‘Absolutely insane' bicycle kick in local comp goes viral in AFL circles with stunning acrobatic feat

News.com.au

12 hours ago

Step aside, Luke Parker. There's a new AFL bicycle kick hero in town.
A local footy player has gone viral online after a clip of his gravity defying goal in a local comp.
David Johnson from the Emerald Seniors team delivered a spectacular feat on for his side when, instead of taking a mark, he contorted his body to connect with a rapid kick inside 50 on the full and stun opposition side, Healesville Seniors.
The opposition can be seen crowding Johnson in the goal square before he wrestles his way through the pack and throws a leg in the air to score the six points, leaving both his teammates and the opposition in shock.
Emerald went on to lose the match 30-85, but Johnson's goal was the talk of the town, with the goal being likened to previous Sydney Swans player Parker's shot seven years ago.
Parker's bicycle kick in the first round of the 2018 season against the West Coast Eagles quickly went down in AFL circles as one of the great shots and became a contender for goal of the year.
Up by 10 points with five and half minutes go in the fourth quarter of the game, Parker produced a moment of brilliance when a kick flew in near West Coasts' goal line.
The ball hovering around in the air and with his back to goal, Parker instinctively swung his leg and body just outside the goal square and connected perfectly with the ball, sending it between the sticks.
But the footage of the goal over the weekend is arguably an even greater goal than Parker's, given the goalscorer connected with a faster-paced ball coming in rapidly from 50m metres away, and contorting his body all in one swoop to make the instant connection in one touch.
Even more impressive is that Johnson was submerged in a sea of defenders blocking his path to the ball whereas Parker had more room to work with.
'This is the sort of goal you kick in your dream to win your team the grand final. Absolutely insane,' one user online wrote in response to the goal.
'Terrible teammates and crowd for not going nuts after seeing that,' another said.
'Definitely not accidental. The bloke who kicked it is an absolute athletic freak,' a third said.
A fourth comment read: 'Number 28's reaction starts as arms up 'hey you can't do that' but then halfway he transitions it to a defeated hands on the head 'what the f**k just happened.'
Despite the spectacular move, Johnsons Emerald Seniors sit second last on the ladder after their game, with only two wins from 11 games in the Outer East Football Netball competition.