set shot routine – Michmutters
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Max King goalkicking, bad technique, choking, Brett Ratten press conference, Matthew Lloyd training, St Kilda coaches

St Kilda coach Brett Ratten has said star forward Max King “won’t be seeing anybody outside the club” to help improve his set-shot routine, instead backing in those at the club to help steady the 22-year-old’s game.

King imposed himself in the air during Friday night’s loss to Brisbane at Marvel Stadium, but kicked five behinds and ended up goalless as the Saints’ final hopes were all-but dashed.

Speaking post-game, Ratten was staunch in his defense of King.

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“It’s part of the game and you look through great forwards to have played the game, they’ve had a night where they haven’t scored like they wanted to,” he said.

“The pleasing part we know about Max is that Tuesday was a day off for the players and he was at Marvel Stadium for an hour-and-a-half having goal-kicking practice. Every day we’re at the footy club or not at the footy club he’s there having extra goal-kicking and really rehearsing and fine-tuning his game to make sure he gets the opportunity to score on game-day. He’s doing a power of work.

“What I do know is I want Max King in my corner. He’ll be at our footy club for 10 years and when we look back we’ll be saying what a great player he is and what he’s done. Tonight he had a night where it didn’t work for him.

“He did everything right but finish, for great forwards that’s happened in the game. He’s 21 years of age, we love what he brings to the footy club, he’s developing and we know that he’s doing the work. Sometimes you don’t get the reward all the time but he’ll keep doing that and you watch, he’ll turn it around.”

King has enjoyed a relatively impressive season in front of goal, booting 47 goals from his 21 games.

There have been occasions, however, where inaccuracy has plagued him, most notably his return of one goal and seven behinds in round six and two goals and five behinds in round 20 before tonight’s five behinds.

Ratten said a myriad of factors were at play for King.

King kicked five behinds on Friday night (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images).Source: Getty Images

“I wouldn’t say high pressure, I think sometimes the goal-kicking, it’s got so many elements to it,” he said.

“It’s the technical aspect, the mental aspect, the fatigue, what part of the ground, people score from different parts and score easier when the ball is on the right side versus the left.

“I want to go to war with Max because he delivers and he will deliver.”

The Saints in 2021 knocked back Max King’s request for help from Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd – who also coached King at Haileybury College – instead opting to leave King’s goal-kicking practice to those internally.

Asked on Friday night if there had been a change since then, Ratten’s response was firm.

“He won’t be seeing anybody outside the club, he doesn’t need to. We’ve got people with the skillset to keep working there,” he said.

“As I said to you, it’s not just all about the technical aspect, there’s a mental aspect to it as well. With goal-kicking, it’s a closed skill and there’s different elements to it.

“It’s not just we bring somebody in and they fix up the hand drop or anything like that. He hasn’t got many flaws, but sometimes it can go against you.”

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AFL 2022: Max King torched, Brisbane Lions defeat St Kilda, finals, ladder

St Kilda had it all to play for on Friday night against the Brisbane Lions, but they repeatedly shot themselves in the foot.

A thrilling third quarter saw them come back to life and put the Lions to the sword. But when it mattered most, they fell apart.

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The Saints had ample opportunities in the final quarter to run away with the contest, but continually threw it away in front of goal.

Young star forward Max King was the prime culprit, finishing the night with five behinds to his name as his set shot routine abandoned him.

The yips seemed to have taken a hold as his routine changed on multiple occasions.

At the other end of the ground the Lions capitalized on their opportunities. The Lions’ last five scoring shots netted them four goals and one behind. The Saints’ last seven scoring shots were all behinds.

St Kilda fans in the stands were routinely spotted by the cameras with their head in their hands after each miss in front of goal.

“The set shots were relatively easy, they weren’t on tight angles. You just have to go back and suck up the pressure and put them through the big sticks,” Jonathan Brown said on Fox Footy.

Former St Kilda great Nick Riewoldt said King had zero confidence in his kicking by the end.

“He’s had four shots from directly in front and in the end he just looked completely devoid of confidence, his routine was broken,” he said.

“To the point that we watched him pretty closely the last five to 10 minutes and I don’t think he wanted the ball.”

Garry Lyon added: “That’s a horrible night. I agree that in the end he was saying I don’t want to go near it.”

Footy fans watching on were quick to lambaste King for his horror night out, when St Kilda were desperate for the win.

CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny wrote: “There is no more excruciating sight in football than watching Max King kicking for goal.”

St Kilda will now need a minor miracle to qualify for the finals after losing to the Cam Rayner-inspired Brisbane Lions by 15 points.

Brisbane opened up a 26-point buffer late in the second quarter, but for the third game in a row, they either gave up a sizeable lead, or had one eaten into significantly, as the Saints exploded in the third quarter to lead by five points, putting the Lions’ top-four ambitions in peril.

The Saints will likely drop to 10th this weekend, meaning they will have to not only beat the Swans in Sydney in the final round next week, but will also need a raft of other results to go their way to make the finals.

The win launches Brisbane into a second spot on the ladder currently and keeps their hopes alive of securing a final home.

– with Ronny Lerner, NCA Newswire

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