[Conor Hogan]

Using this space to vent (unless you think it’s a good rant worth implementing…)

Offensive offside has essentially no impact on the game in most scenarios. Signalling readiness as someone on your team/coaching staff is still clearing the field resulting in the defence getting to set up as if a time out happened, or one of your players stepping off the line before pull release resulting in the same, is nonsense.

These situations happen all the time and they don’t impact the game. It’s a disingenuous call from the defence, which the offence finds hard to contest (in the instances I’ve seen).

The rule should specify that the offense should have some benefit gained (like sticking a big receiver in the pulling endzone so they can catch the pull and huck it back the other way) for the defence to call offensive offside (or maybe just a re-emphasis that teams should only make calls that impact the game…).

Thanks for asking the community for feedback *thumbs up emoji*

[Meret Trapp]

I disagree. Gaining an additional 15-30 seconds on the line to discuss strategies does impact the game. And stepping of the line early to move backwards makes it easier for the handlers to accurately read the pull (especially if it is about to land in the endzone).

Additionally, both teams should follow the time limits. And I might be mistaken but non-players still on the pitch are considered a pre-pull timing violation and not offside, according to the Appendix A5.4.1.4.

But I agree maybe the annotation could be more explicit.

[Conor Hogan]

I’ve nothing against time limit violations, I didn’t mention them in my original post. But I have issue with people calling things that don’t impact the play to gain advantage. I’m yet to see it called for players stepping backwards to accept a pull tbf. It’s more when people step forward to set up downfield that people call it.

If you get to a line quickly, call your O and D, and people are leaving within the 60s but you give a hand, it’s surely disingenuous to call time violation as people not involved in the next point are clearly making an attempt to leave the field. If we’re calling time limit violations on technicalities (which this would be unless you plan to roll a pull out the side where people are leaving the field) then I think we’re implementing the rules wrong…

[Conor Hogan]

When I say wrong I mean we’re focusing on showing we know the rules rather than focusing on playing a sport fairly and competitively

[Meret Trapp]

I agree. I was just wondering whether people actually call an offside for a thing that should be pre-pull timing violation, as that is how I understood your third sentence in your first post.

And if someone calls a violation for non-players who are leaving the pitch at the 60 second mark, I agree that that should/ could be bad spirit, as the impact on the game is very limited.

[John M Davidson]

What would you suggest? We already have 1.3.10