St Kilda know it will take time to turn goalkicking woes around after loss to Hawthorn

ALAN Richardson said there was more to St Kilda’s loss to Hawthorn than goalkicking but after six weeks this much is certain, Jack Billings is the worst shot in the AFL and the entire team isn’t much better.

St Kilda players walk off after the loss to Hawthorn.

IF ONLY goalkicking accuracy was Alan Richardson’s solitary concern.

As he said after Saturday’s late fade-out, the exits from defence were “sub-par”, the entries into attacking 50m weren’t great and his team lacked “hunger” and “desperation” late.

But after kicking 36.65 in the past five weeks, this much is official.

SHOCKER: MEMBREY’S MISS OF THE SEASON

STRUGGLES: BACK TO SCHOOL FOR SORRY SAINTS

REPORT: UNSOCIABLE HAWKS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE

Jack Billings is the worst shot for goal in the AFL dating back to the start of last year and the entire team isn’t much better.

The only certainty is that St Kilda is doing the work required and more under goalkicking coach Ben Dixon.

The Saints spent the entire summer on it, packing in four years of work into a full year and changing the set shot routines of 22 players.

Jack Billings snaps at goal.

Against Hawthorn they kicked a respectable 6.4 from set shots but missed all of six snaps at goal.

Tim Membrey was once the AFL’s most accurate set shot, but his howler from the top of the goal square said it all.

Membrey has kicked just two of nine set shots for the year (22 per cent) for 2.5 and two misses and Paddy McCartin has 4.5 and three misses from his set shots.

Billings used to be a magnificent field kick.

His confidence looks shot, Billings this year kicking 4.11 for the season.

St Kilda is 17th for both goalkicking accuracy and set shot accuracy, at least lucky the Giants were worst in last week’s draw (9.19).

Against the Hawks Billings nailed a set shot and missed three snaps, but he averages just 32.9 per cent conversion from the start of 2017.

He is atop an unenviable list in front of Shaun Higgins (33.3 per cent) Marcus Bontempelli (36.1 per cent) and Jake Stringer (39.7 per cent).

Tim Membrey celebrates a goal.

Through the pre-season St Kilda’s forwards were taking 200 shots a week in three separate sessions as they honed routines through video analysis and repetition.

St Kilda knows it will take time to pay dividends, Hawthorn taking several years to go from 16th in goal accuracy to No.1 in their premiership three-peat.

But Richardson conceded some of those misses were deflating, even if Membrey soon kicked a goal after his shank from point blank range.

“They missed a few too but there is no doubt it has an impact,” he said.

WAYWARD SAINTS

Statistic	Accuracy (Rank)
Shot at Goal Accuracy	39.1% (17th)
Set Shot Accuracy	40.0 % (17th)
Accuracy 0-15m	76.5% (10th)
Accuracy 15-30m	37.5% (17th)
Accuracy 30-40m	40.7% (16th)
Accuracy 40-50m	29.3% (17th)
Accuracy 50m+	29.2% (7th)

“You have to work pretty hard to get scores against good teams and when you miss a relatively easy shot or have a run of points there is a chance it has an influence.

“Our focus has been to keep going and make sure we get another opportunity. But clearly we want to make more of our opportunities.”

Richardson said the Saints would risk training injuries to introduce more intensity and counter a fade-out that blew the margin from 11 points to 35 in the last term.

“We might have

“It was a hunger, a desperation, a coping-with-pressure thing.

“Hawthorn just went to another level and we just weren’t able to match it. We just have to work much harder in that space.

“It might be we have to take a bit more risk in that space (at training).”

COMPETITION ACCURACY

2018: 47.1%

2017: 49.1%

2016: 50.1%

2015: 50.0%

2014: 49.3%

2013: 49.7%

2012: 49.0%

2011: 48.6%

2010: 48.3%

2009: 49.8%

2008: 51.3%

2007: 51.2%

2006: 51.9%

2005: 52.7%

2004: 52.8%

2003: 52.9%

2002: 53.6%