Analysis Goal Kicking Accuracy and Ben Dixon

[MrFoster]

When are we going to put the goal kicking woes down to our coaching/game plan? Before Richo took over, I don’t recall we had persistent problems scoring more than 10 goals a game or with goal kicking..

Fatigue
1. Our manic pressure game plan is too taxing for the players.. they are fatigued by the time they are shooting for goal

Low Percentage Opportunities
2. Our slow/long bomb game plan creates crowded forward line and goal scoring opportunities from boundary or rushed snaps under pressure..

 

[Stewart66]

Good analysis. Would love to know just set shot accuracy, because this year it feels like we have scored more goals in the square or on the run.

Easy solution for mine have picture of Damien Barrett’s face behind the goals

 

[luca77]

I don't like them messing with techniques much either. But with set shots I think there are people who have a good technique and should focus on calmly executing it (like Membrey or Billings) and I think there are people who kick much better when they try to kick the cover off the ball (like Bruce and Paddy). I get really frustrated when Bruce/Paddy have these easy shots and you can see the hesitation on their face and in the way they walk in. You're just watching, waiting for it to come off askew. Parker looks like he might be in that category too.

A lot of Sinclair's missed shots are snaps where he had a moment or two more than he used, and could have steadied. I hope that in training when they practice these snap shots, they're doing it with simulated pressure so players become aware of how much space/time they have or practice kicking them with a bit of late contact or chance of contact as they kick.

And then we have the Farren Rays / Sebs / Gearies of this world who just look unlikely no matter what and should give it off, always. The best goalkicking advice you can give them is only take the shot when it's directly in front 30 out, or after the siren.

Anyway, not trying to sound like I know what I'm talking about, just things that frustrate me with our goalkicking.

 

[SaintSteele9]

I’m not buying the “gameplan affects accuracy” angle- I don’t think we necessarily work/pressure significantly more than any other side at the moment. I’m not even sure “pressure” is a gameplan, but I digress.

I do agree that our long-bomb and crumb method doesn’t lend itself to easier shots. It’s hard to utilise Membrey’s excellent set shot work too often with this approach, for example. But beyond that, shots like Phillips had on Sunday... that’s exasperating and deflating for us to see, let alone those who busted their gut to produce the chance. It must have an impact on-field!

 

[bergholt]

From On the Couch:



So we're creating shots that are about the same quality as West Coast, but they've kicked 12% more goals than us.

Averaging about 20 shots a game, that's about 2-3 goals a game - 10-15 points (taking into account the behinds instead of goals).

Technically that would have only given us one more win, against Freo. But I suspect there are bigger psychological effects to missing goals which that doesn't take into account.

 

[Peterbudge]

From On the Couch:

View attachment 686720

So we're creating shots that are about the same quality as West Coast, but they've kicked 12% more goals than us.

Averaging about 20 shots a game, that's about 2-3 goals a game - 10-15 points (taking into account the behinds instead of goals).

Technically that would have only given us one more win, against Freo. But I suspect there are bigger psychological effects to missing goals which that doesn't take into account.

1 extra win and a heap more % would almost have us in the 8.

But also who knows what would have happened in other games if we kicked straight.

- Would have been way up against the Crows at qtr time.
- Would have been around level with the Giants and Pies at 3 qtr time

 

[Premium]

Why is Ben Dixon goal kicking coach , surely they can get Dunstall , Lockett , Hudson , Taylor , Beasley someone who has kicked bags of 10 , even Milne or G Train.

Sack Dixon he is useless

 

[MUFKilda]

It seems to be a long term problem and not just a blip. It must be disheartening to create the opportunities only to get one point time and again.

 

[Peterbudge]

FWIW our average expected score is 85.6 points per game but because of our poor kicking we only average 73.8 points per game. Two whole goals a game less than an average goal kicking team.

 

[lewdogs]

Dixon needs to go. Would rather Nick Sautner as goal-kicking coach. At least he would care. Dixon is a stooge.

 

[Sab22]

Saw this on FB

Cats accuracy. Geelong are on track to be just the second club to record a goal kicking efficiency above 60% for a home and away season if they can maintain the standards set through the first 12 rounds where they have kicked 179 goals and 118 points at 60.27%. St Kilda did it in 2004 kicking at just over 62% courtesy of Fraser Gehrig 90.34 and Nick Riewoldt 60.23 in their season tally of 409.253. No team has ever gone a whole season kicking more goals than behinds in every game - Hawthorn got the closest in 2014 with just one game on the wrong side of the ledger losing to Geeong in round 5 by 19 pts they kicked 12.15 their only inaccurate game of the year.

 

[okeydoke7]

Serious questions must be asked about the impact (or lack thereof) of Dixon. But Dixon is a part-time specialist coach focusing, if I remember correctly, at set shot routines and actions. So he is part of the coaching, but by no means the only coach responsible for improvement in this area.

Questions must be asked about the return on investment when he is primarily there for goal kicking though.

As a member, I’d love some transparency about how much time we are dedicating at training to this skill. How often are we allowing set shot practice? What attempts are we making to replicate game conditions? Noise, players trying to distract on the mark, making players kick while fatigued?

What about goal kicking on the run? How are we training that? Do we train that with intense pressure? Do we train goal kicking selection (when to give and when to shoot)? How much time do we dedicate to this?

I’m speculating wildly here, but I’d imagine we just don’t give goal kicking the time it deserves because sport scientists identify it as an injury/fatigue risk. We have gone too many years with well below average performance in this area to stick our heads in the sand. The reality is, whatever we are doing is just not enough and more needs to be done or different method applied.

 

[SaintersUnite]

Sack Dixon, get G Train in to do the job.

 

[nitewalker13]

Serious questions must be asked about the impact (or lack thereof) of Dixon. But Dixon is a part-time specialist coach focusing, if I remember correctly, at set shot routines and actions. So he is part of the coaching, but by no means the only coach responsible for improvement in this area.

Questions must be asked about the return on investment when he is primarily there for goal kicking though.

As a member, I’d love some transparency about how much time we are dedicating at training to this skill. How often are we allowing set shot practice? What attempts are we making to replicate game conditions? Noise, players trying to distract on the mark, making players kick while fatigued?

What about goal kicking on the run? How are we training that? Do we train that with intense pressure? Do we train goal kicking selection (when to give and when to shoot)? How much time do we dedicate to this?

I’m speculating wildly here, but I’d imagine we just don’t give goal kicking the time it deserves because sport scientists identify it as an injury/fatigue risk. We have gone too many years with well below average performance in this area to stick our heads in the sand. The reality is, whatever we are doing is just not enough and more needs to be done or different method applied.

The goal kicking training should also include the fatigue factor. During the game, players are tired and fatigued, this impact their goal kicking.

I am not sure if this is part of the goal kicking training or not?

But you are right, nowadays, sports scientist play a very important role which impacts our goal kicking training.

 

[austinnn]

The goal kicking training should also include the fatigue factor. During the game, players are tired and fatigued, this impact their goal kicking.

I am not sure if this is part of the goal kicking training or not?

But you are right, nowadays, sports scientist play a very important role which impacts our goal kicking training.

I can't confirm fatigue goal kicking is part of Saints training, but I remember the Saints talking a lot about that aspect when Dixon was originally hired, so I'd imagine that it's covered.

I don't know if it's such a huge part of our problem, as our team seems to have the tips from the very start of the game - how tired can the players be in the first 30 minutes of the match?

 

[PoppedCorn]

Walk straight, drop it straight, follow thru straight!!!!

FMD

 

[bergholt]

Walk straight, drop it straight, follow thru straight!!!!

FMD

Maybe the problem is none of them are straight. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

 

[Present Not Past]

When are we going to put the goal kicking woes down to our coaching/game plan? Before Richo took over, I don’t recall we had persistent problems scoring more than 10 goals a game or with goal kicking..

Fatigue
1. Our manic pressure game plan is too taxing for the players.. they are fatigued by the time they are shooting for goal

Low Percentage Opportunities
2. Our slow/long bomb game plan creates crowded forward line and goal scoring opportunities from boundary or rushed snaps under pressure..

I don't know how you can say that with a straight face given our loss in the 2009 GF was due to bad goal kicking.
The 2010 GF replay was an even worse display.

 

[Saint12]

From On the Couch:

View attachment 686720

So we're creating shots that are about the same quality as West Coast, but they've kicked 12% more goals than us.

Averaging about 20 shots a game, that's about 2-3 goals a game - 10-15 points (taking into account the behinds instead of goals).

Technically that would have only given us one more win, against Freo. But I suspect there are bigger psychological effects to missing goals which that doesn't take into account.

This proves to me that it's not fatigue, gameplay, shots in front/boundary etc, it's all about skill. We are a team of battlers made up mainly of c and b graders. You don't hear the top teams carry on about missing goals it's just the bottom teams with the if only we kicked straight.

 

[gringo2011]

This proves to me that it's not fatigue, gameplay, shots in front/boundary etc, it's all about skill. We are a team of battlers made up mainly of c and b graders. You don't hear the top teams carry on about missing goals it's just the bottom teams with the if only we kicked straight.

I reckon it's confidence and psychology too. Sometimes you can see they don't believe they'll kick straight.

 

[LiterallyNobody]

13.7
10.16 - most scoring shots
9.12
10.14
15.5
10.8 - least scoring shots.
10.10
10.10
10.11
9.14
9.15
11.14

Pretty simplistic to just get scores without scoring shots and set shot stats but that’s a bit tricky. This paints a picture that we are pretty consistent with the amount of forward entries we turn into scores yet our accuracy is poor.

Every week I wonder - will this be the week we kick accurately? Every week I’m wrong. Haven’t scored more goals than behinds since round six - only three times this year we have done it at all.

Not sure what can be done but I will consider to track it.

We need to get more goals than ten or eleven too. That’s not good enough to win. We need to look for 15.10 or 16.7 and try and turn this around.

 

[Xxxx66]

First thing - make people accountable. Ben Dixon goes - makes a statement. Then start dropping players who cant kick and then coaches that cant teach skills. Straight away we are a 3 - 5 goal better side. If we can also improve the quality if inside forward 50 entries we are a very efficient team.
Hard hard can it be to Get Ross to take a look or Savage to hit a target rather than see how far he can kick?

 

[Mindtraveller]

Sack Dixon, get G Train in to do the job.

Goal kicking through fear.