the closest side-line than the ball is.
The player is an attacker who has both feet further from the closest side-line than the ball is (unless the player is a Behind and is stationed outside the 15-yard line).
Figure 8 – Sneaking-on-the-Line (O-8b/c)
it is a defender waiting up field while the ball is going along the line.
Figure 9 – Sneaking-on-the-Line: defender waiting up field (O-8d)
Penalties:
Point and a Free-kick if a defender in (a) and (b) above.
Goal-kick if attacker in (a) and (c) above.
Free-kick on 15-yard-line in (d) above.