The term drop kick is now quite a negative turn of phrase but the two words once embodied a particularly graceful aspect of Australian rules football: that type of kick in which boot, ball and earth must all be in sync.

For some years I’ve wanted to write a long essay about the drop kick but felt I could never quite justify the time and effort. Then, one lunch time last year, it occurred to me that I could write a series of short pieces on the drop kick.

The first piece was called My favourite drop kick, part 1. It was about musician Shane Howard. The second was about poet Philip Hodgins. Another was about the band the Dropkick Murphys. The most recent is about 57 footballers who were particularly good at drop kicks.

These stories can be read on The Footy Almanac website and also at australianrules.com.au

One day I’ll write a piece about how the meaning of the term drop kick has changed.