“I Managed to Stick the Landing More Cleanly This Time”: The Heart-Wrenching Story Behind the VFL Player’s ‘Remarkably Extraordinary’ Mark

Geelong Cats icon Jimmy Bartel has praised the remarkable mark taken over the weekend by VFL-listed player Daniel Wood, calling it “one of the best” he has witnessed, while expressing his surprise that Wood did not sustain any injuries in the process.

Blackburn footballer Daniel Wood, the talk of the town, shared that a similar attempt earlier in the season ended disastrously for him.

“A little over a month ago, I tried something comparable and ended up knocking myself out and breaking my nose,” Wood recounted during an appearance on Nine’s Today on Monday.

“Fortunately, this time I managed to stick the landing a bit better.

“I landed a bit heavily, but I was safe.”

Wood, who plays for Box Hill, quickly gained fame after executing a stunning mark against Balwyn in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs on Saturday.

He leapt onto the shoulders of an opposition player, somehow finding extra lift while already airborne, seized the ball, and landed hard on his back.

To top it off, he returned to slot a goal.

“It’s phenomenal,” Bartel told Nine’s Today.

“It’s definitely one of the best marks I’ve ever seen. Absolutely extraordinary.

“I’m astonished he didn’t get hurt.

“It was such an impressive mark.”

Wood, who had just celebrated his 29th birthday, revisited the extraordinary moment.

“I saw the ball coming in, noticed that the bloke in front of me was in a decent position, and it looked a bit like a step ladder, so I thought, ‘This is either going to look amazing or terrible’, so I’m relieved it was the former,” he recounted.

A number of AFL legends, including Nick Riewoldt, Steve Johnson, and Bartel, have celebrated the mark, with videos of the astonishing moment garnering hundreds of thousands of views.

“It’s been quite a ride,” Wood stated.

A clip of the mark shared by Box Hill, Wood’s VFL club, has received over 430,000 views.

“While playing for Blackburn, Daniel Wood has taken one of the most incredible marks in the annals of Australian rules football,” the Box Hill post claimed.

“Don’t believe us? Just have a look … He deserves a car, a boat, a plane, even the International Space Station – this is top notch!”