SA Footy

To set the record straight for many SA footy fans and many many more Victorian and other States fans, there are two distinctive kicks for goal from a short tight angle - the Checkside and the Banana Kicks.

So what is the diffference?

Well the checkside kick is the one kicked by right footers from the right hand pocket & left footers from the left hand pocket and the ball is held at 45 degrees and kicked on the left hand third of the ball at impact (right hand third of the ball for left footers).

The banana kick is kicked by right footers from the left hand pocket & left footers from the right hand pocket and the ball is held at 45 degrees and kicked on the right hand third of the ball at impact (left hand third of the ball for left footers).

Which State invented these kicks?

The checkside and banana kicks appear to have had their origins in SA with sporadic use of the kicks in the 40s & 50s but it was Jack Oatey who made an art of it at Sturt in the 1960s when he demanded his players practice them at training and strongly encouraged their use in games.

Sturt's Paul Bagshaw was a master of both and probably kicked the most famous checkside kick when he kicked a checkside goal in a final from the boundary in the south western pocket at Adelaide Oval in the late 60s/early 70s IN HIS JOCKS BECAUSE HIS SHORTS HAD BEEN TORN OFF.

And Sturt's Peter Endersbee's two first quarter goals against the wind, with perfectly executed checkside punt kicks from deep in the scoreboard pocket at Adelaide Oval were a highlight of the 1968 grand final.

i just thought they were the same thing

Jimmy wrote:i just thought they were the same thing

Jimmy - naively most people do but they are two distinctively different kicks and just because you are proficient at one doesn't mean you are good at the other.

Any Sturt player under Oatey or North player under Nunan will support my theories above.

"The story had to be told"

gotta say I thought the Vics called it a banana and we called it a checkside, and from the opposite pocket was called a reverse checkside

CUTTERMAN wrote:gotta say I thought the Vics called it a banana and we called it a checkside, and from the opposite pocket was called a reverse checkside

this sounds more familiar.

No, a total fallacy unfortunately Cutterman trust me - the Vics are uneducated newcomers in this area.

EG Dwayne Russell thinks he knows and talks in error when referring to such kicks - but he is from Port Magpies who would never have kicked such kicks prior to the year 2000.

But if you don't want to believe that's up to you - I'm only telling you from first hand experience this is fact. It is something that has been eating away at for years and needs to be reiagned in before history is distorted.

Someone had to tackle it.

I always thought it was the way ML described it above, way back to my childhood.

One thing I don't understand, and apologies for my example being AFL based, but anyone who caught Walkers 1st goal for the Crows v Essendon on the weekend would have heard the commentators refer to it as a "reverse checkside" - Wasn't it just a checkside on the run?

MagareyLegend wrote:No, a total fallacy unfortunately Cutterman trust me - the Vics are uneducated newcomers in this area.

EG Dwayne Russell thinks he knows and talks in error when referring to such kicks - but he is from Port Magpies who would never have kicked such kicks prior to the year 2000.

I don't disblieve you on this ML, but how did you get so clued up on all this?

Well, to tell the truth, I played under Nunan at North Adelaide for 10 years and we had it drummed into us.
We were forced to practice them at training EVERY night.
(no doubt a theory passed down from Oatey)

Constance_Perm wrote:I always thought it was the way ML described it above, way back to my childhood.

One thing I don't understand, and apologies for my example being AFL based, but anyone who caught Walkers 1st goal for the Crows v Essendon on the weekend would have heard the commentators refer to it as a "reverse checkside" - Wasn't it just a checkside on the run?

Taylor's was a checkside (on the run or set shot is irrelevant).
Taylor is coached by Craig who was coached by Oatey & Nunan (no coincidence).
Commentators were Victorian.

MagareyLegend wrote:

Constance_Perm wrote:I always thought it was the way ML described it above, way back to my childhood.

One thing I don't understand, and apologies for my example being AFL based, but anyone who caught Walkers 1st goal for the Crows v Essendon on the weekend would have heard the commentators refer to it as a "reverse checkside" - Wasn't it just a checkside on the run?

Taylor's was a checkside (on the run or set shot is irrelevant).
Taylor is coached by Craig who was coached by Oatey & Nunan (no coincidence).
Commentators were Victorian.

As I thought .. But I don't see the relevance of Oatey and Nunan (or Craig for that matter) in Walkers ability to checkside though .. The luminaries you mentioned may have been responsible for it once upon a time (I dunno), but all kids for a long time have grown up knowing how the kick is supposed to work and practiced it regularly.

MagareyLegend wrote:Well, to tell the truth, I played under Nunan at North Adelaide for 10 years and we had it drummed into us.
We were forced to practice them at training EVERY night.
(no doubt a theory passed down from Oatey)

No worries mate.

I always thought the difference in terminologies was a state based thing as well, thanks for clearing that up.

CP, I am just saying that Craigy would support and encourage the practice of such kicks at training and their use in games.

The majority of AFL coaches would not.

The best way to judge which coaches do and don't is to watch which clubs' players go back and kick these kicks when on such angles or choose to kick a drop punt (or don't know what to do).

That is the difference.

MagareyLegend wrote:CP, I am just saying that Craigy would support and encourage the practice of such kicks at training and their use in games.

The majority of AFL coaches would not.

The best way to judge which coaches do and don't is to watch which clubs' players go back and kick these kicks when on such angles or choose to kick a drop punt (or don't know what to do).

That is the difference.

Cheers mate, Im with ya now (on Craigy) .. Sounds like you have a fair insight into this but all seems to make sense

Excellent topic. Jack Oatey was an innovator as were many South Australian champion players and coaches but unfortunately this has been lost with the expanded VFL claiming all the history.

The annoying part is a lot of players opt for the checkside when a simple drop punt would suffice. And why they think they can kick checkisdes when their heads are swivelling around looking for players in "better positions" is beyond me. If you want the checkside to work, it requires concentration.

Adelaide Hawk wrote:The annoying part is a lot of players opt for the checkside when a simple drop punt would suffice. And why they think they can kick checkisdes when their heads are swivelling around looking for players in "better positions" is beyond me. If you want the checkside to work, it requires concentration.

A good example of this is one of Tippetts goals against Essendon, very tight angle on the boundry line in the left pocket and slotted it through with a drop punt. This is a good topic ML, I never knew we called it the banana also, I would've thought Dwayne Russell would've known but maybe he doesn't. The checkside is a pretty methodical kick and you're right that it requires concentration but I've often wondered why more players don't use it. The goal you mentioned of Bagshaws is a classic, I think one of the old SA based AFL shows (maybe CH10) did a re-enactment with Baggy (I think) some years ago at Adelaide Oval and he slotted it through numerous times. Never understood why it wasn't taught as a skill more often. Thanks for the info.

There is also a third type of kick you can use from a tight angle. Not sure what it's called but it's a tumble punt executed whilst facing sideways to the goals - much the same as a sideways snap for goal during play. These sorts of kicks don't get much distance but fly pretty straight in the air, unlike checkside or banana kicks that curve through the air.

I hope that makes sense!

Barto wrote:Excellent topic. Jack Oatey was an innovator as were many South Australian champion players and coaches but unfortunately this has been lost with the expanded VFL claiming all the history.

Barto and ML, you are dead right.

I though that a banana was simply a snap for goal, regardless of position on the field, but running parallel to the goals and kicked off the inside of the boot - ie across the body or past the opposite shoulder.

I'm surprised no one's ever tried to perfect the reverse screwy, the screwy that swings left to right if you 'miskick' the ball the right way.