Surely it is a catch, no? Interested to see if anyone knows how the term "mark" evolved.
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Why is it called a "mark"?
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obscura
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This is all I could dig up:
Some people claim that the origin of the term 'mark' comes from the practice of a player who has just taken a mark physically marking the ground with his foot, or cap which formed part of the attire worn by players in the 19th century, to show where he took the fair catch.
Others claim that the origin of the mark comes from the traditional Aboriginal game of Marn Grook, which is said to possibly have influenced Tom Wills writing of the laws of the game. It is claimed that in Marn Grook, jumping to catch the ball, called "mumarki", an Aboriginal word meaning "to catch" results in a free kick. Some counterclaim this theory as false etymology. (Wikipedia)
Some people claim that the origin of the term 'mark' comes from the practice of a player who has just taken a mark physically marking the ground with his foot, or cap which formed part of the attire worn by players in the 19th century, to show where he took the fair catch.
Others claim that the origin of the mark comes from the traditional Aboriginal game of Marn Grook, which is said to possibly have influenced Tom Wills writing of the laws of the game. It is claimed that in Marn Grook, jumping to catch the ball, called "mumarki", an Aboriginal word meaning "to catch" results in a free kick. Some counterclaim this theory as false etymology. (Wikipedia)
one of the people who invented the rules back in the 1800's name was Andrew Marks, instead of calling it a 'catch', they tried to differ themselves from the yanks and call it a 'Mark'
- Jul 15, 2009
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Rugby.
I remember Gerard Healy giving this explanation to a worldwide audience during commentary of the '93 Grand Final
I also assumed this. In rugby a mark is achieved by taking a clean catch and almost simultaneously calling out "Mark". I think this has been the case since rugby started in a school of the same name in England in the early 1800s.
Watsclarkosmob
Club Legend
I don't know much about 19th century rugby rules but mark is used in rugby and I don't think South African and English people would refer to it as a mark cause of an aboriginal term or for an the sake of trying to be differant from the yanks. A mark in goal allows you to head out to the 20m 'mark'.
It quite clearly comes from Rugby. It would be far too much of a co-incidence that it came from an indigenous term that happened to sound almost identical to the the word used for the exact same action (taking a catch and earning a free kick) in a related game that is older than aussie rules.
Or are the Marn Grook-ers also claiming that 'punt', 'tackle', 'goal', etc are also indigenous terms?
Or are the Marn Grook-ers also claiming that 'punt', 'tackle', 'goal', etc are also indigenous terms?
absfab
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Not quite.
There has been some fiddling since I finished playing, but here's where the word comes from.
In Rugby Union a player could stop play by taking a fair catch in his defensive quarter, and then take a "free kick" (unopposed kick) from that place. The stoppage was not automatic, and the player had to ask for it.
Additionally, the catch had to be from a standing position - not running or leaping. To prove this the player had to simultaneously drive his heel downward into the ground and make a visible mark (can't be done if your running or jumping). He yells "Mark" to ask the ref to pay it.
The free kick is then taken from the mark the player made with his foot - gives us another term. the mark is both the catch, and the place.
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Last year Geoffrey Blainey came out and said the whole Marngrook story was a hoax, and the AFL on his evidence even agreed and were embarrassed because they have a Marngrook trophy game. They have kept it as a goodwill symbol though.
My best guess is that evolves from marking the spot from where you take your "free" kick after catching the pill.
The earliest Rugby rules I can google up are from 1862.
They used the term mark in reference to the spot on the ground where a kick is taken from but a catch is called a 'fair catch' and the person taking it a 'catcher'.
Watsclarkosmob
Club Legend
Cheers league and union just blend together from me. Mark in goal and a 20m tap is league.
Ahh historians don't you love em, depending whether they are right or left gives will give us two versions of history.
Fact 1: Aboriginal people played a game with a possum skin ball, there was no limit to how many people played or how long, the object of the game was to kick it high and see who could take the most spectacular "mark"
Fact 2: Tom Wills one of the main architects of "Aussie Rules" grew up close to a tribe that regularly played Marn Grook. It is noted that he had a close relationship with the tribe, could speak the language and participated in the game.
Fact 3: Early "Aussie Rules" games were played where the MCG is today by non Aboriginals, where kicking and "marking" was part of the game, there was no limit on how many played or how long, but this game involved scoring.
Make of that what you will, but to deny an indigenous influence on the formation of the game is pure whitewashing!
Why is it called a "skid mark"?
High marking was not an element of the original game while Tom Wills played it.
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Im not denying nothing. But it was Flanigan who started the story and later admited he "stretched" the marngrook aspect. Its dead and dusted. Myth busted. So im in no way denying any Indigenous to it at all just the name given.
Lol thats hilarious ..it's a wonder our game doesn't also involve boomerang tossing and spear throwing
Anyone who thinks Aussie rules has anything to do with an Aboriginal game is clutching at straws and pushing their own agenda's .
Very true. In the original English rugby code, a 'mark' was only 'paid' if the ball was caught with both feet firmly planted on the grounds. 150 years on, that's still the case in rugby.
However , very early on in Australian Football, players started to take to the sky for 'speccies' or 'hangers' (call them what you like). Why was this so? It seems not unreasonable that the aboriginal game of marngrook (which basically was about kicking the ball high to see who could take the best speccie) was a crucial influence here. Unfortunately, however, the lack of documentary evidence for this (people back then weren't in the habit of giving much credit to aboriginals for anything, let alone matters as important as the rules of our footy) means the marngrook origin theory will always fall short of the 'proof' required for it to be accepted by many or most professional historians. However, as Blainey himself as acknowledged in his book, that doesn't mean it never happened, only that it isn't proven.
What about the term 'behind'
