The boundary rule needs revision. As I have previously shown, it's a patchwork of rules that cover very specific situations.
* A kick goes out of bounds on the full? That's a free.
* A kick in after a behind goes out of bounds without being touched? That's a free.
* A ruckman punches the ball out of bounds after a ruck contest? That's a free.
* A player doesn't make sufficient effort to keep the ball in play? That's a free, sometimes.
Most of these rules have been introduced in the last 60 years.
I have suggested a last touch rule. That would be problematic for its own reasons, but it depends on the implementation. Let's look at a possible implementation.
* A player has the last possession and the ball goes out of play from that possession, including a ruck contest. That's a free.
That would replace all four of the existing rules.
Now let's take a look at a possible refinement.
* It's a free, but not a free kick unless the ball was kicked out of bounds. Otherwise, the player must handpass the ball back into play. If a player's handpassing the ball back into play, a goal from such a free would not be possible, but set plays would be possible.
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