Shepherding

The term Shepherding has a number of uses:

Shepherding (Australian rules football)

Shepherding is a tactic and skill in Australian rules football, a team sport.

Shepherding is the act of legally pushing, bumping or blocking an opposing player from gaining possession of the ball or reaching the contest.

The term originates from the word shepherd, someone who influences the movement of sheep in a paddock. Through shepherding, Australian football players are able to influence the movement of their opponents.

The prevalence of shepherding is distinctive in Australian rules football as it is an illegal form of play in many other codes of football where it is subject to obstruction rules. It is completely banned in soccer. In rugby, it is illegal to tackle or obstruct any player not carrying the ball. Ice hockey allows (body checking) only on a player in possession, as does gaelic football. The concept of shepherding, however, is very similar to blocking in American Football.

Under the Laws of Australian Football, a player can shepherd an opposition player when the ball is within five metres, with the exception of contests where players contest the ball in the air, i.e. marking contests and ruck contests, or when the ball is not in play. In marking and ruck contests, no shepherding is allowed. Players may not make high or low contact during a shepherd, nor hold their opponents; free kicks should result from any of these infractions. Nevertheless, there have been a number of incidents in the professional Australian Football League which have caused controversy and have resulted in the rules regarding shepherding to be more strictly applied behind play.