AFL to continue 10m protected area
AAP
Hawthorn's Cyril Rioli takes a mark during the 2015 grand final. (AAP)
The AFL will continue to set a 10m protected area around the mark after trialling the rule during the pre-season.
The protected zone is designed to make it easier for the player with the ball to assess his options and it will now be used in regular season matches.
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"It is the general view that the ability of teams to move the ball has improved with the larger protected area," said AFL operations manager Mark Evans.
Umpires have also had a stricter interpretation of illegal tackles and deliberate out of bounds decisions during the NAB Challenge.
