Ben Dixon to put every St Kilda player through a rigorous technical exam over pre-season

ST KILDA’S new goalkicking coach Ben Dixon will put every player through a rigorous technical examination, saying he has no doubt it will deliver improvement.

Ben Dixon helps out former Collingwood star Travis Cloke. Picture: Michael Klein

ST KILDA’S new goal kicking coach Ben Dixon will put every player at the club through a rigorous technical examination over the preseason.

The former Hawthorn sharpshooter turned down advances from Port Adelaide to help fix the Saints’ set shot woes which, in part, cost Alan Richardson’s men a finals berth last season.

The Saints were ranked second last in accuracy (45.5 per cent) in 2016 but have agreed to prioritise the area over summer training to help jump into the eight next tear.

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Dixon said players would be made accountable to specific success rates at training to help deal with the mental pressures of goal kicking in game.

Dixon said he was confident the program would deliver results in 2018.

“Definitely we will see some improvement,” Dixon said. “I have got no doubt about that.

Ben Dixon works with Travis Cloke at Collingwood training. Picture: Michael Klein

“I’m really confident because the program is structured so it will give every single player their own individual focus and a routine that works for them.

“And what is also important is the ability, as a player, to self-assess in-games and in-season so you can revisit and refine it each week.

“That’s at a different level and I’m confident that is where we will get to at the Saints.”

Dixon, who was goal kicking coach at Hawthorn for three seasons, also helped improve Travis Cloke’s accuracy in his stint at the Magpies.

Dixon said there was a misconception that only forwards should work rigorously on their goal kicking.

Tim Membrey was a part of St Kilda’s misfiring forward line.

He said every player on the Saints would be put through the program and was excited by the renewed focus on it at Seaford.

“Every player needs to be confident in their own routine because you never know when the next big opportunity to have a shot is going to present itself,” Dixon said.

“I’m super impressed with Alan Richardson and his team that it has become a priority now.

“I’m excited that they’ve really bought into how important it is, because they have brought all the divisions together, from high performance to coaching, to make it work.”