Colonel Light Gardens player Bryce Smith wins Adelaide Footy League match against Lockleys with ‘falcon’

A local footballer says he has a broken nose after his ‘falcon’ stopped a shot after the siren – just minutes after he kicked the matchwinning goal.

When Colonel Light Gardens forward Bryce Smith kicked what would turn out to be the matchwinning goal on Saturday, he could not have predicted he would top it just minutes later.

After putting the Lions up by two points in the Adelaide Footy League match, he manned the mark as Lockleys’ Zain King went back for a shot after the siren from point-blank range.

But King’s kick cannoned straight into the face of the jumping Smith.

The “falcon” gave Smith a suspected broken nose but won the crucial division five match for the Lions.

Colonel Light Gardens player Bryce Smith after smothering the ball with his face to win the game on Saturday. Picture: Supplied

Speaking to The Messenger on Sunday morning, Smith described the series of events as “crazy” and said a bit of trickery played a part in the heroic smother.

“I kicked the goal and then all I heard was someone telling me to get to the backines, so I just sprinted down,” Smith said.

“The guy somehow outmarked me and I wasn’t too happy about that.

“About two seconds after he marked it the siren went, so you’re thinking ‘sh*t, I’ve just lost the game’.

“He was lining up and asked the umpire where the mark was.

“When he turned around I snuck back a few metres and then I don’t think he realised where the mark was, so I ran in two steps, jumped as high as I could and would never have thought it would hit me in the head.”

Smith said he hadn’t had his nose checked out yet and it was too swollen to tell, but he believed it was broken by the ball.

Screengrab of the moment Colonel Light Gardens player Bryce Smith stopped a matchwinning goal with his face.

He said it was surreal to see footage of the bizarre finish quickly go viral online Saturday night and featured on The Footy Show on Sunday morning.

For Lockleys player King, the chance to live out a childhood dream of kicking the winner after the siren quickly turned into a nightmare.

Smith said King was kicking against a strong wind and was likely trying to punch the shot low.

“I could see what he was doing trying to punch it through low but he obviously got way too close,” Smith said.

And the win was not just bizarre but also important for Colonel Light Gardens.

It put the Lions top of the tight division five ladder.

A loss would have sunk them as low as fifth.