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Aaron Edwards
Aaron Edwards (born 2 March 1984 in Samoa) is an Australian rules footballer for the North Melbourne Football Club.
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Albert Thurgood
Albert John "The Great" Thurgood (11 January 1874 – 8 May 1927) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football Association, Victorian Football League and the Western Australian Football Association.
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Alex Jesaulenko
'''Alex 'Jezza' Jesaulenko''' MBE (born 2 August 1945 in Salzburg, Austria) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is regarded as one of the game's greatest-ever players and is an official Legend of the Australian Football Hall of Fame. He immortalized his reputation in the game by taking the Mark of the Century in the 1970 VFL Grand Final. In 2009 The Australian nominated Jesaulenko as one of the 25 greatest footballers never to win a Brownlow medal.
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Brendan Fevola
Brendan Fevola (born 20 January 1981) is a professional Australian rules footballer currently with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.
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Brendon Goddard
Brendon James Goddard (born 20 May 1985) is an Australian rules footballer for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
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Brett Burton
Brett Burton (born 4 May 1978) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He was picked up at Pick 16 in the 1998 AFL Draft by the Adelaide Football Club. He is noted for his spectacular high marking, which saw him win the AFL Mark of the Year in 2009, and his freakish goal sense.
http://wn.com/Brett_Burton -
Chris Langford
Chris Langford (born 2 January 1963) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who is currently a game administrator.
http://wn.com/Chris_Langford -
Felice Arena
Felice Arena (born 10 March 1968) is a popular Australian children's author and illustrator, and occasional actor. His books have topped bestseller lists and have garnered a number of awards. He is best known for the bestselling Specky Magee series and most recently his Farticus Maximus books - a collection of humorous short stories and comic illustrations.
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Garry Lyon
Garry Peter Lyon (born 13 September 1967 in Devonport, Tasmania) is a former Australian rules footballer and was captain of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. He is now a media personality, featuring on television, radio and in newspapers mainly in association with football.
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Gary Ablett, Sr.
Gary Robert Ablett, senior (born 1 October 1961) is a retired professional Australian rules football player who played the majority of his career with the Geelong Football Club. Ablett was best known as a prolific goalkicker and spectacular marker of the ball, and his biography on the Australian Football League (AFL) website states, "He has left a legacy wherein Gary Ablett is one of the greatest players to have played the game".
http://wn.com/Gary_Ablett_Sr -
Gary Pert
Gary Pert (born 28 May 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and businessman. Gary is the son of Brian Pert.
http://wn.com/Gary_Pert -
Jack Riewoldt
Jack Riewoldt is a professional Australian rules footballer currently playing with the Richmond Tigers in the Australian Football League.
http://wn.com/Jack_Riewoldt -
John Gerovich
John Gerovich is a former Australian rules footballer who played with South Fremantle in the WAFL during the 1950s and 1960s. Gerovich was a key position forward, best known for high flying marks and his prolific goalkicking. One famous mark, which he took in the 1956 WANFL Preliminary Final over East Fremantle's Ray French is commemorated in a statue at Fremantle Oval. The statue was based on a photograph of the mark, taken The West Australian photographer Maurie Hammond and published on Wednesday 10 October 1956. The mark was also depicted in Jamie Cooper's painting the Game That Made Australia, commissioned by the AFL in 2008 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the sport
http://wn.com/John_Gerovich -
Luke McPharlin
Luke McPharlin (born 1 December 1981) is an Australian rules football player for the Fremantle Football Club. He is 193 centimetres tall with a playing weight of 95 kilograms. McPharlin was educated at Christ Church Grammar School, graduating in 1999.
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Matthew Scarlett
Matthew Scarlett (born 5 June 1979) is an Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A fullback, tall and weighing , Scarlett is the eldest son of former Geelong footballer John Scarlett.
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Peter Knights
Peter Knights (born 30 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He is widely regarded as one of the finest centre half-backs to have played the game, despite suffering numerous injuries. He was recognized for his contribution to the game when he was among the inaugural inductees into the AFL Hall of Fame in 1996 and later in the Hawthorn Team of the Century.
http://wn.com/Peter_Knights -
Roy Cazaly
Roy Cazaly (13 January 1893 – 10 October 1963) was an Australian rules football player famous for his high marks and ruck work, which gave rise to the phrase "Up There Cazaly".
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Russell Robertson
Russell "Robbo" Robertson (born 24 November 1978) is a professional Australian rules footballer, who last played for the Melbourne Football Club.
http://wn.com/Russell_Robertson -
Tony Modra
'''Anthony 'Tony' Dale Modra''' (born 1 March 1969) is a former Australian rules football player, known for his spectacular marks. He played for the Adelaide Football Club and Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League, mainly at full forward. Modra had the physical strength and size to match the best opposition full backs in the competition. He played in the number 6 guernsey for both Adelaide and Fremantle.
http://wn.com/Tony_Modra -
Warwick Capper
Warwick Capper (born 12 June 1963) is a retired high profile professional Australian rules football full-forward who played with the Sydney Swans with a short stint at the Brisbane Bears in the VFL (now AFL).
http://wn.com/Warwick_Capper
- Aaron Edwards
- Albert Thurgood
- Alex Jesaulenko
- Australian words
- Brendan Fevola
- Brendon Goddard
- Brett Burton
- Charlie Pearson
- Chris Langford
- Felice Arena
- Garry Lyon
- Gary Ablett, Sr.
- Gary Pert
- Jack Riewoldt
- John Gerovich
- Luke McPharlin
- Mark of the Year
- Matthew Scarlett
- Peter Knights
- Push in the back
- Roy Cazaly
- Russell Robertson
- Specky Magee
- sports injury
- TISM
- Tony Modra
- Up There Cazaly
- Warren Tredrea
- Warwick Capper
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- 2007 AFL Grand Final
- Aaron Edwards
- Albert Thurgood
- Alex Jesaulenko
- Australian words
- Brendan Fevola
- Brendon Goddard
- Brett Burton
- Charlie Pearson
- Chris Langford
- Felice Arena
- Garry Lyon
- Gary Ablett, Sr.
- Gary Pert
- Jack Riewoldt
- John Gerovich
- Luke McPharlin
- Mark of the Year
- Matthew Scarlett
- Peter Knights
- Push in the back
- Roy Cazaly
- Russell Robertson
- Specky Magee
- sports injury
- TISM
- Tony Modra
- Up There Cazaly
- Warren Tredrea
- Warwick Capper
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A spectacular mark (often called a specky, speckie or speccy for short, alternatively known as a screamer or a hanger) is a term for a type of mark in Australian rules football. The typical spectacular mark involves a player jumping up on the back of another player in order to take the mark, or catch.
The spectacular mark has become a much celebrated aspect of the sport. Many of the winners of the annual Mark of the Year competition could be considered 'speckies', and commentators will often call an individual specky "a contender" in reference to this competition and the mark's likeliness to win it.
The movement of other players beneath a marking can cause the flyer to lose balance in mid air and land or fall awkwardly, enhancing the spectacular nature of the mark. In the 1980s it became common for exponents of the spectacular mark to achieve extra elevation by levering or propping the hands or arms off the shoulders of opponents. According to the strict interpretation of the rules, this is in fact illegal interference. Sometimes umpires, however, may interpret in favour of spectacular play if the interference is minor and deemed to be part of the jumping action. The AFL Rules Committee in 2007 effectively disallowed this type of spectacular mark altogether with the advent of the controversial "hands on the back" rule.
History
The first speckies in the game of Australian rules football began to appear in the 1880s, a time in which the popularity of the sport was heightened. Charlie Pearson was one of the first high flyers. Albert Thurgood was a later exponent at the turn of the century. Dick Lee pulled down consistent high marks in the early 1900s.It wasn't until the 1897 with the push in the back rule that high flyers were protected from being pushed in mid air. This prevented potential serious injury. In 1904, "unintentional interference" paved the way for forwards to climb up opposition players backs to take spectacular marks.
In popular culture
The specky has been widely celebrated in popular Australian culture. The phrase "The Big Men Fly" to describe the game of Australian Rules is about the specky and has spawned a play. Alex Jesaulenko's specky spawned the catch phrase "Jesaulenko You Beauty!". Songs like "Up There Cazaly" also celebrate the popular spectator phenomenon.There are also a series of football-related children's novels by ex-player Garry Lyon and children's author, Felice Arena named after their protagonist, "Specky Magee". This character is named after the slang term.
Stepladder
In Australian slang, stepladder describes the player over which another player marks to take a specky. In the past, fullbacks have been renowned for regularly acting as stepladders.The stepladders of famous marks are very rarely remembered or recorded in the history books. The only notable exception to this was Graeme "Jerker" Jenkins who was the stepladder for Alex Jesaulenko's mark; Melbourne band TISM even wrote the song "the Back upon Which Jezza Jumped" about him.
Strong fullbacks Gary Pert, Mick Martyn, Chris Langford and Matthew Scarlett have been stepladders for speckies on multiple occasions.
Warren Tredrea was the stepladder of a rare Grand Final spectacular mark taken by Paul Chapman in the 2007 AFL Grand Final.
Notable exponents
Many VFL/AFL players have been known for their ability to frequently take "speckies" based on being recognised by the media, nominated or winning the Mark of the Year on multiple occasions.{| class="wikitable" ! Player !! Mark of the Year titles !! Nominations (Year/Times) !! Other Notes |- | Roy Cazaly || || || (of "Up there Cazaly" fame) |- | Gary Ablett, Sr. || 1985, 1984 || || Mark of the 20th Century* |- | Tony Modra || 1993, 1997, 2000 || || |- | Peter Knights || 1972, 1975, 1977 || || |- | Alex Jesaulenko || 1970, 1973 || || Mark of the 20th Century* |- | Warwick Capper || 1987 || || |- | Brett Burton || 2009 || || Nicknamed "The Birdman" for his huge leap |- | Russell Robertson || || || Nominated for Mark of the Week numerous times, but never won Mark of the Year |- Current players who regularly exhibit spectacular marking include Chris Tarrant, Aaron Edwards, Jack Riewoldt, Luke McPharlin, Dale Thomas, Brendon Goddard and Andrew Walker.
External links
References
Category:Australian rules football terminologyThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.