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The torpedo punt (also known as screw punt, spiral punt, barrel, torp or bomb) is a type of punt kick implemented in Australian rules football, Rugby union & Rugby league, and more generally with an ellipsoidal football. The torpedo punt is the longest type of punt kick. It is also the predominant form of punt used in gridiron football codes.
In flight, the ball spins about its long axis, instead of end over end (as the drop punt does) or not at all (as a typical punt kick does), making the flight of the ball more aerodynamic, but more difficult to catch (or mark in some football codes). The pointier ends make the ball easier to catch in American Football. With extra distance, this type of kick is also more difficult to accurately judge depth. If kicked correctly, an Australian football can travel over 80 metres when torpedoed.
In Australian rules football, the kick has become less common since the 1980s, as modern tactics have meant that accuracy has become typically more important than distance in field kicking; as such, coaches now prefer the use of the drop punt, and discouraging the use of the torpedo in general field play as a comparatively low-percentage kick. The kick may still be seen when a player needs additional distance such as when a player has a set shot after the siren and is out of their normal range. Essendon's Dustin Fletcher was especially regarded for his use of the torpedo as both a defensive and offensive weapon.[1]
In the Rugby codes the kick is rarely used. It is sometimes used in the back line as a clearing kick.
Australian rules footballer Gordon Rattray, who played his football with the Fitzroy Football Club between 1917 and 1928, is credited as the first player to use the torpedo punt in that code.[2] Alex Moffat is credited with creating the torpedo punt in the United States.[3]
The torpedopunt (also known as screw punt, spiral punt, barrel, torp or bomb) is a type of punt kick implemented in Australian rules football, Rugby union...
The reigning champion is Daniel Rich, who kicked a 69.5-metre (228 ft) torpedopunt on the day of the 2023 AFL Grand Final. As of the completion of the 2023...
17 games and kick 3 goals for St Kilda, one of those goals was a huge torpedopunt that was estimated to be 84–86 metres, kicked from beyond the centre...
execution of the torpedopunt was often used as a set-play clearing strategy by coach Kevin Sheedy. In a game in 2007, he kicked a torpedopunt goal from more...
full-back to bomb it long (over 50 meters), often requiring a low percentage torpedopunt, or to play a short chipping game out of defence and then to switch play...
the controlling player. This can be done by: Kicking – e.g. drop punt, torpedopunt, snap, banana kick; or Handball In specific situations where a pause...
the ball". Ball burster: colloquialism for a massive kick, usually a torpedopunt which travels over 70 metres. Ball magnet: a player who accrues a particularly...
was also a prolific goalkicker, renowned for his ability to kick the torpedopunt. In 1982, Blight won the Coleman Medal for leading the VFL in goalkicking...
control the ball near the boundary at half-forward and kicked a left-foot torpedopunt from 50 metres out on the boundary line, which dribbled through for a...
in the action, marking a quick pass from Couch and unleashing a big torpedopunt which was marked by Brownless nearly on the goal line, only to miss the...
superb skills, most notably his spectacular high marking and prodigious torpedopunt kicking. He was one of the inaugural inductees when the Australian Football...
premierships in 1984 and 1985. Vander Haar was also a fine exponent of the torpedopunt, once kicking a goal from such a kick at an estimated 72.5 metres (238...
Gerovich, Naylor relied on the fast lead and mark, and kicked using the torpedopunt with an unorthodox grip. A member of six premiership sides, the WAFL...
for his size, an excellent high-mark in dry weather. Yet the spinning torpedopunt kick, which was used in wet weather in those days, was both difficult...
skills and his long kicking ability. He was a renowned proponent of the torpedopunt. He played every match in 1992 and 1993, up to the preliminary final...
Victorian Football League (VFL). He was the first VFL player to use the torpedopunt. The son of Bruce Rattray (1860–1932) and Laura Rattray, née Barratt...
Balme was given a free kick for a trip. He subsequently sent a towering torpedopunt right through the middle from the outer half-forward flank. Hart continued...
stint at West Torrens that Barrot would be remembered for his 87-metre torpedopunt goal. He finished his career back at Oakleigh, where he took over as...
round 9 (fittingly, the AFL's Indigenous Round), kicking a left-foot torpedopunt from 50 metres out on the boundary line. Small forward Charlie Cameron...
Australian; 25 April 1932, p. 13 West Perth won by a point after a brilliant torpedopunt from McGarry after the final bell. 'Won after the Bell – West Perth’s...
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