Goal-Kicking has long been touted as the single most important skill in Aussie Rules footy. Obviously, if you can’t kick a goal, you’re never going to win a game. This is why it is surprising that while goal-kicking accuracy has improved over the last 40 years, it has in no way matched the corresponding improvements in other important match skills as footy has become the professional, scientific game it is today.
While this is true (and certainly something for kicking coaches to think about), I’m less interested in the long-term historical shift in Goal-Kicking Accuracy (GKA) and much more interested in what we can learn about a modern day team in the AFL from how they kick in front of the sticks. Do better teams have a consistently higher GKA? Can we use the past GKA of teams to tip upcoming matches? Can it help us predict a premier?