a mark is a *LEGAL catch from a kick* (so basically travelled 15+ meters, hasnt been touched by anyone else, and the marker/catcher showed enough control that they had indeed caught it). If those requirements aren't met it's just Play On
To add on one of his questions in the vid the person marking only needs to control the ball if he, takes a mark and holds it and hits the ground and drops it, it still counts because he controlled it on the way down so it counts as a mark
@jacktheilemann1462 That depends on the umpire.....technically, a dropped ball is dropped, but the umpires do have the discretion to judge if it was held long enough or not. Modern umpires have NO IDEA......they call play on when the mark should be played, and even when a clean mark is taken and held. Then they pay a mark when the recipient barely even touched the ball, or was the third or fourth player to touch it. Even the mark of the year can be clearly a dropped mark.....as with Gary Abletts famous mark where he touched it with one open hand, lost contact immediately as he turned in the air, landed on his back as the ball landed on hid stomach / lower chest and bounced away. Clearly NO MARK......but should have been a free kick to the opponent he jumped on. lol
Fun fact for the “jumping on the shoulders of another player” it’s called a Speccy or Specky (depends who’s spelling it) and it’s just yet another true blue Aussie abbreviation for spectacular mark.
My first week at agricultural college in country Victoria. We're having a friendly game of kick to kick. I don't play footy but a few of the boys are semi-legendary in their various country leagues. I line up to take a sitter when one of the boys, about 6'4" and 90kg, in his footy boots for some reason, leapt up, puts the knee onto my shoulder, kneecap snacks the back of my head, studded boot steps onto my other shoulder and takes the biggest speccie ever seen. He snags the ball out of the air from about 14 feet up at full stretch, standing on my shoulders. He rides me into the ground like a cougar killing a deer. I eat dirt, face bounces off the ground, he lands on my spine full weight with the studs. I jump up so angry ,ready to smash him but he's laughing and everyone else is whooping and cheering. My best footy moment ever.
That enormous human being at 9:54 is Nic Naitanui, better known by his legions of fans as Nic Nat. Born of Fijian parents, at 6.6 feet tall and 210 pounds, he was a real handful on the football field. Now retired but still much missed by fans of the West Coast Eagles.
@@off1k I had a problem in that I found two different heights and weights for Nic Nat, so I went for the lesser of both in the knowledge that I would, hopefully, be positively corrected. Thanks for that. Either way, Nic Nat was an impressively big unit!
@@stevemurrell6167 Yeah I agree but the ump may have been blind sided for that one, but they may have awarded anyway even if they did see. There's been sooo many dropped marks paid as marks over the years, especially during the 70's, 80's and 90's. Some of the big marks like Michael Roach and Silvagni's big mark should not have been paid imo. Trevor Barker is another who dropped a bunch that were paid. I'm so glad the AFL and umps have tightened up on the rule so these days players generally need to take them to ground to be awarded the mark but some umps are still a bit thick.
That’s why it’s called ‘Watch the big men fly’. These men are huge and fans live for that moment. They have other speccy marks without coming off someone’s back. Charlie Dixon from Port is huge and is usually guarded by at least 2 opposition players and they hang off him but he will still head up and grab it. His hands are bigger than the ball. 🤣
Love this Ryan. My brothers watched AFL on the TV when I was growing up but I wasn't a fan until I got to see 2 live games in the last 7 years. WOW!! Totally awesome!! If you come here, you gotta see a game!! I want to see more!!
Funnily enough, doing a speccy isn't as difficult as it might seem. When I was at high school we'd kick a footy around at lunchtime and my friends taught me to do a speccy-a big part of it is that the other players know that they could be jumped on, so when they feel it happen they brace for it instead of being caught by surprise and crumpling to the ground.
@@Elriuhilu Yep, it's kinda like the philosophy in boxing, if you turn your head you place yourself in more danger, getting hit in the back or side is so dangerous, as it is with ducking or going to ground in a marking contest, it makes you more vulnerable.
Have you ever played footy mate, elite or not you get a knee in the head. How the hell are you supposed to be so well trained that being kneed rarely happens? Every player usually has their eyes on the ball & those that take speckies jump as the players they jump on are about to jump. They jump onto their shoulders where their heads usually are when they are bent at the knee on the takeoff leg. The lift is when they do jump. Someone gets kneed in the head every game whether junior or elite as it's part of the game. People do get hurt, but very rarely seriously. I know you can't tell, but l was kneed, punched & elbowed 100's of time's playing footy & l'm definitely not elite & l'm alright 😜
@@Elriuhiluevery young footballer learnt to do speckies at school & at footy training kicking end to end before training. Its a right of passage along with British bulldog & Brandy if you youngsters played those games at school.
Ryan,don't forget these guys are usually over 6' tall to start with,so end up around 9 to 10 feet up. A mark can be taken from ANY kicker & you can "ride" any player.
G'day, I was there sitting about 45 degrees in the first tier. The TV doesn't do it justice. You had to see it to believe it. It's clearly the best mark ever taken , I put Sampis second and Jurrah s third. Had Jeremy Howe held on to his I would have put it second.. sorry , wrong person lol. Sorry bout that.
do you realize how many Aussies are jumping for joy,, knowing you appreciate OUR GAME...YES it is a spectacular and exciting game to watch. . Glad you approve of it. now. make sure the team you follow IS THE BOMBERS ( Essendon) . no other team exists. Just the Bombers. take care and stay safe. and one big cuddle for Jase.
LOL, love it, you crack me up. I share your enthusiasm with regards to footy. Not so much the team. They will probably land somewhere 10th on the ladder. On the other hand, let’s take a closer look at the Blues. They should land higher on the ladder.😊
When was the last time the Bombers won a final, let alone a Grand Final. The most loved team (and also most hated by opposition fans) is Collingwood - the mighty Magpies. Go Pies!
The season has started. You can watch games now, not sure what platform has them in Indiana but the AFL RUclips channel has highlights of every game every week. The reigning champions are the Collingwood magpies.
The rule requires that the player marking "is in control" of the ball. So the Jeremy Howe one (2012) he controls the ball to the ground, and then it spills free because of him hitting the ground - it's a bit subjective, but for mine that was definitely a mark, and I've seen ones paid that are much more qustionable. EDIT: The 2014 one where Wingard lainds and looks up angrily at the Saints player - hey pass it off as arrogance, but if you watch the SloMo, the Saints player grabs his ankle as he marks, which is why he falls so awkwardly to the ground.... The commentary for the NicNat one (2015) is awesome "he took his armchair with him and sat up on top".
It’s so amusing watching someone react to AFL like this. This is so natural and makes perfect sense for me (an Aussie). It’s funny seeing someone trying to make sense of it. 😂
When they jump on someone's back/shoulders for the mark it's known as a "specky" which is short for "spectacular mark" And a mark can be awarded even if it's kicked by the other team
That first mark you watched will probably be the most amazing mark in the games history. It comes in so quick, its a reflex grab at full stretch, its in the goalsquare, he gets actual airtime... Simply unbelievable. Not even an Essendon supporter and i can respect that feat. Interesting but sad fact - effectively ended his career as a professional footballer by cracking his hip with that landing.
@@hydrohelic I'm not even 100%on that myself. But from what I understand you can push the guy carrying the ball, like a scrum. But you can't pull someone carrying the ball up the field. I was asking if you could do a line out, and apparently that wouldn't fly.
8.00 Yes, Jeremy Howe held it long enough for the whistle, so it counts. Maybe he didn’t think so? You can play on after marking, though, if you want. He might have been in the zone, or seen a good opportunity to pass.
The great thing is you'll see marks like this at most games. I have often seen similar in junior club games..... Anybody who plays the game enjoys a "specky" as do their parents & spectators. The thing also is the opposing groups enjoy them too. Aussie Rules has so much to give you can't help but to be sucked in.
Mark = ball kicked (not handpassed) + travels more than 15m over the ground + not touched by another player + ball caught and controlled (even if for half a second). When a mark is awarded, a free kick can be taken at the point the ball is controlled.
I find the best thing apart from taking the mark, is the the way they can estimate & gauge the height & distance they have to get up to, to get the mark. You can see when they are lining up to contest the mark , they all have their eyes scanning the flight of the ball
The 'Speccy' when one player jumps on another, marking as well as you see in this video, on average occurs maybe 5 times per year; so these marks get considered for mark of the year; but don't expect a Speccy for every game of AFL. But if you do get to see one, it's definitely a highlight!
Worth noting, being such a part of the sport it's something you drill and train at. I was a fairly solid lad, so usually was the springboard, but with a lanky lad on your shoulders and a bit of teamwork n timing could catapult them right up. Was pretty good fun, our coach usually reserved it for the end of training, after the drills n basic skills, the fun part. And yeah, multiple collarbones were broken. But that's how AFL be. We have good public medical, you'll be right ;-)
A mark doesn't need to be caught, merely "controlled". "Control" is often contentious on whether an umpire should have "paid it" or not, and certainly could cause confusion for someone not immersed in the sport. If it comes out when the player hits the ground, it will usually be called a mark unless they were juggling it all the way down (and even them sometimes). And of course it needs to be after a kick of 15 metres or more without another player having touched the ball.
As an aussie that doesn’t fully follow sports in the slightest, some of our national sport’s highlights are still insane to watch, I’ve been to a few games in person as a kid, played a handful in school so I know the general rules but yeah, it’s so fun to watch sometimes compared to other sports you just get some insane plays.
To give you some perspective on the athleticism in this sport, the 2006 mark by Brad Oftens at the 4:10 mark of the video, is 6 foot 10 inch tall guy jumping onto the shoulders of another 6 foot 10 guy, and Brad Ottens would of been about 285lbs
It always boggles my mind that they're so fearless. It's like as long as they get up high enough to get that ball, they don't think about what might happen on the way down. And even when it looks like the fall must have hurt, more often than not they get up and keep playing as if nothing happened.
Also the guy who took the first mark on the video clip(2001 mark of the year) is only 5ft 8 which by AFL standards is short as the average player these days is roughly 6ft2
"Kick to kick" is when there are people kicking the ball "the footy" to each other over a non predetermined distance. It could be two people, or it could be twenty people. The catch or the "mark" of the ball is taken by the most aggressive person at either end. If you don't put your body on the line, you don't get the ball. This is something that Australian kids learn very early in life. That is why it is so impressive to see it happen in a game. We all know what it takes to "take the leap" and that is why it is commended.
Marks are great in AFL, it's like they use the backs of other players as a springboard. You should also check out some of the high flying prowess of some rugby league players to score a try. It's a try in rugby both league and union and goals (6) or points in AFL.
Kicking between big sticks…goal, the outer posts are points. Marking it in front of goal stops the goal and gives other team possession of the ball. Nothing like a high flying mark in footy. Go Pies
Hey Ryan - Jamie Elliott, the MOTY winner from 2013 just took another huge mark again on the weekend during the iconic ANZAC Day match at the MCG in front of 100k people. You will have to look at the highlight, it's definitely a contender again this year and will be tough to beat.
Americans universally always and strangely comment that taking a mark is "disrespectful" to whoever is under them, it seems to be connected in their eyes with the markers private parts being at some stage above another player a weird view IMO. Watch the markers eyes it all on the ball.
If a mark is called (when ump blows whistle, as detailed by many below), you have the choice of what to do. The marker has possesssion of the ball and cant be tackled etc. You can go back and have a kick (opposition stand on the mark - where you caught it), or you can Play On. If you Play On then the oppositon can try and get the ball off you. Playing on can be as a handball, or you can run and bounce the ball. Most players go back and take their kick.
Note the momentum of the run up to mark. Full weight is not projected to those underneath. You can see in nearly every instance of this. Also note those used in the step up to mark are not injured. The marker also doesn't want a knee injury and climbs with this is mind. The landing is the most dangerous as a miscalculation can result in a neck or arm injury etc. Also these men have played since early years of their lives and not just flying for the mark but more importantly ready the flight of the ball and judging the leap whilst ball is in the air. Usually from along distance. Marking a ball whilst running forward when the ball is in coming from behind you is the exception......the courage to do this is out standing and the most visually astounding and rare. To do this you have judged the flight of the ball and ran at pace to be where it will come down ignoring the risk to self harm as the defenders have sight of the ball and most likely you inward bound. Courage by all.
These mark ARE spectacular, take a good pic, demonstrate excellent athleticism but to my mind one of the best marks in the competition was Tony Lockett, the AFL's all time leading goal kicker with 1360 career goals. If his team mates got the ball they kicked it to him. He was regularly marked by two opposition players whose sole aim was to stop him getting the ball. They nearly always failed. He was 6'3'', played at anywhere between 95kg. and 112kg. and was strong as fuck. He missed 23 games (one entire season for hitting people). His rational for hitting them was that if he took it and did not retaliate in kind plus one he would be driven out of the game. He took most marks on his chest despite everyone trying to spoil him. They even wrote a song about him. Read his wikipedia article for more info
All around playgrounds of Australia you will see two groups kicking a ball back and forth practicing this. You get used to someone running up your back
AFL. It’s in the game. NBA est 1946 NFL est 1920 AFL est.. 1896! Australian Football League.. it’s simply the best! Way more exciting than all the rest .
Its not actually very damaging to the players getting ridden on , Its more about landing hard . The players going for the mark usually just have their eyes on the ball , so they dont even really see who they are marking over . It could be a team mate or an opposition player . In any case the spectacle is worth the few injuries that happen . By the way the first one was taken by a player that was about 5" 7' tall , Gary Morcroft .
All you need to do is control the ball on the way down but if it comes loose once you land it's still a mark. You can either take the free kick or play on it if you choose too by hand passing a teammate.
Yes the landing can be dangerous. the club i was managing held up a game for 30 minutes whilst we waited for an ambulance to arrive . the players and then the trainers would not allow the guy to move. Fortunately all ended up well but he was taken to hospital for observation as he had landed on his head and ricked his neck.
the first one morcroft is probably known as the best mark ever taken by a player. definitly don't see as good marks these days though compared to 10 years + ago
Hi Ryan, come down to Melbourne and would be delighted to take you to a game at the G. Just to clarify, a mark is taken when a player catches the ball on the full, from a kick of at least 15 m by a team mate or an opponent without it being touched on the way. There is no specification about how long you have to hold it for a mark to be awarded, only that the umpire judges that you have "controlled" it. If you have controlled it in the air and it jostles out when you hit the ground, they will normally still pay the mark. You then have the choice to play on or to go back behind the mark (the spot where you took the mark and on which an opponent is allowed to stand) to take a kick without being tackled. in general play, you have 15 seconds to take your kick but if you are within scoring distance, you have 30 seconds. After that, the umpire will call play on and the opposition can run at you and tackle you. There are no tries or touchdowns in footy. To score a goal, which is worth six points, you have to kick the ball between the goal posts (the two inner, larger posts), on the full or on the bounce, without it being touched by a player of either side before it crosses the back of the goal line. If your kick hits the goal post, goes between the goal post and the point post (the smaller outer post), is touched on the way through or is "rushed" (spoiled over the line by the opposition - there are no own goals), it is a behind and with one point.
I have seen an NFL player take a few screamers , one was a classic to score in the end zone......but he didnt jump onto a defender......surrounded by about 3 defenders, all 4 of them running fast to the fall of the ball, the receiver leaped high as he turned towards the incoming ball, through his hands as high as he could, and caught it clean as a whistle. Cant remember his name, but he was a small running back and receiver who often played in 3 or more teams.....offensive, defensive and he sometimes received the punt kick in the special or kick receiving team. Im not American and not a NFL fan, so my knowledge of correct terminology and player names is not good. Can only say i watched this player a little, because he was so talented. A smallish Afro American, short and lightly built, but fast, strong and tough with a football brain and superb hands.
The bloke in light Blue was an Umpire(referee is in rugby & your NFL) They are also in yellow, it depends on the playing teams colours I think...they need yo stand out.
In simple terms a mark is a catch "on the full" from someone else's kick, regardless of who kicked it. Yeah there are technicalities about how far it has to travel and so on, but that's the basic principle.
3 seconds ... u have to hold it for 3 seconds and have control ... now if when u come down the impact of the ground makes u drop it like that mark ... it's dosnt matter he had control for more than 3 seconds .. hope that helps
Speccies (spectacular marks) are kinda like posterisers in Basketball. Crowd gets super hyped, and it’s always embarrassing for the player on the bottom
a mark is a *LEGAL catch from a kick* (so basically travelled 15+ meters, hasnt been touched by anyone else, and the marker/catcher showed enough control that they had indeed caught it). If those requirements aren't met it's just Play On
To add on one of his questions in the vid the person marking only needs to control the ball if he, takes a mark and holds it and hits the ground and drops it, it still counts because he controlled it on the way down so it counts as a mark
Metres, not meters.
@jacktheilemann1462
That depends on the umpire.....technically, a dropped ball is dropped, but the umpires do have the discretion to judge if it was held long enough or not.
Modern umpires have NO IDEA......they call play on when the mark should be played, and even when a clean mark is taken and held.
Then they pay a mark when the recipient barely even touched the ball, or was the third or fourth player to touch it.
Even the mark of the year can be clearly a dropped mark.....as with Gary Abletts famous mark where he touched it with one open hand, lost contact immediately as he turned in the air, landed on his back as the ball landed on hid stomach / lower chest and bounced away.
Clearly NO MARK......but should have been a free kick to the opponent he jumped on. lol
Fun fact for the “jumping on the shoulders of another player” it’s called a Speccy or Specky (depends who’s spelling it) and it’s just yet another true blue Aussie abbreviation for spectacular mark.
@@JoelDavies-bi5mp At leest yoo unnerstude hym,eevin if tha granma an spiling wuz abitt rong
My first week at agricultural college in country Victoria. We're having a friendly game of kick to kick. I don't play footy but a few of the boys are semi-legendary in their various country leagues.
I line up to take a sitter when one of the boys, about 6'4" and 90kg, in his footy boots for some reason, leapt up, puts the knee onto my shoulder, kneecap snacks the back of my head, studded boot steps onto my other shoulder and takes the biggest speccie ever seen. He snags the ball out of the air from about 14 feet up at full stretch, standing on my shoulders.
He rides me into the ground like a cougar killing a deer. I eat dirt, face bounces off the ground, he lands on my spine full weight with the studs.
I jump up so angry ,ready to smash him but he's laughing and everyone else is whooping and cheering. My best footy moment ever.
Any player can take a mark, it doesn't have to be kicked by a teammate.
No point in correcting these people. They aren't really interested...
That enormous human being at 9:54 is Nic Naitanui, better known by his legions of fans as Nic Nat. Born of Fijian parents, at 6.6 feet tall and 210 pounds, he was a real handful on the football field. Now retired but still much missed by fans of the West Coast Eagles.
You're undersizing him a bit there, he is 6'8" 245lbs
@@off1k
I had a problem in that I found two different heights and weights for Nic Nat, so I went for the lesser of both in the knowledge that I would, hopefully, be positively corrected. Thanks for that. Either way, Nic Nat was an impressively big unit!
@@michaelboyce7079
The 6'6" 210 may have been his draft year height and weight.
Great player....wasn't a mark though.
@@stevemurrell6167
Yeah I agree but the ump may have been blind sided for that one, but they may have awarded anyway even if they did see.
There's been sooo many dropped marks paid as marks over the years, especially during the 70's, 80's and 90's. Some of the big marks like Michael Roach and Silvagni's big mark should not have been paid imo. Trevor Barker is another who dropped a bunch that were paid.
I'm so glad the AFL and umps have tightened up on the rule so these days players generally need to take them to ground to be awarded the mark but some umps are still a bit thick.
That’s why it’s called ‘Watch the big men fly’. These men are huge and fans live for that moment. They have other speccy marks without coming off someone’s back. Charlie Dixon from Port is huge and is usually guarded by at least 2 opposition players and they hang off him but he will still head up and grab it. His hands are bigger than the ball. 🤣
These guys are exceptional athletes. Their skills and abilities do translate to American football as a lot are drafted into the NRL.
I think you meant NFL
@@DaveOz-mx5oh yeah auto correct kicked in and I didn't see it.
Yeah, it’s a bit harder to proofread the last few words. Unless you’re REALLY patient.
@@judithstrachan9399 it can get tricky. Thought it was ok but Google knows I'm in Australia and "fixed" my footy code "mistake "
But 99.9% are drafted into the NFL as punters so their marking ability is a prerequisite
Love this Ryan. My brothers watched AFL on the TV when I was growing up but I wasn't a fan until I got to see 2 live games in the last 7 years. WOW!! Totally awesome!! If you come here, you gotta see a game!! I want to see more!!
Footy season is upon us, is there anything we need to be discussing? Who do you barrack for?
You'd think more players attempting the 'spekky' would take the opponents head off, but they are so elite and well trained it very rarely happens,
Funnily enough, doing a speccy isn't as difficult as it might seem. When I was at high school we'd kick a footy around at lunchtime and my friends taught me to do a speccy-a big part of it is that the other players know that they could be jumped on, so when they feel it happen they brace for it instead of being caught by surprise and crumpling to the ground.
@@Elriuhilu Yep, it's kinda like the philosophy in boxing, if you turn your head you place yourself in more danger, getting hit in the back or side is so dangerous, as it is with ducking or going to ground in a marking contest, it makes you more vulnerable.
@@Elriuhiluor like Jesse Hogan when Isaac Heeney jumped on his shoulders he turned and Heeney face plainted
Have you ever played footy mate, elite or not you get a knee in the head. How the hell are you supposed to be so well trained that being kneed rarely happens? Every player usually has their eyes on the ball & those that take speckies jump as the players they jump on are about to jump. They jump onto their shoulders where their heads usually are when they are bent at the knee on the takeoff leg. The lift is when they do jump. Someone gets kneed in the head every game whether junior or elite as it's part of the game. People do get hurt, but very rarely seriously. I know you can't tell, but l was kneed, punched & elbowed 100's of time's playing footy & l'm definitely not elite & l'm alright 😜
@@Elriuhiluevery young footballer learnt to do speckies at school & at footy training kicking end to end before training. Its a right of passage along with British bulldog & Brandy if you youngsters played those games at school.
Ryan,don't forget these guys are usually over 6' tall to start with,so end up around 9 to 10 feet up. A mark can be taken from ANY kicker & you can "ride" any player.
G'day, I was there sitting about 45 degrees in the first tier. The TV doesn't do it justice. You had to see it to believe it. It's clearly the best mark ever taken , I put Sampis second and Jurrah s third. Had Jeremy Howe held on to his I would have put it second.. sorry , wrong person lol. Sorry bout that.
Nic Naitanui and Joe Daniher (both in this reel) are 6'8", and still get way up for speckies.
Moorcroft, Elliott and Ryan are well under 6'
do you realize how many Aussies are jumping for joy,, knowing you appreciate OUR GAME...YES it is a spectacular and exciting game to watch. . Glad you approve of it. now. make sure the team you follow IS THE BOMBERS ( Essendon) . no other team exists. Just the Bombers. take care and stay safe. and one big cuddle for Jase.
LOL, love it, you crack me up. I share your enthusiasm with regards to footy. Not so much the team. They will probably land somewhere 10th on the ladder. On the other hand, let’s take a closer look at the Blues. They should land higher on the ladder.😊
lmao Bombers fan detected, opinion rejected... go bloods!!
Collingwoooooood
When was the last time the Bombers won a final, let alone a Grand Final. The most loved team (and also most hated by opposition fans) is Collingwood - the mighty Magpies. Go Pies!
@@sinclairbgcj the "mighty" magpies suck UP THE CATTERS
0:39 first one is one of the best ever
Poor old Brad Johnson was at the bottom of that. See if we continue to give it back to the Bombers tonight.
Shaun Smith for me
The guy who took that mark Gary Moorcroft didn't play much after that because it messed up his back
@@amadd5641no you didn't lol 🤣
@@petergoldsworthy2454 😒
The season has started. You can watch games now, not sure what platform has them in Indiana but the AFL RUclips channel has highlights of every game every week. The reigning champions are the Collingwood magpies.
So don’t barrack for them! 😂
WatchAFL is a way to watch in the US on the web. Fox Sports 2 has 3-4 games each week, but WatchAFL has all of them.
@@baggerdave On a related note, dont 'root' for any of the sides. Rooting is something different in Australia.
The rule requires that the player marking "is in control" of the ball. So the Jeremy Howe one (2012) he controls the ball to the ground, and then it spills free because of him hitting the ground - it's a bit subjective, but for mine that was definitely a mark, and I've seen ones paid that are much more qustionable.
EDIT: The 2014 one where Wingard lainds and looks up angrily at the Saints player - hey pass it off as arrogance, but if you watch the SloMo, the Saints player grabs his ankle as he marks, which is why he falls so awkwardly to the ground....
The commentary for the NicNat one (2015) is awesome "he took his armchair with him and sat up on top".
When you take a mark you can choose to stop and take your kick or you can play on straight away.
These guys are so much bigger than you think.
Underrated comment
Maybe not Morecroft... 😂
@@roguesprinter great comment
@@roguesprinterAnd Jamie Elliott who's 178cm/5'10" and who's likely to win mark of the year again for his mark on ANZAC day
Yeah Nic Nat 202cm/6'8" and was around 110kgs/242lb
I Love the AFL ❤, thank you for your interest in our great sport
@ Ryan Was , yeah ya gotta get your self to the MCG when its full you can actually feel it when 80,000 people cheer, its magic!!
It’s so amusing watching someone react to AFL like this. This is so natural and makes perfect sense for me (an Aussie). It’s funny seeing someone trying to make sense of it. 😂
When they jump on someone's back/shoulders for the mark it's known as a "specky" which is short for "spectacular mark"
And a mark can be awarded even if it's kicked by the other team
That first mark you watched will probably be the most amazing mark in the games history. It comes in so quick, its a reflex grab at full stretch, its in the goalsquare, he gets actual airtime... Simply unbelievable. Not even an Essendon supporter and i can respect that feat. Interesting but sad fact - effectively ended his career as a professional footballer by cracking his hip with that landing.
Was discussing this with a NFL journalist here in Oz last week. This would constitute assisting the runner apparently.
what does assisting the runner mean (in aussie terms)?
@@hydrohelic I'm not even 100%on that myself. But from what I understand you can push the guy carrying the ball, like a scrum. But you can't pull someone carrying the ball up the field. I was asking if you could do a line out, and apparently that wouldn't fly.
8.00 Yes, Jeremy Howe held it long enough for the whistle, so it counts. Maybe he didn’t think so? You can play on after marking, though, if you want. He might have been in the zone, or seen a good opportunity to pass.
Great to see you enjoying the great game of AFL. Every game is that good!
Go The Swans, flying high! 🙋💯 The ideal outcome would be making a spectacular mark, and having space to kick a goal! 👍
Go the Blue Baggers! It’s looking good for them this year.
Thoroughly enjoyed this one, thanks Ryan
I’m going to share with my son
He always gets a kick out of people watching afl 👍
That first mark by Gary Moorcroft is believed by many (me included) as the best Mark in AFL history. Crazy way to start the video
Yeah but Gary wrecked his back in that mark and was never really the same again
It was his hip that was injured. I was a little tipsy when I was asking him about it years ago 😂😂😂😂
What you call cleats in the US, in Australia they are moulded rubber studs that form part of the shoe sole
We called them sprigs in SA. Not sure if they still do. I’m old.
I was wondering what Ryan meant by cleats.
They are essentially soccer boots
@@thatfelladownunder9396 yep I'm from there and yes I'm old and I called them sprigs as well
The great thing is you'll see marks like this at most games. I have often seen similar in junior club games..... Anybody who plays the game enjoys a "specky" as do their parents & spectators. The thing also is the opposing groups enjoy them too. Aussie Rules has so much to give you can't help but to be sucked in.
It's the Sport that keeps on giving.
We are ALL Aussie Rules on this blessed day.
I love these videos of ya'll reacting to AFL, having been a long time NBA fan in Australia it's nice to see it going back the other way.
Mark = ball kicked (not handpassed) + travels more than 15m over the ground + not touched by another player + ball caught and controlled (even if for half a second).
When a mark is awarded, a free kick can be taken at the point the ball is controlled.
Australia, we like do to things our own way.
This is a fantastic game
I find the best thing apart from taking the mark, is the the way they can estimate & gauge the height & distance they have to get up to, to get the mark. You can see when they are lining up to contest the mark , they all have their eyes scanning the flight of the ball
The 'Speccy' when one player jumps on another, marking as well as you see in this video, on average occurs maybe 5 times per year; so these marks get considered for mark of the year; but don't expect a Speccy for every game of AFL. But if you do get to see one, it's definitely a highlight!
Literally the 1st mark was the greatest mark of all time! Was absolutely incredible!!
Shaun Smith
No, it was Gary Moorcroft@@justinbrooks4872
@@justinbrooks4872 Agreed, rewind to the 90s & there's many of them better than the majority in the vid.
Loved the look on your face as you watched it and the disappointment when it ended 😂
Ryan made a pun without knowing he said "he kinda fell flat on his face but that was remarkable"😂😂
I love it when u say.Happy Arvo.
Worth noting, being such a part of the sport it's something you drill and train at. I was a fairly solid lad, so usually was the springboard, but with a lanky lad on your shoulders and a bit of teamwork n timing could catapult them right up. Was pretty good fun, our coach usually reserved it for the end of training, after the drills n basic skills, the fun part. And yeah, multiple collarbones were broken. But that's how AFL be. We have good public medical, you'll be right ;-)
These guys are fearless. No padding, no helmets. That's why we love our AFL!!
Thanks a lot, Ry. First vid I’m gonna watch at least twice. My team is North Melbourne, Kangaroos. They’re in here, one for, one against.
That first one was indeed dangerous. He cracked a bone in his hip and it ruined his career. Greatest mark ever taken
A mark doesn't need to be caught, merely "controlled". "Control" is often contentious on whether an umpire should have "paid it" or not, and certainly could cause confusion for someone not immersed in the sport. If it comes out when the player hits the ground, it will usually be called a mark unless they were juggling it all the way down (and even them sometimes).
And of course it needs to be after a kick of 15 metres or more without another player having touched the ball.
As an aussie that doesn’t fully follow sports in the slightest, some of our national sport’s highlights are still insane to watch, I’ve been to a few games in person as a kid, played a handful in school so I know the general rules but yeah, it’s so fun to watch sometimes compared to other sports you just get some insane plays.
I remember Moorcroft’s grab and it was still I think the most impressive mark I’ve ever seen.
Agreed. Moorcroft's is a thing of beauty!
That’s our footy, love the way they can just leap into the air like that. Amazing, but it happens in most game.
And the big men fly!
To give you some perspective on the athleticism in this sport, the 2006 mark by Brad Oftens at the 4:10 mark of the video, is 6 foot 10 inch tall guy jumping onto the shoulders of another 6 foot 10 guy, and Brad Ottens would of been about 285lbs
It always boggles my mind that they're so fearless. It's like as long as they get up high enough to get that ball, they don't think about what might happen on the way down. And even when it looks like the fall must have hurt, more often than not they get up and keep playing as if nothing happened.
Check out these 2 marks of the year- Sean smith 1995 and Stephen silvagni 1988. You will be blown away
Also the guy who took the first mark on the video clip(2001 mark of the year) is only 5ft 8 which by AFL standards is short as the average player these days is roughly 6ft2
Check out the great Jeselinko, pre 1980, without doubt one of the best high flying marker ever.
a mark is when you catch the ball, doesn't matter who kicked it and notice, no protective gear and those boots have spikes
Ryan is a cool character.
"Kick to kick" is when there are people kicking the ball "the footy" to each other over a non predetermined distance.
It could be two people, or it could be twenty people.
The catch or the "mark" of the ball is taken by the most aggressive person at either end.
If you don't put your body on the line, you don't get the ball.
This is something that Australian kids learn very early in life.
That is why it is so impressive to see it happen in a game.
We all know what it takes to "take the leap" and that is why it is commended.
Come down to Australia and see a game live. We’d love to see ya! ✌️
Love Americans respecting such a good sport
Marks are great in AFL, it's like they use the backs of other players as a springboard. You should also check out some of the high flying prowess of some rugby league players to score a try. It's a try in rugby both league and union and goals (6) or points in AFL.
The other thing to remember is most of these guys are over 6 foot tall. So you're jumping a fair height to get onto their shoulders.
Watch the biggest hits in rugby league. No padding, no helmet, just muscle 💪
They wear shoulder pads
@@rohand65 Tell me which players do? I watch every game and even the cameras show the change rooms as they get ready
Maybe AFL players do 🤔
Kicking between big sticks…goal, the outer posts are points. Marking it in front of goal stops the goal and gives other team possession of the ball.
Nothing like a high flying mark in footy. Go Pies
Hey Ryan - Jamie Elliott, the MOTY winner from 2013 just took another huge mark again on the weekend during the iconic ANZAC Day match at the MCG in front of 100k people. You will have to look at the highlight, it's definitely a contender again this year and will be tough to beat.
As an Essendon supporter have to agree, I don't think anything will beat that this year
You should do lots more Footy. Love it. Magnificent stuff, isn't it?
Americans universally always and strangely comment that taking a mark is "disrespectful" to whoever is under them, it seems to be connected in their eyes with the markers private parts being at some stage above another player a weird view IMO. Watch the markers eyes it all on the ball.
Exactly. So many American men seem to be insecure about their manhood.
Omg mesmerising especially when its your team🎉
Andrew Walker actually took mark of the year in 2011. Genuinely the best mark on the list. Make sure you check it out!
That was fun, thanks Ryan 😁
A mark is deemed to be "in control of the ball" so you can hold the ball till you hit the ground & be awarded the mark.
As a Rugby Union/League fan who does not like AFL, these catches have always fascinated me.
you should look at AFL / VFL goals of the decade or year
If a mark is called (when ump blows whistle, as detailed by many below), you have the choice of what to do. The marker has possesssion of the ball and cant be tackled etc. You can go back and have a kick (opposition stand on the mark - where you caught it), or you can Play On. If you Play On then the oppositon can try and get the ball off you. Playing on can be as a handball, or you can run and bounce the ball. Most players go back and take their kick.
Note the momentum of the run up to mark. Full weight is not projected to those underneath. You can see in nearly every instance of this. Also note those used in the step up to mark are not injured. The marker also doesn't want a knee injury and climbs with this is mind. The landing is the most dangerous as a miscalculation can result in a neck or arm injury etc.
Also these men have played since early years of their lives and not just flying for the mark but more importantly ready the flight of the ball and judging the leap whilst ball is in the air. Usually from along distance.
Marking a ball whilst running forward when the ball is in coming from behind you is the exception......the courage to do this is out standing and the most visually astounding and rare.
To do this you have judged the flight of the ball and ran at pace to be where it will come down ignoring the risk to self harm as the defenders have sight of the ball and most likely you inward bound.
Courage by all.
Also the leap is aimed to use a shoulder and may look close to the head ...again see that the ones below are not hurt.
AFL is a great game.
I've seen all those marks grabs screamers or catches,and played the game but your reaction made me laugh..😅
These mark ARE spectacular, take a good pic, demonstrate excellent athleticism but to my mind one of the best marks in the competition was Tony Lockett, the AFL's all time leading goal kicker with 1360 career goals. If his team mates got the ball they kicked it to him.
He was regularly marked by two opposition players whose sole aim was to stop him getting the ball. They nearly always failed. He was 6'3'', played at anywhere between 95kg. and 112kg. and was strong as fuck. He missed 23 games (one entire season for hitting people). His rational for hitting them was that if he took it and did not retaliate in kind plus one he would be driven out of the game.
He took most marks on his chest despite everyone trying to spoil him. They even wrote a song about him. Read his wikipedia article for more info
i still remember watching chad wingard’s mark in 2014, one of the best footy moments i’ve seen in real life. i was 9 :)
Ryan my friend yiu are getting so good at this ❤
should watch some Clarke and Dawe
The Front Fall Off?
I thought it was Doyle. Learn something new every day?
11:46 manages a kick to the face of his opponent on the way down
Those were the days. I remember my father taking marks like those and I could do it too. Wish I was twenty again.
You need to look at Tony Modra highlight reel. He was a GOD
All around playgrounds of Australia you will see two groups kicking a ball back and forth practicing this. You get used to someone running up your back
AFL. It’s in the game.
NBA est 1946
NFL est 1920
AFL est.. 1896!
Australian Football League..
it’s simply the best!
Way more exciting than all the rest .
Its not actually very damaging to the players getting ridden on , Its more about landing hard . The players going for the mark usually just have their eyes on the ball , so they dont even really see who they are marking over . It could be a team mate or an opposition player . In any case the spectacle is worth the few injuries that happen . By the way the first one was taken by a player that was about 5" 7' tall , Gary Morcroft .
The thing is at least a dozen or more of those kinds of marks are taken every season. Its crazy.
Come down and watch the big Texan, Mason Cox playing for Collingwood. He’s great to watch and won a premiership last year.
All you need to do is control the ball on the way down but if it comes loose once you land it's still a mark.
You can either take the free kick or play on it if you choose too by hand passing a teammate.
Yes the landing can be dangerous. the club i was managing held up a game for 30 minutes whilst we waited for an ambulance to arrive . the players and then the trainers would not allow the guy to move. Fortunately all ended up well but he was taken to hospital for observation as he had landed on his head and ricked his neck.
It's called a 'speccy' when you mark the ball by jumping on their shoulders🙃
We call some of these “Hangers” as they appear to almost hang in the air. It’s like the laws of physics don’t apply to them!
the first one morcroft is probably known as the best mark ever taken by a player. definitly don't see as good marks these days though compared to 10 years + ago
It's only equal is "Jesaulenko, you Beauty!"
I used to follow Jesaulenko decades ago, my loyalty followed him from Freeo to Norths.
@@Mirrorgirl492 morcroft was still better.
Hi Ryan, come down to Melbourne and would be delighted to take you to a game at the G. Just to clarify, a mark is taken when a player catches the ball on the full, from a kick of at least 15 m by a team mate or an opponent without it being touched on the way. There is no specification about how long you have to hold it for a mark to be awarded, only that the umpire judges that you have "controlled" it. If you have controlled it in the air and it jostles out when you hit the ground, they will normally still pay the mark. You then have the choice to play on or to go back behind the mark (the spot where you took the mark and on which an opponent is allowed to stand) to take a kick without being tackled. in general play, you have 15 seconds to take your kick but if you are within scoring distance, you have 30 seconds. After that, the umpire will call play on and the opposition can run at you and tackle you. There are no tries or touchdowns in footy. To score a goal, which is worth six points, you have to kick the ball between the goal posts (the two inner, larger posts), on the full or on the bounce, without it being touched by a player of either side before it crosses the back of the goal line. If your kick hits the goal post, goes between the goal post and the point post (the smaller outer post), is touched on the way through or is "rushed" (spoiled over the line by the opposition - there are no own goals), it is a behind and with one point.
I thought it was only a goal if on the full, & a point if it bounced.
@@judithstrachan9399 Nope, that doesn't matter, as long as it isn't touched.
Thanks, michael
It’s been Avery long time since I watched any footie.
@@judithstrachan9399 Do yourself a favour and have another look.
I have seen an NFL player take a few screamers , one was a classic to score in the end zone......but he didnt jump onto a defender......surrounded by about 3 defenders, all 4 of them running fast to the fall of the ball, the receiver leaped high as he turned towards the incoming ball, through his hands as high as he could, and caught it clean as a whistle.
Cant remember his name, but he was a small running back and receiver who often played in 3 or more teams.....offensive, defensive and he sometimes received the punt kick in the special or kick receiving team.
Im not American and not a NFL fan, so my knowledge of correct terminology and player names is not good.
Can only say i watched this player a little, because he was so talented.
A smallish Afro American, short and lightly built, but fast, strong and tough with a football brain and superb hands.
You need to check out some of Tony Modra's marks, prior to the timeframe you watched. He was another South Aussie legendary marker.
The bloke in light Blue was an Umpire(referee is in rugby & your NFL)
They are also in yellow, it depends on the playing teams colours I think...they need yo stand out.
In simple terms a mark is a catch "on the full" from someone else's kick, regardless of who kicked it. Yeah there are technicalities about how far it has to travel and so on, but that's the basic principle.
If the ball goes through the two long poles y a goal (6 points) if the ball gets through a long and short ball it’s a "behind" (1 point)
Yes, just a little. I feel a refresher course is in order.
Almost broke his arm on the way down" Jeremy Howe intensifies
The first mark (2001) was the ESPN SportsCentre Play of the Day in the USA. Probably confused a lot of viewers 😂
The post they have to kick a goal or a behind which is the outer goal post
3 seconds ... u have to hold it for 3 seconds and have control ... now if when u come down the impact of the ground makes u drop it like that mark ... it's dosnt matter he had control for more than 3 seconds .. hope that helps
Speccies (spectacular marks) are kinda like posterisers in Basketball. Crowd gets super hyped, and it’s always embarrassing for the player on the bottom