What's the difference between an obstruction and a shepard?

Question

I was watching the Melbourne vs Manly game on Friday and Archer called a play as an 'old-fashioned' (added by one of the commentary team) shepard.

As I understand, they are similar and involve a player running behind his own team mate and blocking the denfender; but the difference exactly would be...?

Answer 1

a shepard is when the player with the ball runs behind a player on his team mostly accidently

and obstruction is when a player on the attacking side gets in the way of a defender on purpose and resticts him of making a tackle,the obstruction usually happens when using the decoy runner

Answer 2

damm to late look at those 2

Answer 3

A shepard when one player runs behind a teammate then goes in the oppisite direction that he was running in the first place

An obstruction is when a decoy runner (or something or similar) take a defending player out of the play when that player may of been able to make a tackle

Answer 4

an obstruction is wen a player who is not in possesion of the ball takes out potential defenders by moving forward whereas a sheppard is commited when the player in possesion of the ball runs behind a usually stationary player which impedes defenders from making the tackle

Answer 5

Maybe you mean shepherd...

This is still an obstruction

Answer 6

first two answers explain it... =D

[Storm Girl]