Coast-to-coast goal
A coast-to-coast goal in Australian rules football is a goal that is scored by delivering the ball from one end of the oval to the other and scoring a goal, without the opposing team touching the ball.[1]
It can only be scored after one team scores a behind. After the ball is returned into play from the goal square, the ball is travelled to the other goalposts in the usual fashion (handballing, marking, and running with the ball). If a goal is scored at the other end without the defending team touching the ball, this is a coast to coast goal.
Coast to coast goals may be scored very swiftly and are extraordinary. There were two rule changes during the mid 2000s that have sped up the play considerably. A team may now kick a ball back into play as soon as the goal umpire signals that a behind had been scored. Previously the team would need to wait for the umpire to retrieve and wave a white flag as well. Also, when a goal is scored, instead of waiting for the ball to be retrieved from the crowd, a new ball may be obtained from a supply behind the goalposts. Since these rule changes, coast to coast goals have become easier, since a team that gets a ball quickly back into play may catch their opponents unprepared for rapid play.
Since the behind that initiated the action scores one point for the team that scored it, and the subsequent goal scores six points, the team that creates the coast to coast goal ends up gaining five points overall.