Out of bounds rule changed in AFLW

Dec 13, 2017 - 6:39 AM A free kick will be paid against the team who handballs or kicks the ball out of play in an effort to lift scoring and reduce stoppages in the second season of the AFLW.

The free kick will only be awarded if an opposing player doesn't touch the ball before it goes over the boundary line.

A free kick is only paid to the opposition in the AFL if a player is deemed to have deliberately put the ball out of play - the same rule that had applied in the inaugural season of the eight-team AFLW.

"A number of options were debated at length by the clubs and the AFL, including anti-density rules, on how we can continue to reduce congestion and increase scoring," AFL football operations general manager Steve Hocking said on Wednesday.

"There was a strong view that a number of options require more data to ensure that they would actually have the desired impact we are seeking, along with the consideration any such changes would be a significant alteration for players and coaches close to the start of the 2018 season."

The same rule has been applied successfully over the past two years in South Australia's top league (SANFL).

Teams will be limited to five interchange players in the 2018 season, down from six.

Source: AAP