A specky (also called a screamer, or a hanger) is a slang term for a type of mark in Australian rules football. Short for "spectacular", a speckie involves a player jumping up on the back of another player in order to take the mark, or catch. Many of the winners of the annual Mark of the Year competition could be considered "speckies". A notable example was Gary Ablett's 1994 leap, which was labelled "Mark of the Century". A mark is a skill in Australian Rules Football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it. ... The Big Men Fly - high marking is a key skill and spectator attribute of Aussie Rules Precise field and goal kicking using the oval shaped ball is the most important skill in Aussie Rules Footy Australian football, also known as Australian rules football, Aussie rules, or simply football or footy... The Australian Football League celebrates the best mark of the season through the annual Mark of the Year competition. ... For the sons of this AFL football player, see Gary Ablett Jr. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

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, some exponents of the spectacular mark achieved elevation by levering or propping the hands or arms off the shoulders of opponents. If the player being launched off is an opposition player then this is illegal interference, however umpires may interpret in favour of spectacular play if the interference is minor and deemed to be part of the jumping action.

Notable Exponents

Great players known for their ability to take "speckies" include:

• Gary Ablett
• Trevor Barker
• Roy Cazaly
• Alex Jesaulenko, who took the Mark of the Century for the Twentieth Century in the 1970 AFL Grand Final, to the oft-quoted commentary of "oh, Jesaulenko, you beauty!"
• Peter Knights
• Paul Vanderhaar
• Tony Modra
• Warwick Capper
• Shaun Smith

Current players that regularly exhibit spectacular marking include Chris Tarrant, Jeff White, Russell Robertson, Brett 'Birdman' Burton, Matthew Richardson and Kayne Pettifer. For the sons of this AFL football player, see Gary Ablett Jr. ... Trevor Barker (born October 7, 1956, died April 1996) was a former Australian rules footballer with St Kilda Football Club. ... Roy Cazaly was an Australian rules football player famous his high marks, and for giving rise to the phrase Up there Cazaly. Cazaly was born in Albert Park, a suburb of Melbourne on January 13, 1893. ... Alex Jezza Jesaulenko (born 2 August 1945 in Salzburg, Austria) is a former champion Australian rules footballer who is rated by many as one of the greatest players of all time. ... Part of the pre-match entertainment at the 2006 AFL Grand Final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ... Peter Knights (born 30 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. ... weener Categories: | | | | | | | ... Warwick Capper (born 12 June 1963) is a former Australian Rules Football full-forward who played for the Victorian/Australian Football Leagues Sydney Swans with a short stint at the Brisbane Bears. ... Shaun Smith (born July 22, 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL. Originally from the Ainslie Football Club in the Australian Capital Territory, but recruited from Werribee and debuting in the Australian Football League in 1987, Smith is best known for his incredible leap and ability... Chris Tarrant (born December 18, 1980 in Mildura, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian rules football player, with Collingwood Football Club. ... Jeff White is an Australian rules football player who plays for the Melbourne Demons. ... Russell Robertson (born November 24, 1978) is an Australian rules footballer, and currently plays for the Melbourne Demons Football Club. ... Brett Burton (born May 4, 1978) is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. ... Matthew Richardson (born March 19, 1975), is a professional Australian Rules football player for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League. ... Kayne Pettifer (born January 22, 1982) is an Australian Rules Footballer in the Australian Football League. ...

Specky in Popular Culture

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. Garry Lyon Garry Lyon (born September 13, 1967) is a former captain of the Melbourne Demons Football Club in the Australian Football League. ... Felice Arena (born 1968-03-10) in an Australian actor and childrens writer. ... Simon Specky Magee is a fictional character in a series of five books by Garry Lyon and Felice Arena. ...

In Australian slang, stepladder describes the player over which another player marks to take a specky. In the past, fullbacks have been reknowned 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, Michael Martyn, Chris Langford and Matthew Scarlett have been stepladders for speckies on multiple occasions. According to stereotype, spoken Australian English is thought to be highly colloquial, possibly more so than other spoken variants. ... A mark is a skill in Australian Rules Football where a player cleanly catches a kicked ball that has travelled more than 15 metres without anyone else touching it. ... TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) is a seven piece alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. ... In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team are assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. ... Gary Pert (born May 28, 1965) is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL/AFL and businessman. ... Matthew Scarlett (born June 5, 1979) is an Australian rules footballer. ...

External links

• AFL Mark of the Year Competition
• Video of Geelong's Brad Ottens taking a specky at YouTube
• Video of the best marks from 2004
• Video of Chris Tarrant's 2001 AFL Mark of the Year runner-up
• Video of Gary Moorcroft's 2001 AFL Mark of the Year
• Video of Gary Ablett's hanger in the 1989 VFL Semi Final Geelong V Melbourne
• Video of Gary Ablett taking a specky over Gary Pert
• Video of a specky by VFL player Marty McGrath vs Box Hill
• Video of a specky by VFL player Marty McGrath vs Springvale
• Video of a specky by VFL player Marty McGrath vs Tasmania
• Video of a specky by SANFL player Tim Inkster
• Video of some of the best AFL marks from 2005 from YouTube