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  1. #1
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    Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    So we are the worst set shot team in the league, led by the worst set shot player in the league in Jake Stringer. This really needs to be addressed.

    Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    BEN Dixon rolled the tape of Jarryd Roughead for the Collingwood players.

    When Dixon joined the Magpies as goal kicking coach at the start of the 2016 pre-season, the former Hawthorn sharpshooter began the program with six examples of Roughead’s set-shot routine.

    And every one was exactly the same.

    “He stands at the top of his runway and counts to four,” Dixon said.

    “You can see him go ‘one, two, three, four’, he takes a big deep breath on (the count of) five and then he starts to roll-in on six.

    “He used to be a much-maligned kick for goal, Roughy, but he put an incredible amount of work on it and now he’s an amazing set-shot.

    “And I think in part that’s because Alastair Clarkson put a huge emphasis on goal kicking at training throughout the week and put an outstanding program in place.”

    The consistency in that killer detail is why Dixon would choose Roughead above every other AFL player (hypothetically-speaking) to kick for his life.

    And in one of the most topsy-turvy and unpredictable seasons on record, inaccurate goal kicking has already become a costly factor for clubs, and potentially, for players and coaches’ careers.

    As recently as Sunday, Richmond booted 2.8 from set-shots against Carlton.

    Why players cannot miss at training and then melt under pressure on game day is a problem, according to Dixon, that is easily improved with a dedicated goal kicking program.

    And Dixon’s believes some clubs do it better than others, based on the remarkable inconsistencies he sees in players’ techniques in games.

    “I’m always surprised to see a player drastically alter their set-shot routine from one shot to another, even though they’re kicking from about the same spot on the ground,” he said.

    “You see it all the time and to me it says pretty clearly that player isn’t sure, or isn’t confident in what he is doing.

    “And you could argue it is the most important part of the game.”

    Dixon says the opportunity to improve the goal kicking programs at clubs is the biggest and most simple “marginal gain” in football.

    In short, the yips are fixable, and he’s seen it happen.

    “Clubs put an enormous amount of work into the offensive and defensive aspects of their game, but does the same amount of time and effort go into goal kicking?” he said.

    “It’s the whole point of the game, isn’t it? Kick goals.

    “I think it gets neglected.”

    AFL champion Wayne Carey agrees.

    “The fact that we don’t have (dedicated) full-time goal kicking coaches astounds me,” Carey said.

    After three years as specialist goal kicking coach at Hawthorn and one year at Collingwood last year (he couldn’t commit to the increased time commitments this season), Dixon says a structured program in the preseason can conquer the technical issues and mental demons which cripples players’ accuracy and cost teams premiership points.

    “Preseason is the most important time to work out what works best for each individual and then players have to absolutely work their butt off to perfect it,” he said.

    “I had a benchmark of 70 per cent for all players and I called that the ‘speed limit’. And every player you bump into at the club throughout the week I would ask them, what their speed limit was.

    “So you are always accountable.”

    Dixon joined Collingwood late in 2015 after spotting a flaw in Travis Cloke’s technique. He was overstriding in his last step before contact and lowering his hips at the critical point.

    Saverio Rocca is another who has been lauded for his impact on Carlton full-forward Levi Casboult, improving his accuracy by almost 16 per cent this season.

    But there is a significant pressure factor, as well. Collingwood assistant coach Brenton Sanderson said the anxiety of goal kicking affected some players enormously.

    “It is amazing now players … they actually don’t want to take the shot,” Sanderson said on Fox Footy.

    To cope with that, Dixon borrows a line from Hollywood. In the baseball film ‘For the love of the game’ a pitcher (played by Kevin Costner) famously says “clear the mechanism”, to help drown out the noise and faces in the crowd and eliminate the external pressures.

    “That’s what I say to players. Stand at the top of your runway and ‘clear the mechanism’. Jason Dunstall loved it and we always said it to each other before we would have a shot in games.

    “It’s that consistency you need to feel comfortable, relaxed and confident, despite whatever the scoreboard says.”

    Carey said good goal kickers needed to embrace the pressure moments.

    “That’s the stuff you used to do over and over as a kid in the backyard and do over and over,” Carey said.

    “You dream about having those big moments.

    “The great goal kickers might have some negative thoughts but they still execute the skill.”

    At Hawthorn, players would complete dedicated goal kicking training as early as 8am before and after main sessions. In the mid-2000s, Clarkson identified goal kicking as one of the club’s biggest areas of improvement. They tackled their goal kicking issue front on.

    At Collingwood, the players and coaches battle each other regularly at training. Losers pay a price, such as not shaving for a week, or eating a dry Weet-Bix.

    In Roughead’s case, the big man worked out he was planting his feet in line with each other on his approach, unbalancing him as if walking a tight rope.

    Dixon said the results of a focused goal kicking program in conjunction with biomechanics expert David Rath was a significant factor in the Hawks’ golden premiership era.

    “If training started at 9am, the players were out there having shots from 8am,” Dixon said.

    “And not just having gimmick shots from the boundary line, I’m talking about practising and refining and repeating your routine over and over again from spots where you shouldn’t miss.

    “So there was huge ownership from the players.

    “Clarko had up on the whiteboard that goal kicking was one of the club’s three biggest marginal gains and they jumped up immediately from 16th to 6th in accuracy and look what happened.

    “They won four premierships.”






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  3. #2
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    We talk about playing to be disciplined and not give away free kicks because they are costly. How about scoring 1 point instead of 6! That's pretty dam costly. We badly need to address this. It's been a problem for too long.

  4. #3
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Apart from Dickson who is sadly out of form, our forward line players generally have poor kicking techniques. I wonder whether our huge series of handball provides an over emphasis on this part of our game at the expense of concentrating on disposal accurately by foot. This is such an important element of our game that needs urgent attention.

  5. #4
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Time to get a specialist goal kicking coach.
    FFC: Established 1883

    Premierships: AFL 1954, 2016 VFA - 1898,99,1900, 1908, 1913, 1919-20, 1923-24, VFL: 2014, 2016 . Champions of Victoria 1924. AFLW - 2018.

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    I'm heading down to AFEL House to complain about these goal umpires not paying goals from set shots. Everyone knows free kick counts and goal counts should be equal every game, yet each week we are on the wrong end of goal umpire decisions for points/goals.
    Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by bulldogtragic View Post
    I'm heading down to AFEL House to complain about these goal umpires not paying goals from set shots. Everyone knows free kick counts and goal counts should be equal every game, yet each week we are on the wrong end of goal umpire decisions for points/goals.
    Yeah those %'s are pretty damning. We are getting royally screwed by the goal umpires. DEAD LAST. Meanwhile the AFEL's pets GWS get a free ride. Don't think for one second that's a coincidence. They're only on top of the ladder because of the goal umps.

  8. #7
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Sav Rocca has improved Casboult's kicking remarkably

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Bulldog4life View Post
    Sav Rocca has improved Casboult's kicking remarkably
    Ben Graham use to be a pretty good kick, maybe he needs to do a little coaching down there.
    FFC: Established 1883

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  10. #9
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    Ben Graham use to be a pretty good kick, maybe he needs to do a little coaching down there.
    Graham had a beautiful technique. I can remember standing at the Whitten oval one day and a bloke standing near me said to the bloke next to him "this is the new bloke, Ben Graham, kicking out. Watch this!" And Ben Graham kicked a 70 metre torp straight into the centre square that Bruce Lindner got on the end of and he kicked a 60 torp straight through the goal at the other end.

    The problem is Ben Graham has a God given gift for kicking footys. He probably hasn't given it a moments thought let alone thought about teaching other people how to do it.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    I personally think modern player run ups are much too long as is time taken for them to take a set shot at goal.

    What I really struggle with is how execution of mid to long field kicking is cleaner a lot of the time in terms of accuracy from a stall in the game compared to mid to long goal kicking from what should essentially be the same kicking process.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by jeemak View Post
    I personally think modern player run ups are much too long as is time taken for them to take a set shot at goal.

    What I really struggle with is how execution of mid to long field kicking is cleaner a lot of the time in terms of accuracy from a stall in the game compared to mid to long goal kicking from what should essentially be the same kicking process.
    That's one problem.
    Have you been reading those Roddy Doyle books again, Dougal!?


    I have, yeah Ted, you big gobshite

  13. #12
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by Twodogs View Post
    That's one problem.
    I don't think my personal thoughts are a general problem that affects overall goal kicking TD.
    Nobody's looking for a puppeteer in today's wintry economic climate.

  14. #13
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    The Bont is a beautiful long kick, love watching him execute them.
    FFC: Established 1883

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  15. #14
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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by bornadog View Post
    The Bont is a beautiful long kick, love watching him execute them.
    And yet against StKilda he was our worst offender in front of goal.

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    Re: Where does your club rank on the key goalkicking stats for the 2017 AFL season?

    Quote Originally Posted by westdog54 View Post
    And yet against StKilda he was our worst offender in front of goal.
    It happens. He has kicked 14.14 this year - not a good percentage.

    I was talking in general about his kicking around the ground.
    FFC: Established 1883

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