The damning numbers that prove Christian Petracca needs to improve his kicking

Christian Petracca is one of the competition’s biggest names, but this season is one of the bottom 15 players in a key stat. Jon Ralph unpacks where the superstar has to improve.

Christian Petracca needs to sign up to the AFL’s Leg Drivers Association instead of putting another request on the trade table.

In another week of intense focus, the 2021 Norm Smith Medallist’s poor form has given rise to suggestions he should demand a trade to an AFL rival.

Melbourne believes he is as happy and invested as he has been in many years.

What Petracca needs to do is kick the football better.

Melbourne has many issues right now – its defence has gone from the hardest team to score against inside 50 to the easiest.

But instead of getting silky disposal from Petracca’s 25.7 disposals a game, Simon Goodwin is getting another word that starts with the letter S.

Petracca is kicking at a career-worst 46.3 per cent kicking efficiency, down from 63.7 per cent last year.

Too often instead of driving out of traffic he has thrown the ball on the boot – often into opposition hands.

In nine of his 15 games he has gone at 50 per cent kicking efficiency or worse, and has only a single game going at over 60 per cent targets hit.

Christian Petracca gets a kick away against Port Adelaide. Picture: Mark Brake/Getty Images.

He is in the bottom 15 kicks in the competition from the 227 players who have had 100 kicks and of all midfielders he has the fourth-worst kick rating.

Of the top 100 players to kick inside 50, he has the sixth worst retention rate behind teammate Trent Rivers, Connor Rozee, Matt Johnson, Tim Taranto and Angus Sheldrick.

Melbourne have only taken a mark off four of his 69 kicks inside 50.

This weekend many of his possessions were scrappy kicks from packs and a lack of quality leading targets saw him trying to thread the needle with some kicks on the lead.

He missed two snaps for goal under intense pressure.

But he also missed easy targets and ballooned a snap high in the air in range of goal.

A player who in 2017 kicked 26.6 has kicked 13.15 with 10 total misses (13 goals from 35 shots) playing what Champion Data says is a 70-30 midfield split.

Two years ago he kicked 28.34 with 25 total misses so what should be his strong suit has devolved into an achilles heel.

All of Rivers, Clayton Oliver and Petracca have gone at under 50 per cent kicking accuracy in the last three games, all of them losses.

Melbourne best-and-fairest winner David Schwarz says rather than seek a trade, Petracca should rededicate himself to his craft work.

Christian Petracca kicks inside 50 at GMHBA stadium. Picture: Michael Klein

Christian Petracca chats to Daniel Turner. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images.

He believes Petracca’s repeated public statements that he isn’t going anywhere given a deal to 2021 with the Demons.

“He needs to use it better. The thing with Petracca is that he has worked so hard on his body to get back to footy after last year’s incident and he’s worked on his fitness. Sometimes the basic things get left behind or aren’t as much of a priority.

“Now that his body is back in good nick his priority is to get his kicking accuracy back. He won Melbourne’s goalkicking a few years back.

“He looks really comfortable at Melbourne and he has spoken a lot about how he loves the joint and wants to get better as a group.”

With defenders Blake Howes and Harrison Petty out concussed, Jake Lever is likely to return despite missing Monday’s session with illness.

Tom McDonald will also push for selection while Jacob Van Rooyen failed to dominate the VFL with 13 possessions, six marks and a goal against Adelaide.

Originally published as The damning numbers that prove Christian Petracca needs to improve his kicking