In Australian rules football, a rushed behind occurs when the ball passes through the goalposts and was last touched by a defending player. It is similar to an own goal in other sports.
A rushed behind typically occurs when a defending player touches a ball as it heads toward the goal. It may be less risky for a defending player to concede a rushed behind rather than try to prevent the goal outright.
According to the rules of scoring, an ordinary rushed behind results in the attacking team scoring a behind (worth one point). For comparison, an ordinary goal is worth six points.
In an attempt to discourage the practice the AFL has recently trialled the awarding of 3 points instead of 1 point for deliberate rushed behinds in pre-season games.
Two high profile incidents during the 2008 AFL season have prompting calls for the rules to be changed to reduce the number of rushed behinds. In Round 16, Richmond's Joel Bowden rushed two behinds in a row to use up time towards the end of their game against Essendon, reducing the margin from 6 points to 4 points, but enabling Richmond to win the game.[1] Then the 2008 AFL Grand Final saw Hawthorn rush a record 11 behinds against Geelong. [2][3]
In the 2009 pre-season competition, an increased penalty was trialled, awarding a free kick where the behind is rushed, resulting in a likely goal. After the trial period, the rule was implemented for the 2009 AFL season.[4]