Half-back Line
The half-back line consists of two half-back flankers and the centre half-back. The role of centre half-back has remained largely unmodified throughout the years. The centre half-back dominates play to a significant extent, and hence is considered a key position in defence.
Ideally, the centre half-back should be a durable player, quite tall and well-built.Along with their half-back flankers, centre half-backs are the first line of defence, but also key players in winning the ball, and creating and assisting in attack.
Centre half-backs must have a great understanding of team structures, especially the strategies for kick-ins. They need to be able to compete and take contested marks, and also run off their opponent to win uncontested possessions and force their opponents to chase.
The half-back flank is very similar to the back pocket position. However, a true half-back flanker is more attacking and concentrates on rebounding the ball out of the defensive 50. Sometimes half-back flankers even forgo their defensive duties in order to be more attacking. When a half-back flanker is attacking, they play like a wing-back in soccer (or an attacking full-back), and if they are more defensive then they play like a traditional full-back in soccer.
Read more about this topic: Australian Rules Football Positions
Famous quotes containing the word line:
“The man of business ... goes on Sunday to the church with the regularity of the village blacksmith, there to renounce and abjure before his God the line of conduct which he intends to pursue with all his might during the following week.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)