Mind guru puts McStay in kicking form
THE man behind Jonny Wilkinson’s golden boot has done it again, helping Brisbane utility Daniel McStay tame his goalkicking demons.
When McStay missed a sitter that would have moved Brisbane within eight points of Essendon in a game they went on to lose, coach Chris Fagan decided to act. He approached the 23- year- old afterwards to work with renowned performance coach Dave Alred.
The Englishman worked with rugby star Wilkinson ahead of the 2003 World Cup, while former golf world No. 1 Luke Donald, the English cricket team and Manchester City are also on his resume.
Last month Alred joined Italian golfer Francesco Molinari’s camp before his eightshot victory in the Quicken Loans National.
Alred has a PhD in performing under pressure and Fagan, after reading his book, realised he often spent time in Queensland and could help.
“Fages said he wanted to fix this and that he had a guy for me to see and I said ‘ absol- utely,” McStay said. “He knows nothing about footy, but he came in with a fresh look.
“I was probably putting doubt in my mind before, but he gave me some exercises. I found it really helpful and I’m a lot more confident in my kicking now.”
The results are there to see – McStay had kicked 9.12 after that dreaded Essendon miss but has managed 6.1 in the past three games. Coincidentally those three have all been wins for the Lions side.