20/12/2025
Great insights from the Sydney Swans Duo here 🦢
Battling it out - working on their contested marking craft - love to see it.
Some key learnings I like to teach for contested marking.
1. Watch the ball
Points 2 & 3 don’t matter if the ball lands next to you. Your number 1 priority should always be the ball and where it is going to land. The early you can do this the better - predict & position - you will then select techniques to match the scenario.
2. Get Side On
I often refer to it like squash - you never want to give your back to your opponent - you just become far too easy to manipulate. A well balanced surfer stance, allows us to stay low, drop our centre of mass and use our feet to apply force into the ground. Remember, a strong base helps for a powerful kinetic chain, use your feet!
3. Get your frames in
If you are a forward you want separation to be able to run/jump at the ball, get your arms out at length, protect the drop zone and then fight like heck to maintain it. Think arms, elbows, shoulders, back - these are the layers you can use to maintain your space.
4. Win or Halve
The old saying, if you can’t win it at-least be in a position to halve it. Scrap, fight, bring it to ground, stay alive.
All in all a great watch 💪🏉
