Where "Drop-Kick" Comes From
Green's Dictionary of Slang traces "drop-kick" back to 1983, as Australian/New Zealand slang for a foolish, useless, or contemptible person — and its own etymology note flags that it doubles as rhyming slang for a cruder insult with much the same meaning, "prick."
You'll often hear a different story instead: that it's a nod to the drop kick, an old Australian rules football kicking technique the modern game has largely abandoned in favour of the drop punt, casting the insulted person as the human equivalent of a move footy has quietly moved on from. It's a well-worn tale, but it isn't backed up by the primary dictionary source — so it's best treated as popular colour rather than settled etymology.
Source:
"He's a bit of a drop-kick, forgets everything."
How Aussies Actually Use It
It's a mild, usually good-humoured insult for someone acting foolishly or incompetently.
It's often paired with "try-hard" as a combined put-down: "drop-kick try-hard."
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