Glossary of Rugby League Terms - O

O

Obstruction
Impeding any opponent who does not have the ball by tackling them or obstructing them. The referee will penalise a player obstructing an opponent. A player is not required to move out of the path of another to prevent an obstruction. If two players from opposing teams are running in the same direction towards a loose ball they are permitted to shoulder charge their opponent.
Offload
An offload is when a player holding the ball is tackled, but passes the ball to a team mate before the tackle is completed. (A tackle is not considered complete until one of the following occurs: the arm carrying the ball touches the ground while the player is still held by the tackler; the player's forward momentum stops - in other words, he stops moving forward - while still being held by the tackler; or the referee calls "held".) If a player passes the ball legally during a tackle - in other words, if he offloads the ball - it does not count as a tackle in his team's current set of six, and play continues normally.
Offside

A player is considered temporarily out of play if they are offside and they might be penalised if they join the game inappropriately.

A player is offside when they are forward of the relevant offside line i.e. between the relevant offside line and the opposing team's dead ball line.

In a match, most players will be offside several times but they only become liable for penalty if they do not act to attempt to become onside (which generally means retreat downfield) or attempt to interfere with play.

In open play, only the ball carrier's team (or the team that last carried or deliberately touched the ball) is bound by offside - the offside line for them is the ball. (Note every player who passes the ball backwards is offside and must attempt to retire.)

One-on-one tackle

One-on-one tackle is a colloquial phrase used to refer to a phase of play in rugby league in which a single defender attempts to tackle the ball carrier.

Onside
A player is onside whenever he or she is behind the relevant offside line for the particular phase of play. Players who are onside take an active part in playing the game.
Previously offside players may be "put onside" by the actions of other players (for example, in a kick ahead in open play, players in the kicker's team in front of the kick are offside but can be put onside by the kicker or any other team member who was onside at the time of the kick running up the pitch past them). So that players can be confident they are now onside and can take an active part in the game, the referee may shout "Onside" or "All onside".
On the full
If the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing inside the field of play it is referred to as the ball being kicked into touch on the full.
A player catching the ball after a kick before it bounces has caught it on the full.
Openside
The broad side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a play-the-ball.
Optional kick
The optional kick is the instrument used to bring the ball back into play. The team taking the kick may kick the ball in any way and in any direction. Except in cases of a penalty kick being taken, an optional kick is taken from the centre of the 20m line if the attacking team are the last to touch the ball before it goes over the dead ball line or touch in-goal line. An optional kick will also be awarded if an "attacking player infringes in the in-goal area" or if a defending player catches a kick in general play on the full while in their in-goal.
Outside backs
See: Threequarters

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