Exciting Crow Eddie Betts has claimed his second AFL Goal of the Year crown.
Betts, 28, earned four weekly Coates Hire Goal of the Year nominations in Season 2015, but it was his left-foot torpedo against Fremantle in Round Nine that was selected as one of the three finalists.
The All Australian forward, who bagged 63 goals for the season, kicked the remarkable goal in wet conditions from a near-impossible angle under lights at Adelaide Oval.
Pressed hard against the boundary line on the 50m arc, Betts controlled the heavy Sherrin with a pirouette before launching the left-foot torpedo. The ball sailed from left to right and bounced twice through the goals.
Fox Footy commentator Dwayne Russell summed up the degree of difficulty as the ball left the skilful goalkicker’s foot, saying, “No way … not from there!”
Betts beat out Fremantle star Nat Fyfe and Geelong speedster Jordan Murdoch to win the title. He previously won the Goal of the Year award in 2006 when he smothered Collingwood opponent Tarkyn Lockyer’s handball, gathered and slotted a freakish banana from the boundary line.
The 2015 finalists were selected by the All-Australian Selection Committee and voted for by the public.
Betts is only the second Crow behind Tony Modra to win Goal of the Year. Modra claimed the award against Richmond in 1995 when he kicked soccered the ball forward inside 50m and followed up to snap truly from 20 metres out hard up against the MCG boundary line.