Free kicks, prohibited contact, reportable offences, the reporting procedure, sanctions, suspensions, and the order-off rule. The disciplinary framework of Australian football.
A reportable offence is any on-field act serious enough to require post-match review. The 2026 Laws define every specific offence, the procedure for reporting, the sanctions available, and the order-off rule that applies in competitions outside the AFL.
Law 18 is one of the longest and most important laws in the book. It sets out every form of prohibited contact and the circumstances in which a free kick is awarded. The most common free-kick offences include:
Law 18.7 defines rough conduct — the category of physical actions that go beyond a simple free kick. Rough conduct includes striking (punching, elbowing), charging an opponent, bumping a player who does not have the ball, making forceful front-on contact to a player with their head over the ball, and tripping. Each instance earns a free kick, and the player may also be reported for further disciplinary action.
Law 19 governs the 50-metre penalty. When awarded, the player with the ball is advanced 50 metres toward the goal they are attacking. Penalties are imposed for encroaching on the protected area after a mark or free kick, delaying the return of the ball, time wasting, abusive conduct toward an umpire, or failing to stand on the mark as directed. Multiple consecutive penalties can be applied if players continue to infringe.
Law 22 sets out the obligation to report. An umpire must report to the controlling body any player or official who commits or engages in conduct that may constitute a reportable offence — either during a match, or on match day within the immediate proximity of the venue.
The Laws list an exhaustive set of specific reportable offences. These include conduct that may be either intentional or careless:
Offences against umpires are treated with particular severity:
Other reportable offences include engaging in a melee, instigating a melee, staging, interfering with a player kicking for goal, intentionally shaking goal posts, time wasting, pinching, scratching, wrestling, and any other act of misconduct or serious misconduct.
Under Law 22.3, when an umpire reports a player during a match, they must use their best endeavours to inform the player at the time of the incident, before the next quarter, or (if the incident occurs in the final quarter) after the match. The umpire completes a formal notice of report and lodges it with the controlling body.
Importantly, the umpire must not speak with the reported player or any other player or official about the report after informing them — the process is deliberately arm's-length to preserve fairness.
Law 22.4 grants the controlling body power to hear and determine reports. If a report is proven, the body may impose any sanction it sees fit — including suspension for any term, monetary sanctions, or other orders. The controlling body may also delegate the power to a tribunal.
A suspended player is prohibited from playing in any match conducted by the controlling body that imposed the suspension, and any match conducted by any other controlling body, for the duration of the suspension. If a suspended player transfers clubs, the suspension follows them.
Law 23 applies to all competitions other than the AFL. It allows umpires to send a player from the field immediately for serious offences.
If a player refuses to leave the playing surface when ordered off by an umpire, they are reported for misconduct. If they still refuse, the match ends immediately and the reported player's team forfeits.
Under Law 23.4, a player ordered off for the remainder of a match cannot be replaced by another player unless the controlling body determines otherwise. This means the team plays short for the rest of the game — a significant competitive penalty.