ADAM Simpson has seen quite a few exceptional Liam Ryan marks.
But his effort in West Coast's victory over Carlton on Sunday might be the best of the lot.
Ryan bravely ran back with the flight of the ball, putting his body on the line as he elevated and claimed a beautiful contested grab in front of a pack of four oncoming players.
Extreme courage from Liam Ryan! #AFLBluesEagles pic.twitter.com/iLrEY0J3BV
— AFL (@AFL) August 4, 2019
Despite already hauling down a couple of fantastic marks this season – including one memorable grab over Melbourne's Max Gawn – Simpson believes it might be his best yet.
FLYIN' RYAN!! #AFLEaglesDees pic.twitter.com/dcNF9yzUEz
— AFL (@AFL) May 17, 2019
"It's Mark of the Year, do you reckon?" Simpson laughed.
"What do you get for that, a car still? I could see it from a mile away.
"From the centre bounce, running back with the flight, it must have been 20 or 30 metres at full tilt – and he's 74kg. It's a magnificent mark. I'm really proud of that."
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Crucially, Ryan went back and drilled the resulting set-shot. But it wasn't the only time the lively forward was a threat around goal, finishing with four majors from 16 disposals.
On a number of occasions, he put his body on the line in similar situations – a facet of his game that Simpson believes is an underrated part of what makes him so consistent.
"I think he's really brave," Simpson said.
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"His courage in the air is first class and he's only played 25 or 30 games, so he's still got a lot to learn and a lot to grow with. But his performance today was one of the reasons we won."
West Coast's minor premiership hopes were boosted as a result of the 24-point victory over Carlton, in which its forwards played a key role to inspire the comfortable win.
While Ryan added four majors, Jack Darling, Jake Waterman and Luke Shuey were also multiple goal-kickers in an ominous display of the Eagles' potency ahead of September.
GAMEBREAKER The best of Flyin' Ryan on display
Pressure forward Jamie Cripps will add to that mix next week when he finally returns from an adductor injury, with Simpson revealing he is not yet sure who he will replace.
"We'll have to look at it," Simpson said.
"I haven't really reflected on how individuals went today, but it's a great problem to have."