Calls to bring back place kick to cure AFL goalkicking woes

IT HASN’T been seen on an AFL field for more than 60 years, but there’s a push on to bring back the place kick. One AFL great reckons he would have kicked an extra 250 goals had there been place kicks in his day.

BULLDOGS great Brad Johnson reckons he’d have kicked an extra 250 goals had there been place kicks when he played.

It hasn’t been tried in a game since 1955, but Johnson thinks it’s time we gave the place kick another go.

Fox Footy panellist Johnson is leading calls for the return of the kick which he says would see set shot accuracy go through the roof and the return of the 100-goal player.

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Brad Johnson boots the ball off the ground against the West Coast Eagles in 2002.

Matt Suckling tries a place kick at training during his time at Hawthorn.

Former Essendon player Adam Ramanauskas tries a place kick.

The call comes as just over half of all set shots are going through the middle, a stat that has steadily declined in recent years.

Johnson says he’d love to see today’s big forwards like the Giants Jon Patton and West Coast’s Josh Kennedy try the kick.

It could even be the answer to Joe Daniher’s goal kicking woes, Johnson says.

Essendon footballer Harry Equid sets up a place kick.

“It’s an excellent idea — kicking accuracy would go through the roof,” he says.

“The place kick would be super effective.

“The crowd would love it. It would create huge excitement — why not make it worth nine points.”

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Johnson says goalkicking is the one area of the game that was not improving and with place kicks we could again see someone boot 100 goals in a season.

Johnson remembers a couple of times when he booted a goal off the ground from a long way out and says he would have got many more goals if he had taken place kicks.

“When you hit them well it feels magnificent,” he says.

The last man to use the place kick was Tony Ongarello in a game at Brunswick Oval in 1955.

Ongarello has told Fox Footy’s Open Mike the kick hadn’t been tried for years, he was kicking badly that day and felt he had nothing to lose.

One of his kicks was so long it went flying outside the ground.

Tony Ongarello flies for a mark.

Fox Footy is challenging fans to upload their own #placekick on social media to see who has what it takes to give Jon Patton a run for his money.

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