Defending off court player.

Netball CoachCoach

Yes this is legal as gaol shooter has chosen to go off court.

Lee-annes NetballCoach, Australia

it is legal to zone a player off court if they went off court of their own choice.  however if they went off court to take a free pass they they must be allowed back on court.

there is also a rule i discovered by accident (so please correct me if i am wrong) but for a center pass if your player is behind the transverse line and then choses to go back into the center third to better her position before the center has taken up her postion for a center pass, you can zone her to stop her re entering the goal third to reset up for the center pass.  but i guess thats up to the umpire to see she was behind the line in the first place.

Janet Coach, Australia

Hi Bradley.  A player who chooses to go off court to gain a better position may be defended from returning to the court as long as the defending player does not leave the court to do so as this would result in a penalty against the defending player under (rule 16.6.1).  With reference to Lee-annes comments on blocking a player from re-entering the goal third after they have chosen to move into the centre to gain a better position, some umpires do allow this blocking to occur but incorrectly so and then, either penalise a player for breaking, or make everyone wait while a player tries to get back into their correct third as the whistle should not be blown for a centre pass unless the positioning of players is correct to start with per rule 11.  A player that chooses to move into the centre to gain a better position does risk being penalised correctly for breaking if done so at the very last moment before the whistle goes but if it is before the remaining players are correctly set up for the pass they must be allowed to return to their goal third with the umpire addressing both players concerned regarding possible deliberate delaying of play.