What is prior opportunity?

A player with the ball has had prior opportunity if they:

• are balanced and steady; or
• attempt to evade or fend an opponent; or
• have taken a mark or been awarded a free kick; or
• have driven their head into a stationary or near-stationary opponent.

Once a player has had prior opportunity, they must correctly dispose of the ball (kick or handball it) immediately when legally tackled. If they do not, the umpire pays holding the ball. For 2026 the AFL announced that a shrug in the tackle is treated as prior opportunity, in the same way a fend or attempt to evade already is.

Sources: Laws of Australian Football 2026, definition of Prior Opportunity and Law 18.6.2; AFL.com.au, "Seven rule changes: AFL to crack down on dead time in games in 2026" (https://www.afl.com.au/news/1447460/seven-rules-changes-afl-to-crack-down-on-dead-time-in-games-in-2026).