Hawthorn superstar Lance Franklin. Picture: Daniel Wilkins Source: PerthNow
HAWTHORN star Lance Franklin has unveiled a revamped set-shot routine after his costly Grand Final performance.
The dynamic Franklin was Hawthorn's best player alongside Brad Sewell but his lack of accuracy was a key factor in the Hawks' loss.
He kicked 3.4 and a shot out of bounds just before halftime, with his confidence in his set-shot action falling away badly.
He played on at all costs - even from directly in front of goal - and badly hooked a set shot in the last quarter that would have put Hawthorn 17 points up.
For many years Franklin's routine has featured a sudden diversion to the left or an arcing run before he kicks at goal across his body.
This pre-season Franklin has noticeably bent further over the ball with a less free-flowing run up, with no sign of the hard cut to the left.
Franklin still drifts fractionally left but he looks to be kicking straight through the ball rather than across it.
Hawthorn is adamant there has been no deliberate revamp but a video comparison from last season shows a clear difference.
Hawthorn legend Shane Crawford said improved conversion for Franklin was the difference between "the ultimate success for Hawthorn and making up the numbers".
"I have noticed he is running straighter at goal and it will be interesting to see if it works," he said.
"Everyone has a different way of kicking the football and you work with them, you don't try to totally change them.
"But he averages something like nine shots at goal a game. If he can get himself converting at a better rate, that's enormous.
"It becomes two or three goals a game. He becomes a hundred-goal-per-season kicker again, and it's the difference between winning and losing close games."
The obsession with Franklin's run-up would be trivial and obsessive if it were not so important.
His Grand Final performance was mighty, with two bombs from 50m on Ted Richards as well as another goal on the run.
But Franklin was joined by Jarryd Roughead (0.3), Sewell (0.2) as players who did not seize the day in front of goal.
Sewell, who missed two snaps in the final moments, spoke later about missed opportunities.
"We have had a good year but we lacked a bit of polish today. We ended up kicking 11.15 and that's the story at the end of the game - they kicked straight and we didn't," Sewell said.
Franklin has kicked an amazing 520.385 (905 scoring shots) in his eight years of football, not including shots at goal that did not score.
But after an encouraging 82.61 in 2011, he kicked 69.64 last year at a conversion rate of 52 per cent, excluding shots out of bounds.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Buddy on straight and arrow
Dengan url
http://ganangandollar.blogspot.com/2013/03/buddy-on-straight-and-arrow.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Buddy on straight and arrow
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar