Long-distance Sandi

Despite Aaron Sandilands' game-high 41 hit-outs at Adelaide Oval last Saturday, Port Adelaide bossed the clearances. "All the ruckmen can do is palm it," coach Ross Lyon bemoaned after Freo's loss. "The rest is done at ground level". Lucky for Sandi, then, that he brings more to Fremantle than hit-outs and a way for Hayden Ballantyne to retrieve things from the high shelf. For proof, look no further than this raking 30m handball to bypass two Port defenders and send the Dockers into attack.

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Polly's cracker

Which brings us to the ruckman who patented the handball as an attacking weapon. Born with one leg shorter than the other, the story goes that an eight-year-old Graham 'Polly' Farmer tuned his skills by handballing through a partly opened car door window. Polly's style, introduced to Victorian crowds when he crossed from East Perth to Geelong in the 1960s, was to leap slightly earlier than opponents. Grabbing the ball, he'd twist while still in the air and send spearing 30m passes to teammates in the clear. Cat rover Billy Goggin is the man dashing towards goal in this famous play at the MCG against Richmond.

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More gif and go

The Boomer bring-down or a Hawk's heroics
Rioli's steal or Wingard's spider skills