Glossary of Australian Rules Football - P

P

Pack

a mass of players from both sides all attempting to get the ball at the same time. Can be used for players flying for a mark or scrambling for the ball at ground level.

Pass

a kick that ends with the ball in the possession of a teammate.

Percentage

an indication of the ratio of points scored for versus points scored against. The AFL uses the formula (points for / points against) × 100, meaning that percentages may exceed 100%; the SANFL uses the formula (points for / points for and against) × 100. It is used as a tiebreaker for ladder positions if teams are on equal premiership points.

Pill

colloquialism for the ball.

Playmaker

a player who directs a team play by action or deed during a game.

"Play on!"

the call made by an umpire whenever a player who is taking a mark or a free kick runs or handpasses rather than kicking over the mark; or, the call made by an umpire to alert players that a mark or free kick will not be paid, when they may be expecting that one would be paid.

Possession

the act of obtaining the ball. Also used synonymously with disposal and touch. Often quoted as a total for a player or team, it is the sum of the number of handballs and kicks that the player or team had during the game.

Pocket

an indicative part of the ground, equivalent to the area proscribed by an imaginary arc running from the goal post to a point on the boundary line halfway to the fifty-metre arc. There are two pockets at each end of the ground, referred to as the left and right, forward and back pockets, e.g. left-forward pocket.

Point

the basic scoring unit. Used for both the total score (10 goals, 8 behinds, 68 points) and can be used interchangeably with behind ("His shot for goal missed and was only a point").

Poster

common expression for a kicked ball which hits a goal post, resulting in a behind being scored rather than a goal.

Premiership

awarded to the winner of the Grand Final. See the flag.

Premiership quarter

A colloquialism for the third quarter of a match.

Prior opportunity

(sometimes shortened to prior) a player who has had the ball for long enough to make a reasonable attempt to dispose of it before being tackled is said to have had prior opportunity. This is important for holding the ball decisions, where a player who has had prior opportunity must dispose of the ball immediately, while a player who has had "no prior" has a few extra seconds to dispose of the ball.

Protected zone

an imaginary corridor 5 metres to either side of a player who is taking a free kick, into which no players from either team are permitted to be.