Fixing our ****ing awful goal kicking

[Greystache]

This isn't the full story and i feel that it simplifies the issue. For example this week we kicked 11.10, with 3 rushed behinds. Some that didn't make the distance or ended up on the full. Not sure what the full story is, but would suggest it's not a simple as goals and behinds on the scoreboard.

Spot on. It's not just the behinds, the number of times we don't make the distance from 35-40m out with a limp attempt, or put it out on the full blows that number out dramatically. We would conservatively has 5 outright misses a game on average.

[hujsh]

Maybe it's calculated? Think of it this way, is it easier to kick more goals that the opposition or equal goals? That's right it's easier to match their goals. So if you do that then all you need is the extra points and you win every time.

[bornadog]

One of the things we don't do is really put away a team. Classic example is last week against Essendon, we should have won that game by over 10 goals, but with inaccurate goal kicking, we actually gave them a sniff in the last 5 minutes.

[Ghost Dog]

Spot on. It's not just the behinds, the number of times we don't make the distance from 35-40m out with a limp attempt, or put it out on the full blows that number out dramatically. We would conservatively has 5 outright misses a game on average.

I can accept fatigue being an issue in a last quarter, but these guys train day in and out. I can't really understand why we would get more than 2-3 out-on-the-fulls per game via set shots in this professional era ( unless it was from the boundary ).

[S Coast Simon]

Because we don’t have a big forward taking grabs most of our shots on goal from marks are out near the boundary. If one of the big boys can take a few grabs thirty out dead in front we might have a chance

[Remi Moses]

How does Dahlhaus’s kicking for goal got worse ! I noticed his horrific ball drop on Saturday !
We have to be working on these issues FFS !!

[jeemak]

Spot on. It's not just the behinds, the number of times we don't make the distance from 35-40m out with a limp attempt, or put it out on the full blows that number out dramatically. We would conservatively has 5 outright misses a game on average.

I think we had 7 non scores from shots at goal against Sydney.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Much of it is that we simply keep drafting players who are horrendous by foot: Dahlhaus, Dunkley, Gowers, Jong etc.

They win the ball because they present well, mark well and have great aggression at the contest but the reality is that none of them are good by foot, period. The fact that they can't kick goals isn't a surprise.

We need to draft in genuine forwards who use it well. We'll never improve (or won't improve enough) with the current cattle, as evidenced by the last 3-4 years.

[Twodogs]

Much of it is that we simply keep drafting players who are horrendous by foot: Dahlhaus, Dunkley, Gowers, Jong etc.

They win the ball because they present well, mark well and have great aggression at the contest but the reality is that none of them are good by foot, period. The fact that they can't kick goals isn't a surprise.

We need to draft in genuine forwards who use it well. We'll never improve (or won't improve enough) with the current cattle, as evidenced by the last 3-4 years.

Agreed. We should have made footskills a priority a couple of drafts ago. As much as I dislike the idea of drafting to order we really have to start putting a premium on guys who can kick or we are in for a frustrating few years.

We just have to get some players who can kick the ball well. I'm really concerned that we are actually going backwards in our kicking. Bad kicking is like dropped catches in cricket it's contagious. I don't know if players lose their dare and get more worried about not stuffing up rather than creating but blokes like Biggs who wasn't a bad kick previously regularly misses targets by 5-10 metres these days.

[bornadog]

Much of it is that we simply keep drafting players who are horrendous by foot: Dahlhaus, Dunkley, Gowers, Jong etc.

They win the ball because they present well, mark well and have great aggression at the contest but the reality is that none of them are good by foot, period. The fact that they can't kick goals isn't a surprise.

We need to draft in genuine forwards who use it well. We'll never improve (or won't improve enough) with the current cattle, as evidenced by the last 3-4 years.

I wouldn't include Jong in that lot. He has improved tremendously over the past few years and nailed a difficult shot in the first quarter Saturday.

Jong has other issues - he needs to get more of the ball and make the right decision when he gets it.

[Axe Man]

Agreed. We should have made footskills a priority a couple of drafts ago. As much as I dislike the idea of drafting to order we really have to start putting a premium on guys who can kick or we are in for a frustrating few years.

We just have to get some players who can kick the ball well. I'm really concerned that we are actually going backwards in our kicking. Bad kicking is like dropped catches in cricket it's contagious. I don't know if players lose their dare and get more worried about not stuffing up rather than creating but blokes like Biggs who wasn't a bad kick previously regularly misses targets by 5-10 metres these days.

Are our footskills in general play that bad though? Certainly the last 2 weeks I thought they have been pretty good.

I did a bit of research and so far this season we have the 3rd highest disposal efficiency and the lowest average clangers in the league. We are mid-range for turnovers. I know these stats incorporate things other than kicking, but it does indicate that our field kicking isn't too bad. Our goal kicking on the other hand...

[bornadog]

Are our footskills in general play that bad though? Certainly the last 2 weeks I thought they have been pretty good.

I did a bit of research and so far this season we have the 3rd highest disposal efficiency and the lowest average clangers in the league. We are mid-range for turnovers. I know these stats incorporate things other than kicking, but it does indicate that our field kicking isn't too bad. Our goal kicking on the other hand...

At one stage against the Swans we were running at 82% dis.eff. (first half) We are also hitting targets in the forward line with way more marks inside 50 than the past few seasons. Just have to nail those goals.

[Twodogs]

Are our footskills in general play that bad though? Certainly the last 2 weeks I thought they have been pretty good.

I did a bit of research and so far this season we have the 3rd highest disposal efficiency and the lowest average clangers in the league. We are mid-range for turnovers. I know these stats incorporate things other than kicking, but it does indicate that our field kicking isn't too bad. Our goal kicking on the other hand...

We miss targets in the forward 50 a lot but that could be a number of factors like the forward's static nature or pressure on the ball carrier.

[Greystache]

From the Herald-Sun

GOALKICKING cost the Western Bulldogs victory against Sydney and almost denied them the four points against Essendon a week earlier.

Forget Josh Dunkley’s missed mark in front of goal late in the last quarter when the Bulldogs were on the charge, this contest could have been in their grasp well before that critical moment.

The Bulldogs finished the match with 11.13, which means they’ve yet to kick more goals than behinds in a game this season.

Dunkley (0.4) and Matthew Suckling (0.3) were the culprits against the Swans, while Luke Dahlhaus had two shots that didn’t score.

In the last quarter, Mitch Honeychurch and Caleb Daniel also had attempts that failed to make the distance.


Josh Dunkley kicked four behinds against the Swans. Picture: Michael Klein
The Dogs lost by seven points despite 18 more inside 50s.

For the second straight season the Bulldogs’ goalkicking accuracy is ranked the worst in the AFL.

This season they’re tracking at 37.6 per cent accuracy, which has dropped from 43.1 per cent in 2017.

Their total of 41 goals this season is ranked 14th, but fortunately for Luke Beveridge, his team finding ways into their attacking zone, ranking sixth for entries inside 50.

St Kilda, however, has the biggest problems in front goal than the Doggies.

Not only can’t the Saints kick goals (they kicked the least in the competition), their accuracy is terrible (ranked 17th) and they rank a lowly 16th for inside 50s.


Lance Franklin and the Swans are the best goalkickers in the league. Picture: Getty Images
On the other hand, Sydney is rated the second worst for inside 50 entries but is the best goalkicking team in the competition at 56.4 per cent, which no doubt has contributed to its 3-1 start.

Collingwood’s goalkicking woes were much-publicised last year but the Magpies have sharpened their skills in front of goal dramatically in 2018, ranking fourth at 54.6 per cent.

Melbourne has been a big slider, ranking No.1 for goalkicking in 2017 to 14th this season, failing to captailise on its inside-50 domination (ranked first).

Max Gawn has been in the spotlight after missing a few gettable chances but he isn’t alone at the Demons.

Goalkicking accuracy %

2018 2017
1. Sydney 56.4 49.3 (eq 7th)
2. Hawthorn 56.3 51.9 (4th)
3. West Coast 55.9 52.1 (3rd)
4. Collingwood 54.6 47.1 (14th)
5. Adelaide 52.9 51.8 (5th)
6. Geelong 52.7 48.9 (eq 10th)
7. Richmond 50.8 46.8 (15th)
8. Essendon 50.5 48.8 (12th)
9. North Melbourne 48 48.9 (eq 10th)
10. Port Adelaide 47.9 46.1 (16th)
11. Carlton 47.6 49 (9th)
12. GWS 47.5 48.7 (13th)
13. Fremantle 46.9 49.3 (eq 7th)
14. Melbourne 44.3 54.2 (1st)
15. Gold Coast 44.1 50.6 (6th)
16. Brisbane 43.7 52.2 (2nd)
17. St Kilda 39.8 45.5 (17th)
18. Western Bulldogs 37.6 43.1 (18th)

GOALS KICKED

1. West Coast — 66

2. Hawthorn — 63

3. Richmond — 60

eq 4. Geelong — 58

eq 4. GWS — 58

6. Sydney — 57

eq 7. Essendon — 56

eq 7. Port Adelaide — 56

9. Adelaide — 54

10. Collingwood — 53

11. Melbourne — 51

12. North Melbourne — 49

13. Fremantle — 45

eq 14. Western Bulldogs — 41

eq 14. Gold Coast 41

16. Carlton — 39

17. Brisbane — 38

18. St Kilda — 35


INSIDE 50s

1. Melbourne — 239

2. West Coast — 235

3. Richmond — 228

eq 4. Hawthorn — 227

eq 4. GWS — 227

6. Western Bulldogs — 221

7. Fremantle — 220

8. Collingwood — 219

9. Adelaide — 217

eq 10. Port Adelaide — 216

eq 10. North Melbourne — 216

12. Carlton — 211

13. Gold Coast — 209

14. Essendon — 206

15. Geelong — 201

16. St Kilda — 198

17. Sydney 196

18. Brisbane — 183

LINK

[Greystache]

Last and getting worse.

It's not an issue.