‘When I saw the footage it looked pretty good’: SA private schoolboy on taking one of the ‘greatest marks ever seen’

He took one of the greatest marks ever seen and now private schoolboy and new Norwood sensation Ned Bowman has spoken about his remarkable grab.

New SANFL sensation Ned Bowman didn’t realise how high he had leapt or the enormity of his spectacular mark that has been the talk of the football world until he was being helped from Woodville Oval in pain.

Then it hit him like a sledgehammer.

“As I came from the ground the crowd gave me a standing ovation, so I thought it must have been pretty special,’’ the 17-year-old Norwood high flyer said after on Sunday hauling in one of the greatest marks ever seen at any level of football.

“It all happened pretty fast but that was the moment it sunk in.’’

After crashing to the turf following his astonishingly high grab – estimated to be more than four metres off the ground – for the Redlegs in the final quarter of a SANFL under-18s game against the Eagles at Woodville Oval, Bowman limped from the ground after suffering cramp in both calf muscles.

Norwood and St Peter's College’s Ned Bowman was still jumping for joy on Tuesday after his spectacular mark in the SANFL under-18s. Picture: Tom Huntley

Onlookers estimated the 17-year-old’s speccy mark to be more than four metres off the ground. Picture: Tom Huntley

The Year 12 St Peter’s College student returned to action several minutes later but it was at home after the game when his phone started going crazy.

“I watched video of the mark on SANFL Now and then a few of the mum photographers at Norwood started sending me pictures of the mark,’’ Bowman said.

“The pics captured it pretty well and I was surprised how high I got off the ground. When I saw the footage it looked pretty good.

“I just had eyes on the ball, jumped at it and hoped for the best and luckily I got a bit of a ride, a double jump off someone else (Eagles ruckman Griffyn Hansen).

“I got the first touch on the ball at full reach and then juggled it around during my 360 (turn) but luckily held onto it.

“It was by far the best mark I’ve ever taken.’’

The extraordinary pack mark quickly went viral on social media and Bowman, a 188cm athletic forward/midfielder who is the son of 1997 Norwood premiership defender Lachlan Bowman, soon found himself the centre of attention.

“The mark’s been getting around a lot on social media and there have been plenty of congratulations going around at school and at Norwood, so it’s been pretty good,’’ he said.

“Everyone seems to have enjoyed the footage and photos, which is nice.’’

Norwood’s Ned Bowman flies high for his spectacular mark against the Eagles. Picture: Supplied.

As for his new-found notoriety, Bowman – who played only one game last season because of back stress fractures – said he doesn’t usually like the spotlight being on him but was happy to lap up the attention this time.

“You have to enjoy it when something like this comes around because it’s not going to happen too often,’’ he said.

Bowman, a Crows fan who hails from Orroroo in the mid-north region of South Australia and boards at St Peter’s, looms as an AFL draft wildcard this year, with his Norwood under-18 coach Alex Newell saying he had been the Legs’ best player ‘by far’ this season.

“He has some serious X-factor, the mark highlights his leap, he hits the scoreboard and goes at high speed,’’ Newell said.

“He’s probably not quite fit enough yet to go into the midfield and I’m not comparing him to (Port Adelaide star) Connor Rozee in any sense, but he’s got a little bit of Rozee-type movement to him, a bit of that fishtail, a bit of that wiggle, and he’s just a great young man too.’’