Markers defend the ruck. The dummy-half starts the next attack.

Marker and dummy-half are opponents

The marker is the defender immediately opposite the tackled player at the play-the-ball. The dummy-half is the attacker immediately behind the tackled player, ready to receive the ball. They face the same restart from opposite sides.

“Dummy-half” is the familiar playing term. The 2026 IRL lawbook uses acting halfback for the phase position. It permits one acting halfback from each team: the attacking acting halfback is the dummy-half, while the defending acting halfback stands behind the first marker and is commonly called the second marker.

These are phase roles, not fixed positions

Any eligible, onside teammate can move into dummy-half under the 2026 IRL law. The number 9 hooker commonly provides this service, but the laws do not reserve it for the hooker. A fullback, forward, halfback, or any other teammate can act there.

The first marker also need not be a particular shirt number or necessarily the defender who completed the tackle. One opponent may take the position immediately opposite the tackled player. The legal position matters more than the player's usual team role.

“Square” means legally opposite

Players and commentators say a marker must be “square.” The precise 2026 IRL requirement is that one opponent may take a position immediately opposite the tackled player. In practical officiating language, the marker should be at the mark and aligned with the play-the-ball rather than standing to one side for a head start.

A defender still tangled behind the tackled player has not become legal merely by calling themself the marker. Tacklers must release and clear the ruck. The referee looks at where the defender establishes position before allowing that player to pressure the next phase.

The defender behind the marker has a legal role

The defending acting halfback may stand immediately and directly behind the first marker. This is the position commonly called second marker. Together they form a short defensive line through the centre of the ruck.

A second marker is permitted, not compulsory. The remaining defenders do not become extra markers by crowding beside the ruck; they must meet the 10-metre retreat rule. If the two markers separate before the play-the-ball is complete to block both sides of the dummy-half, officials can rule that they have split early.

The receiver must begin directly behind

The attacking acting halfback may stand immediately and directly behind the teammate playing the ball and must remain there until the play-the-ball movement is complete under IRL Section 11.10(f) (2026). This keeps the pickup behind the mark and stops an attacker beginning beside or ahead of the ruck.

The dummy-half should not reach around and take the ball before it has been legally played. Under the 2026 law, the ball becomes live when the tackled player has played it backwards. From there, ordinary passing, running, kicking, knock-on, offside, and obstruction laws apply.

Markers cannot steal the play-the-ball

The 2026 IRL law expressly says the player marking the tackled player must not kick or heel the ball. The tackled player must also be released immediately and cannot be touched again before the ball is in play. A tackler clearing from the wrong side must leave quickly and avoid interfering with the heel.

Once the ball has been played backwards and has cleared the ruck, a legally positioned marker can defend: for example, move towards a dummy-half who runs or pressure the first receiver. The marker does not receive permission to obstruct the pickup, hold the player who played the ball, or move early simply because the play-the-ball is quick.

Pass, run, kick, or choose another receiver

Standard 13-a-side IRL law does not limit the dummy-half to passing. Once the ball is live, the player can pick it up and pass to either side, run through or around the markers, or kick. If the dummy-half runs and is legally tackled, that is an ordinary tackle in the team's current set.

The dummy-half can also score a try under the standard 2026 international laws if they legally reach and ground the ball in the opponents' in-goal. Restrictions such as “dummy-half cannot score” belong to particular modified formats, not the general 13-a-side rule.

The tackled player cannot normally pick it up again

A team is not required to have a dummy-half waiting at every play-the-ball, but leaving the position empty changes the options. The special 2026 IRL note allows the player who played the ball to regain possession and play on only when both no marker and no acting halfback are present; the ball is then treated as clear immediately when it is played backwards.

That narrow exception is not a general right for the tackled player to heel the ball and turn around to collect it. If either side has filled the relevant phase position, the ordinary play-the-ball structure applies.

The defence may leave the ruck unmarked

The 2026 IRL wording says an opponent may take the marker position, so the defence is not forced to supply one. Leaving no marker can create space for the attacking side, but it does not let another defender step in from an offside position after the play-the-ball has started.

Defenders who are not legally participating as marker or defending acting halfback must retire the prescribed distance. On a quick restart, a defender caught short is judged on whether they intentionally interfere or retain an advantage rather than on the label they give their position.

What officials watch at the ruck

• Not opposite or not behind: a defender begins beside the ruck rather than in the first- or second-marker channel.
• Splitting early: the markers separate before the play-the-ball is complete to shut down both sides.
• Interfering with the heel: a tackler or marker blocks the ball's backward movement or the dummy-half's fair access.
• Touching too soon: the marker retains contact with, grabs, or otherwise interferes with the tackled player before the ball is in play.
• Kicking or heeling: the marker tries to play the ball with a foot instead of allowing the tackled player to complete the restart.
• Advancing early: a defender pressures the attack before the ball has cleared the ruck.

The attack also has duties

The player playing the ball must return to the mark, regain their feet, face the opponents' goal line, and genuinely play the ball backwards with the foot under the 2026 IRL law. Moving off the mark, failing to play the ball correctly, or obstructing a marker can create an attacking infringement.

The dummy-half and supporting attackers must begin onside. An attacker cannot form a wall beside the ruck or use the player who played the ball as an illegal screen. A dummy-half who dives through the ruck and affects the marker before scoring can be penalised for obstruction rather than awarded the try.

Why the referee may call six again

Under IRL Section 11.10(c) (2026), interference with the smooth play-the-ball or markers splitting early brings an immediate tackle-count restart. The international rule instead awards a penalty when the relevant tackle occurs within the 40-metre zone measured from the team in possession's own goal line.

Other outcomes depend on the act: an incorrectly played ball can produce a handover; accidental offside interference can produce a scrum; deliberate, repeated, or cynical offending can justify a penalty or misconduct action. Referees may use advantage when an immediate whistle would disadvantage the non-offending team. See the separate six-again and set-restart guide for the wider restart system.

How the decision is made

1. Set the mark and make sure the tacklers release and clear the tackled player.
2. Identify whether a defender has established the first-marker position immediately opposite the mark.
3. Check whether a second marker and dummy-half are immediately and directly behind their respective teammates.
4. Watch the tackled player put the ball in play backwards and check for early contact or interference.
5. Judge whether the markers remained legal until they could defend and whether the other defenders retired and waited for the ball to clear the ruck.
6. Apply play on, advantage, a tackle-count restart, handover, scrum, penalty, or misconduct sanction according to the offence and the competition rules.

Reading four common situations

• Legal marker pressure: the first marker starts opposite the tackled player, waits for the ball to clear the ruck, then moves towards a running dummy-half. Play on.
• Early split: first and second markers move to opposite sides while the ball is still being played, taking away both running lanes. Under the 2026 IRL baseline, the referee resets the tackle count, subject to the 40-metre-zone penalty rule.
• Forward picks up at dummy-half: a prop, rather than the hooker, stands legally behind the play-the-ball, collects, and passes. The player's usual position makes no difference.
• Marker reaches into the ruck: the defender reaches across and disrupts the dummy-half's attempt to collect the legally played ball. That is marker interference, not a fair contest for possession.

What the rules do not say

• “The hooker is the only legal dummy-half”: false. Hooker is a team position; dummy-half is a role at one play-the-ball.
• “Both markers must have made the tackle”: false under the 2026 IRL wording. Their legal phase positions are what matter.
• “There can be only one marker”: incomplete. One defender stands opposite and the defending acting halfback may stand directly behind as second marker.
• “A marker can strike for the ball as it is heeled”: false. The 2026 clarification expressly prohibits the marker from kicking or heeling it.
• “A dummy-half who runs and is tackled always loses possession”: false in standard 13-a-side law. Some modified formats use that restriction.
• “Hands up make an offside defender legal”: false. It shows an attempt to stay out of play but does not excuse avoidable interference.

Junior and modified formats can be different

The rules for the actual match control. For example, the RFL's 2026 Primary Rugby League rules use age-specific retreat distances and, in some age groups, one active marker. The RFL Under-11 rules allow the dummy-half to run without a turnover if tackled but do not allow that player to score. The RFL's 2026 Masters rules permit two markers but require them to remain passive unless the dummy-half runs, and impose their own consequence when a dummy-half is tackled.

Professional competitions can also vary enforcement. The ARLC announced that certain 2026 NRL tackle-count restarts use a 20-metre threshold instead of the international lawbook's 40-metre threshold. Do not transfer a television competition's restart, junior restriction, or Masters condition to another match without checking its governing body's current playing conditions.

Rules and effective versions

• International Rugby League Laws of the Game, 2026 edition — Section 2 glossary and Section 11, especially Law 10 and its notes on the player marking, acting halfbacks, retreat, interference, early marker splits, and the no-marker situation.
• International Rugby League laws hub — the global governing body's current law-book download.
• IRL amendments effective 1 January 2026 — confirmation that the marker may not kick or heel the ball and that the ball is live when played backwards.
• Rugby Football League Laws of the Game, published 26 January 2026 — the RFL's current laws page and international law-book download.
• RFL Primary Rugby League Full Rules 2026 — age-specific marker, retreat, dummy-half running, and scoring conditions.
• RFL Masters Rugby League Playing Rules 2026 — modified marker and dummy-half conditions.
• ARLC-approved NRL on-field changes for 2026 — the competition's 20-metre threshold for certain tackle-count restarts.
• NRL marker-interference explainer, 5 August 2024 — NRL guidance that a marker cannot reach into the ruck and obstruct the dummy-half's play at the ball.