LETHAL WEAPONS
ST Kilda says its investment in its dedicated two-year goalkicking program is paying dividends as it strives to secure a drought-breaking finals berth this season. The Saints are the most accurate goalkicking side in the competition after surging from 17th across 2018-19 (42.9 per cent) to No. 1 (54.5 per cent) this year.
Adding another lethal layer to the Saints’ forward-half operations, Brett Ratten’s men are also No. 1 for forward 50m tackles with an average 13.2 a game, according to Champion Data. Together, the two huge improvements helped make St Kilda the highest-scoring team in the competition before this round. Ex-goalkicking coach Ben Dixon rewired and refined St Kilda players’ set-shot and on-the-run techniques with weekly goalkicking sessions over a twoyear period. It included a breakthrough session for Tim Membrey, who nailed 36 straight set-shots at a Moorabbin training session days before he slotted six goals against West Coast in Perth two years ago. St Kilda chief operating officer Simon Lethlean said there was no doubt the club’s goalkicking program had paid off as the club searches for its seventh win of the season against Gold Coast on Thursday night.
“Ben was very upfront with the club that his goalkicking program would take two years, at least, to entrench itself and to bear fruit for a number of reasons, and part of that is the amount of work he was doing with the guys,” Lethlean said.
“He certainly ingrained in lots of our players the methodology and the mindset and a discipline to practice. That hasn’t changed this year.
“They have goalkicking comps every week and those little silly prizes they come up with. They have found what their triggers are and that goes for all parts of their game. Also dealing with some pretty young guys who didn’t (previously) necessarily have someone at the front of their minds showing them how to go about their craft.
“Now they have a plan, something to focus on and for many it is helping.”
Dixon left at the end of last season, but the likely reduction in the AFL football department soft cap to $6.3m is another blow to any club hoping to employ a dedicated goalkicking coach as Brisbane Lions desperately try to snap their slump.
Lethean said the Saints were proud of their capacity to score in 2020. Central to the resurgence is Butler, who has become the top-tacking small forward in the game, averaging 2.5 a match, and amassing 23 in total for the season.
The sharpshooter, who fell out of favour at Richmond last year, has emerged as the best value recruit of the season after moving to Moorabbin in exchange for pick 56.
Lethlean said he fitted the way the Saints wanted to play.
“Part of the St Kilda way is to have an attacking style when and where we can. You have got to have the cattle to do it and the confidence to do it and we are only half way through the year,” he said.
“But certainly it looks like they are playing a more attacking brand of footy than we have for a while.”