Round 1-23: How Charlie unfolded00:31:56
Round 1-23: How Charlie unfolded
EDDIE did it again! Crows specialist forward Eddie Betts’ repeat “wonder goal” from Adelaide Oval’s north-west pocket in Indigenous Round is the AFL Goal of the Year.
Betts claimed the award for the second consecutive season for his third-quarter, right-foot blast from 40m against the Greater Western Sydney Giants on May 28.
The goal is bewildering in the way Betts dives onto the ball on the apex of the 50m arc and boundary line, bounces up and evades the lunging tackle of Giants opponent Nick Haynes to create space for a running shot at goal.
The Crows’ leading goalkicker beat fellow finalists, Sydney power forward Lance Franklin with his 70m goal and North Melbourne midfielder Shaun Atley with a checkside goal, in the public poll for the goal of the year.
Betts won the award last season for a long left-foot kick from the same pocket against Fremantle in the AFL’s Indigenous Round.
That shot was longer and took two bounces to clear the goal-line whereas this year’s winner sailed over the goal umpire’s head at Adelaide Oval’s scoreboard end.
Betts last night noted he may have got away with blindsiding the boundary umpire as he lifted the ball off the turf and pulled it across the boundary line to confuse Haynes.
And he further joked the only person who did not delight in this year’s goal was team-mate Tom Lynch.
“He had run all the way down to the goalsquare expecting a pass,” Betts said.
