I'll always remember what my sister declared after we went out in straight sets in '23.
"We just didn't kick enough points."
This has been an ongoing issue of ours for years and another saying comes to mind.
"You can't make strawberry jam from pig poo no matter how much sugar you use."
It's not only getting the ball through the big sticks that's a concern it's also the field kicking.
We've obviously got plenty of players who can get the ball.
Just not near enough who can kick the ball.

I'm certain Goodwin knows this which is why the game plan he uses is to just get it inside 50 as often as we can, lock it in for as long as we can and hope we can scramble enough through the big posts from there.

2 hours ago, Fork 'em said:

I'll always remember what my sister declared after we went out in straight sets in '23.
"We just didn't kick enough points."
This has been an ongoing issue of ours for years and another saying comes to mind.
"You can't make strawberry jam from pig poo no matter how much sugar you use."
It's not only getting the ball through the big sticks that's a concern it's also the field kicking.
We've obviously got plenty of players who can get the ball.
Just not near enough who can kick the ball.

I'm certain Goodwin knows this which is why the game plan he uses is to just get it inside 50 as often as we can, lock it in for as long as we can and hope we can scramble enough through the big posts from there.

I suspect every supporter thinks their team has quite a few butchers who can’t kick. It’s our confirmation bias. @WheeloRatings has a great stat that measures field kick retention rating compared to the average kick from and to the same location in games. We actually have a pretty good kick retention rating when accounting for all the other variables. It’s a much better measure than kicking efficiency (where we are ranked #2). But we are way behind the better teams in the risks we take by foot.

Goalkicking is a separate issue. We are #18 by some margin in difference between expected score and actual score. The crows have a 3 goal advantage over us just because they are stacked with brilliant kicks for goal.

I'm just hoping we kick 7g 58b and beat Collingwood by 5 pts

I can handle poor goal kicking is we win on Monday

I loved a commentary piece that referred to

“When we were kids and all kids do it, we get a footy and imagine ourselves kicking goals, goals and more goals”

And when we were kids we’d go to the park and choose an end and go to the goals to kick goals

But…

Our MFC players look scared and timid and would rather be doing anything else but have a kick for goals - you can see it - it’s like they don’t want it

It’s definitely got to be mental AND physical technique

Yes it’s actually unbelievable for professional athletes earning serious $$$ to not have such a strong capability now for goalkicking … it’s got to be a key focus at ALL times

You have own the challenge, accept the responsibility and embrace it… not fear it

It’s going to be a big moment for the player who has the first shot v the magpies this week

I knew our goalkicking had been bad, but not for this long, and it has virtually ruined the last 3 1/2 years' chance of success.

Click thumbnail for video.

Edited June 6Jun 6 by inanunda
added video

If you want a great example of a good side doing exactly what we did last week, watch that last quarter of Adelaide v Brisbane again.

Adelaide nailed some good shots (5 goals from about 8 inside 50s), but they also had a pressure rating of 248(!). Brisbane, all of a sudden under extreme pressure, spent 15 minutes repeatedly bombing it inside 50, repeatedly taking low percentage shots (snaps in the wet from 40m out), and repeatedly botching their shots on goal (Bailey at least twice, Robertson twice, Lohmanm twice, even Neale).

Was Choco sighted on the track with the Bears team this week?

I had a look at the scores just now, and I must say a good laugh does ease the pain.

A game where the team that kicks 0.6 in the first quarter won because the other side severely fluffed their goalkicking!

And that was 2nd v 3rd on the ladder. Yeesh.

On 05/06/2025 at 18:02, titan_uranus said:

There’s fairly enough plenty of focus on the players taking the actual shots, but there’s no doubt that on the weekend and historically we take low percentage shots.

@WheeloRatings ’ shot map shows how many shots we took on the angle and outside 30m. Our expected score was 83.8. We had 28 scoring shots. So that would still have looked like 11.17.83. So with the shots we had we were still expected to kick inaccurately. The shots were too often too hard.

We’ve done better this year at generating better shots on goal. Last week was a regression IMO.

On 05/06/2025 at 19:15, DeelightfulPlay said:

Agreed, based on the heat map we had barely any shots from in front in the Saints game! However, in the weeks we've had the new game plan running well, we've generally been much better at coming via the corridor or players undertaking a lateral kick so we can score from in front (such as Langdon's kicks). Hopefully we are able to revert back to playing this style, and generating more favourable shots on goal, in the Pies game.

Agreed it's a regression - a big one! Dominating the inside 50s is important but it isn't enough. A better strategy probably is to aim for and dominate the inside 30 count - I would think goal scoring accuracy would be much better from this zone!

It's not just Melbourne who often dominate inside 50 counts and find a way to lose. Brisbane had the last 11 inside 50 entries in their game last night and lost to Adelaide by 5 points. They should have won!

Like you TU and DP, I am hopeful we can return to dominating the inside 50 entries with better, deeper entries coming from smarter delivery deep into the inside 30 zone. A repeat of how we lost to the Saints and we'll get smashed again. A return to how we played and won against Brisbane and Sydney (last years Grand finalists!) with smart footy strategising delivery deep inside 30 will give us an even chance of beating the filth. Go Dees!

When I click on the thumbnail all I get is the photo

10 hours ago, inanunda said:

Click thumbnail for video.

It's not even an elephant in the room , our goalking is merd !!

Why is this not better ? Can only logically be one determination. It doesn't rank of importance. Bizarre really.

On 03/06/2025 at 08:58, DistrACTION Jackson said:

The thing I want to know is what type of conditions are they practicing their goal kicking each week? Is it just an end of training add-on that they have a bit of a giggle and fun, or is it a genuine part of our training regime.

As the old saying goes, you practice how you play, so if it isn't a serious focus then it's any wonder we are terrible at goal kicking.

There's a couple of things I would look to do if I was coaching goal kicking, specifically set shot kicking:

1. I would have a designated 30-40 min block focused on this. I would have players do multiple leads running back and forth to simulate the running in a game and then have them mark on the lead. I would then time them for the 30 seconds and have them focus on their breathing and routine prior to walking in to kick. The purpose of this is to simulate the level of running they would do in a game prior to having a set shot and enabling them to be better equipped for kicking goals under fatigue. The running could focus on each position, for example JVR could do 20-30 metres forward, back and then forward again. Whereas the mids could run say 100m from the back 50 to 35m out to simulate the scenarios they would often have in game.

2. I would consider changing the width of the goals for kicking practice, say 1-2 meters narrower to make the end target smaller. This would then force them to really get their kicking in training spot on and once they are in a game situation the goals would look bigger and easier to kick.

I feel like these are pretty simple things the coaches should be doing and if they aren't they should probably have a look at themselves, specifically Choco.

when can you start as coach

On 04/04/2025 at 05:59, The Jackson FIX said:

Surprised it isn’t a mandate on our players that they measure and step out their run in for a set shot like an opening bowler measures a run up. Too many times we push the ball wide because we end up too close to the man on the mark.

And don't twirl the ball around in your hands during run-up!!

On 02/06/2025 at 21:51, dazzledavey36 said:

Get Lloyd down to the club ASAP!!!!

On 03/06/2025 at 17:36, BDA said:

Our goal kicking is disgusting.

Practice makes perfect. Gotta get technique right and the only way to do that is through repetition. These players are paid to kick goals. They should practice for an hour each day at least. In the pressure of game day they can then fall back on that repetition.

Exactly, as RDB used to say, "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect"

On 03/06/2025 at 18:10, Roost it far said:

I know it’s simplistic but why don’t they set markers at 25,35 and 45m then 3 cones at different angles at each distance. Then 3 on the run from each angle, one at each distance. No one leaves training till everyone has kicked at least 10 goals per round. This is the end of every training session. Film each player and then show them the vision. Teach, repetition, teach, repetition. We have to get better at this and practice is the only way.

Yes and starting closer in (even 10m out) will get them used to kicking through the goals and getting the ball to go straight. Then move back 5m per set of shots. Focus on the kicks directly in front, no angle and then move around to slight angles etc

Where are the coaches in all this, it is ridiculous that armchair supporters can see the issues and how to improve them yet the people getting paid haven't had an impact on this over years! It should've reached critical mass after 2023 but we're still dealing with it almost 2 years later.

On 04/06/2025 at 14:15, Ghostwriter said:

Beer wine, something else?

Did you know players who are rehabbing are forbidden from drinking alcohol? That’s 24/7, no exceptions, for the duration of their recovery.

That’s just one of many examples of how the club owns the players’ souls.

It's not owning their souls, it's called being a professional athlete.

On 04/06/2025 at 20:32, DeelightfulPlay said:

Interestingly Larkey has a similar routine (and is the most accurate goal kicker in the league, iirc). Before a game he aims to kick 28 out of 30 shots at goal or something like that (based on the article from another goalkicking thread posted this month lol)

Edit: found it! https://www.afl.com.au/news/1291484/inside-the-meticulous-routine-of-the-games-most-lethally-accurate-goalkicker-north-melbourne-star-nick-larkey

That article hasn't aged well, he's been poor in front of goal basically since it was written!

One other issue to consider is the opposition’s accuracy.

Our opposition has kicked a combined 162.122 (57%) which is the most accuraate in terms of scores conceded and really hasn’t helped matters.

This would be a combination of:

1) simple bad luck whereby the opposition kick goals out of their backsides.

2) structural, coaching and players allowing the opposition to have shots from simple angles or allowing the incredibly frustrating walk in goals such as St Kilda last week.

So in conclusion, we’re the most inaccurate side in the league and our combined opposition score is the most accurate of all conceded scored across the league.

Edited June 7Jun 7 by Bring-Back-Powell

14 hours ago, inanunda said:

I knew our goalkicking had been bad, but not for this long, and it has virtually ruined the last 3 1/2 years' chance of success.

Click thumbnail for video.

Link ( that works ) ? Cheers

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

That article hasn't aged well, he's been poor in front of goal basically since it was written!

He's been jinxed, and maybe the transmission of the article on Demonland has lead to the spread of our woes to Larkey haha

3 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

It's not owning their souls, it's called being a professional athlete.

Sigh, it’s a figure of speech ffs

3 hours ago, Bring-Back-Powell said:

One other issue to consider is the opposition’s accuracy.

Our opposition has kicked a combined 162.122 (57%) which is the most accuraate in terms of scores conceded and really hasn’t helped matters.

This would be a combination of:

1) simple bad luck whereby the opposition kick goals out of their backsides.

2) structural, coaching and players allowing the opposition to have shots from simple angles or allowing the incredibly frustrating walk in goals such as St Kilda last week.

So in conclusion, we’re the most inaccurate side in the league and our combined opposition score is the most accurate of all conceded scored across the league.

That's been evident for a while, particularly when we play Collingwood (2022/23 in particular). When they go forward there is acres ofmsoace and they either walk goals in from 20m out or take an uncontested mark around the same distance.

There are also those games where guys like Mason Cox and Ash Johnson kick them from everywhere while guys like Fritsch and Kozzie who should be reliable miss relatively straightforward shots.

17 hours ago, inanunda said:

I knew our goalkicking had been bad, but not for this long, and it has virtually ruined the last 3 1/2 years' chance of success.

Click thumbnail for video.

Here it is: https://youtu.be/K28KZ6Q9SwU

7 hours ago, Redbeard said:

When I click on the thumbnail all I get is the photo

Apologies. Here you go: https://youtu.be/K28KZ6Q9SwU

7 hours ago, Redbeard said:

When I click on the thumbnail all I get is the photo