Secrets from Thegreats
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SECRETS FROM THE GREATS Today’s footballers are generally bigger, Collingwood goal machine Gordon stronger, faster and better skilled than Coventry, Hawthorn genius Peter Hudson, their predecessors, but a frequent lament Essendon spearhead Matthew Lloyd, is that the professional era has not North Melbourne superstar Wayne Carey, produced better accuracy in front of goal. Adelaide’s dual-premiership hero Darren Indeed, set-shot goalkicking is the key Jarman, Geelong and Greater Western skill that has not improved since the game Sydney freak Steve Johnson and Hawk has gone full-time. marksman Jack Gunston. To shed light on this most perplexing Amid the wealth of wisdom, what and frustrating issue, we have compiled emerges is that set-shot goalkicking the thoughts of those who nailed big bags is as much a mental science as a physical on the big stage. one and that while different methods Among them are some legendary suit different players, there are still sharpshooters, including the AFL/VFL’s some critical common themes. greatest goalkicker Tony Lockett, BEN COLLINS & ASHLEY BROWNE ● AFL RECORD CRACKING THE GOALKICKING CODE and in my last six or seven steps, of trying to kick the ball out of my I’d focus on my ball-drop, keeping hand,” he said. AFL AVERAGE ACCURACY 2013-16 my head down over the ball, “I felt that if I dropped the ball (from) too high, the ball had time running straight, kicking straight 15 and following through. to do anything before your foot “There weren’t many things that came through.” 30 could go wrong; and if I missed, The official Legend was amazed 40 % it usually wasn’t by much.” and frustrated that goalkicking % 99 % Lloyd remains bemused that hadn’t improved in the full-time age. 50 62 56 “most AFL players still don’t have “(It) should be relatively simple, % % % 48 % % a routine”, making it impossible especially set shots because you 86 92 84 46 for them to “coach themselves”. take your time and go through 37% % He says the improved accuracy the process … % % 37 of veterans Nick Riewoldt and “You can get too much information 67 % 68 Lance Franklin in recent years with it, too. You’ve got to keep it simple. 76 “When I look at the blokes these % provides hope for youngsters such 28 % % % as Melbourne’s Jesse Hogan and days, they seem very mechanical 53 % 53 25 particularly Bomber Joe Daniher, and very robotic. They’ve got too 60 % % whom Lloyd worked with last year. much going through their minds ... 36 % 38 Lloyd rates Hawks pair Jack (when) the only thing they should be 36 Gunston and Cyril Rioli among concentrating on is kicking the ball.” the most bankable converters. PLAYER ACCURACY BY ZONE ACCURACY 2013-16 HUDSON’S HAWK-EYE DISTANCE (M) ACUTE LEFT ANGLE LEFT INFRONT ACUTE RIGHT ANGLE RIGHT A GOAL? LOCKETT IN awthorn legend Peter 100% (11/11) ony Lockett is the greatest Hudson was once told: 0-15 Travis Cloke (Coll) goalkicker in League history “When you kick (for goal), Drew Petrie (NM) with 1360 and, of those to you look like a dog trying to 100% (12/12) 100% (16/16) H 100% (6/6) 100% (9/9) 100% (7/7) make love to a cricket ball!” Jeremy Cameron (GWS) Jeremy Cameron have at least 300 to their 15-30 Jack Darling (WCE) Josh Kennedy (WCE) Eddie Betts (Adel) T The crude analogy was a nod Jack Riewoldt (Rich) (GWS) name, he is also the most accurate, to Hudson’s hunched approach, with a strike rate of 69.74 per cent. 100% (5/5) 100% (12/12) 100% (8/8) 100% (12/12) 100% (5/5) In a rare interview last year with which enabled him to guide the ball 30-40 Ty Vickery (Rich) Josh Kennedy (WCE) Jarryd Roughead (Haw) Justin Westhoff (PA) James Sicily (Haw) Melbourne radio station 3AW, the carefully on to his right boot. 100% (5/5) 83% (5/6) Hudson – who boasts the League’s 100% (6/6) 92% (11/12) 100% (5/5) St Kilda and Sydney man mountain Tom Bellchambers Jamie Elliott (Coll) 40-50 Shaun Burgoyne (Haw) Alex Fasolo (Coll) Jack Watts (Melb) surprised by revealing he never greatest goal average (5.64) – (Ess) Lance Franklin (Haw/Syd) followed a set procedure. favoured the unconventional flat He’d always check with the punt, but followed some basic 60% (3/5) 80% (4/5) 73% (8/11) Jake Stringer (WB), goalkicking principles, which he 67% (6/9) 67% (4/6) umpire where the mark was before Shane Kersten (Geel) Lance Franklin Lachie Henderson 50+ Jack Gunston (Haw) Taylor Walker (Adel) he walked in, focusing on the goal gleaned from Trevor Leo, his Isaac Smith (Haw) (Haw/Syd) (Carl/Geel) umpire because “he stands in the one-time captain-coach at Matthew Pavlich (Frem) Tasmanian club New Norfolk. middle of the goals no matter where ● Stats compiled by Champion Data since 2013. Minimum five shots. Some sections are incomplete due to lack of applicable data. you position yourself”. At 20, the brilliant full-forward with Tony Lockett and it was a stark A NATURAL: Despite Lockett insisted “the two most had easily been the leading the “vice”, watch it on to his boot and 2016 GOALKICKERS ACCURACY (MIN 20 GOALS) DEADLY DON contrast because he was so far over finishing his career with goalkicker at the 1966 national finish with a straight follow-through. the most goals in history important things” were the ball atthew Lloyd became the ball. So I tried to bridge the gap. carnival in Hobart, but was “I never tried to kick the ball SEASON SEASON SEASON and the highest conversion drop and making proper contact PLAYER CLUB MATCHES GOALS BEHINDS ACCURACY renowned for his effective “Training at Windy Hill, where it rate, Tony Lockett revealed with the foot. “They were the things disappointed with his return too hard,” Hudson said. “It’s about set-shot technique, but the was often windy, I’d toss the grass in he did not have a set I was conscious of, almost to the stage of 20.20 in four games. technique and timing.” Alex Fasolo Coll 10 22 5 81% M 926-goal Essendon great the air and that became part of it. goalkicking routine. One training night, Leo took In the 1973 book How To Play admits it was several seasons before “I got immediate results and when Hudson aside for some goalkicking Football Australian Style, Hudson Cyril Rioli Haw 12 26 7 79% he even started working on a routine. I missed one, I knew why, whereas tutelage that formed his lifelong also emphasised: “The only practice “In my first four years at Essendon, previously I didn’t. I went from a 50 AFL GOALKICKING ACCURACY OVER TIME theories on the art of the set shot. I do not recommend is repeated Jack Darling WCE 13 29 8 78% I did something different every time per cent strike rate to 70 per cent.” kicking for goal if you find your 60% “The first and most important step Sam Lloyd Rich 13 23 7 77% – it was hurting my team and my Of those to have kicked at least is to switch your mind on to the job,” kicking standard, especially own career by missing too many big 750 goals, Lloyd’s conversion rate accuracy, has slipped. Instead, do 50% Hudson told Ben Collins for the 2006 Jeremy Cameron GWS 10 28 9 76% shots,” Lloyd told the AFL Record. of 68.59 per cent is second only to book The Champions: Conversations a few kicks … and correct the fault. “I copped a spray from (assistant Lockett (69.74). with Great Players & Coaches of It is not much use perfecting a fault.” Steven Motlop Geel 14 24 8 75% coach) Robert Shaw, who said, ‘You’ll A key factor was Lloyd’s 40% Australian Football. Jack Watts Melb 13 24 8 75% cost us a big game one day if you slow-down tactics, which in 2006 45% 50% 53% 53% “I’d stand at the end of my run-up don’t get your kicking right.’ resulted in the introduction of 30% and roll up on to my toes a couple of THE $MONEY SHOT Tom Lynch GCS 13 42 14 75% “I spent the whole off-season ‘The Lloyd Rule’, which imposed 47% 52% 52% times. That simple movement put my f you had to choose someone to working with another assistant a 30-second limit on set shots. have a shot at goal for your life, Josh Jenkins Adel 13 38 14 73% 20% mind into gear. coach, David Wheadon, and a “I took as long as I needed to lower “(Then I) put the ball in the vice,” you couldn’t do much better than Paul Puopolo Haw 14 25 10 71% sports psychologist on a routine my heart-rate and remove some lactic – or in other words, he kept it as still Wayne Carey or Darren Jarman. 10% I that worked for me. acid and fatigue, so I strategically as possible. For both champions, who were Nick Riewoldt StK 12 21 9 70% “I dropped the ball from too high tucked in my jumper, pulled up my The Hawk genius then followed regarded as ice men after nailing and I stabbed at it and I might have socks, threw the grass,” he said. 0% the “straight-line” method – he’d run some memorable clutch goals in Mark LeCras WCE 13 23 10 70% had an arc at times, too, so Dave “In my first five or six steps, I’d 1956 1966 1976 1986 1996 2006 2016 straight towards a stationary target finals, it was as much about mindset used a split-screen to compare me focus on something behind the goals, behind the goals, drop the ball from as it was about process.