Goal-line and 20-metre restarts decide who caused the ball to go dead.

The restart follows responsibility

The practical question is not simply where the ball ended up. It is who last caused the ball to become dead or why play stopped in-goal. If the defending team is responsible in its own in-goal, the usual result is a goal-line drop-out. If the attacking team is responsible, the usual result is a 20-metre optional kick to the defending team.

That is why two similar-looking plays can produce different restarts. A defender who grounds the ball in their own in-goal after carrying it back is usually dropping out from the goal line. A defender who catches an opponent's kick on the full while in-goal can restart from the 20-metre line instead.

What counts as dead in-goal

The in-goal area is behind the goal line and before the dead-ball line. The ball is in touch in-goal when it or a player in contact with it touches the touch-in-goal line or something on or outside that line. The ball is dead in-goal when it or a player in contact with it touches the dead-ball line or something on or outside it.

Officials also judge whether a player made the ball dead. A stationary ball in-goal that is contacted by a player who is touch in-goal or over the dead-ball line is treated as made dead by that player. For kicks in general play, a defender who straddles the dead-ball or touch-in-goal line can make the kick dead and bring a goal-line drop-out into play.

When defenders kick from the goal line

A goal-line drop-out is taken by a defending player from the centre of the defending team's goal line. It is a drop kick, so the ball must be dropped from the hands and kicked as it rebounds from the ground.

Common triggers include a defender last touching the ball before it goes over the dead-ball line or into touch in-goal, a defender touching down in their own in-goal, a defender being tackled in possession in-goal, or a defending player accidentally infringing in the in-goal area. It can also apply when a defender kicks the ball into touch on the full from their own in-goal, or when the ball or a defender carrying it contacts the referee, a touch judge, or an encroaching spectator in-goal and play is irregularly affected.

When the restart comes out to the 20

The main 20-metre restart is an optional kick from the centre of the 20-metre line. It is not the same as a drop-out. The ball may be kicked in any manner and in any direction, and it is in play as soon as it is kicked.

This restart applies when an attacking player last touches the ball before it goes dead or into touch in-goal, subject to the specific exceptions for penalty kicks, kick-offs, and goal-line drop-outs. It also applies when an attacking player infringes accidentally in-goal, or when a defending player in their own in-goal catches an opponent's kick in general play on the full before the ball is made dead. If the attacking infringement is deliberate, the restart can instead be a penalty 10 metres in the field of play.

The penalty-kick exception

There is also a different restart from the 20-metre line: the 20-metre drop-out. It is used when the ball goes dead in the opponents' in-goal from a penalty kick. The penalty kick does not have to be a shot at goal; the key point is that the ball went dead from a penalty kick.

The method matters. A 20-metre optional kick can be tapped, punted, place-kicked, or otherwise kicked legally in any direction. A 20-metre drop-out must be a drop kick from the centre of the 20-metre line. Calling both of them a "20-metre restart" without the method is a common source of confusion.

Why the next count can start at zero

The first tackle after a 20-metre optional kick is zero tackle under the international laws. In practical terms, the team taking the optional kick restarts play and then still has a full attacking set after the first tackle is completed.

That zero-tackle treatment belongs to the 20-metre optional kick, not automatically to every restart near the 20-metre line. A goal-line drop-out is different: the defending team kicks from its goal line and the receiving side plays what happens next under the ordinary restart sequence.

Distance and offside at the restart

At a 20-metre optional kick, opposing players must retire 10 metres from the 20-metre line and may not advance until the ball is kicked. The kicking team's players may not advance in front of the ball before it is kicked.

At a drop-out, the kicker can be penalised for going in front of the correct line before kicking, using the wrong type of kick, kicking on the full over touch, touch in-goal, or the dead-ball line, or failing to make the ball travel at least 10 metres forward into the field of play. Other players can also be penalised for running in front of their own kicker, coming too close to the restart line, or wilfully touching the ball before it has travelled 10 metres.

How contested kicks are judged

Short goal-line drop-outs and short 20-metre drop-outs are legal tactics if the kick is capable of being contested and the restart requirements are met. The laws recognise high or bouncing cross-field kicks that give players from both teams a reasonable chance to play at the ball.

If that kind of contested drop-out fails to travel 10 metres forward or goes into touch on the full, the restart can be a play-the-ball near the relevant restart line instead of the ordinary penalty result. This protection is limited. If players from either team contact the ball before it has the opportunity to travel 10 metres, the full penalty outcome can still apply.

When the restart kick finds touch

A restart kick that finds touch after bouncing can be valuable. Under the international laws, if a goal-line drop-out, 20-metre drop-out, or 20-metre optional kick finds touch other than on the full, the kicking team restarts with a play-the-ball on the 20-metre line opposite the point where the ball entered touch.

The kicking captain can move that play-the-ball to the 10-metre mark from touch or to centre field. If the kick goes into touch on the full, the result depends on the restart type and whether the contested-restart provisions apply.

Where people get caught

• "The ball went dead, so it must be a 20-metre restart": no. If the defending team caused the ball to become dead in its own in-goal, a goal-line drop-out is usually the restart.
• "Every restart from the 20 is a tap": no. The 20-metre optional kick may be kicked in any manner, but the 20-metre drop-out after a penalty kick goes dead must be a drop kick.
• "A defender can always let the ball roll dead": not always. If the defender makes the ball dead by straddling the dead-ball or touch-in-goal line, or does not allow a kick to bounce dead in the required way, the restart can be a goal-line drop-out.
• "A short drop-out is automatically a penalty if it fails": not always. Contested-restart provisions can replace the penalty with a play-the-ball outcome when the kick was genuinely contestable and the breach is one covered by that provision.
• "Zero tackle applies after any in-goal restart": no. The zero-tackle rule is tied to the 20-metre optional kick.

How the call is enforced

Officials work backwards from the stoppage. They decide who last touched the ball, whether the ball was carried, kicked, grounded, caught on the full, made dead by a player, or made dead after a penalty kick, and whether any in-goal infringement was accidental or deliberate.

After the restart is chosen, the referee manages the mark and the restart method. Touch judges help with touch, touch-in-goal, dead-ball decisions, player position, and whether a restart kick entered touch on the full or after bouncing. For the wider restart framework, see rugby league kick-off and drop-out rules, and for player-position offences see rugby league offside rules.

How to read the restart

1. Identify the final event: grounding, tackle in-goal, ball over dead-ball line, touch in-goal, catch on the full, penalty kick dead, or in-goal infringement.
2. Decide whether the attacking team or defending team was responsible for the dead-ball outcome.
3. If defenders were responsible in their own in-goal, expect a goal-line drop-out unless a specific exception applies.
4. If attackers were responsible, expect a 20-metre optional kick unless the penalty-kick or other restart exception changes the call.
5. Check the method, 10-metre distance, touch outcome, zero-tackle status, and whether any short restart was genuinely contestable.

Source material

• International Rugby League Laws of the Game PDF
• Rugby Football League Laws of the Game
• International Rugby League
• NRL rules and interpretations