Defenders Rory Laird and Jake Lever are among the nominees for the AFL Mark of the Year for Round 14.
Laird claimed a courageous grab during the third term of Adelaide’s win over North Melbourne on Thursday night. The brave backman tracked a high ball back towards centre half-forward and lunged into the path of 200cm, 101kg Roo Ben Brown while showing little regard for his own safety.
Lever was also recognised for his high-flying effort in the final term of the Crows’ victory at Adelaide Oval. The 20-year-old defender left his direct opponent to crash a pack and claim a saving mark for his first-ever Mark of the Year nomination. Ironically, Lever also collected Laird in the process as his smaller teammate was once again going back with the flight into the unknown.
Click here to vote for Lairdy and Snake
Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt is the final contender in this week’s Mark of the Year poll.
See all of the Round 14 Mark of the Year nominees in the video player above
It’s the third time this season that two players from the same club have been nominated. Hawthorn’s Paul Puoplo and Cyril Rioli were both included in Round Five, while St Kilda pair Sean Dempster and Paddy McCartin were among the Round Four nominees.
Charlie Cameron earned Adelaide’s first Mark of the Year nomination of the season for his hanger at Domain Stadium in Round 12, however he was unable to progress beyond the weekly vote.
Eddie Betts was nominated for the AFL’s Goal of the Year following his incredible snap in Round 10 against Greater Western Sydney.
Watch our RAA Marks of the Week
Weekly nominees are chosen by the AFL Media editorial team and round winners are determined by a public vote. Fans can win a weekly cash prize of $200 just for voting, with a major cash prize of $5,000 on offer at the end of the season.
Voting opens 12pm each week the day after the last game if the round and close the night before commencement of the next round (exact days of the week may change depending on fixture).
At the conclusion of the home and away season, the AFL’s All-Australian Selection Committee will select the best three goals from a selection of 28 (the 23 weekly winners, along with five other contenders as determined by the AFL Media footy expert selectors). The best three will be based on a 5/4/3/2/1 vote given by each member of the selection committee.
The top three selections for the Woolworths Mark of the Year and the Coates Hire Goal of the Year will be placed on www.afl.com.au on September 5. The major winners will then be announced prior to the 2016 Toyota AFL Grand Final.
